Business Analyst Job Description & Roles and Responsibilities

A business analyst is a professional who identifies the areas of concern that hamper business efficiency and develops solutions to improve business health. A business analyst's work includes tasks like identifying business problems, analysing data, and visualising and preparing financial models to solve problems. In this article we have described a Business Analyst Roles and Responsibilities.

Business Analyst Job Description

A Business Analyst roles and responsibilities include analysing and understanding market research reports, customer surveys, and financial statements to know key business problems and adapt data-driven solutions for organisational productivity. He or she identifies areas for improvement in monitoring customer and product discoverability to enhance customer value. Apart from this, a Business Analyst’s duties involves working with stakeholders to implement technology solutions to achieve business goals.

A business analyst's role and responsibilities include gathering and analysing information, creating financial models using spreadsheets or any other software, visualising data using charts and graphs, and developing solution-oriented strategies by using cost-benefit analysis or SWOT analysis. He or she recommends stakeholders through presentations, reports, and workshops. Additionally, a business analyst presents results and shares key insights with the product team.

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• Online Business Analytics Courses & Certifications
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Business Analyst Roles and Responsibilities

Some of the important business analyst duties are to identify the area of concern and provide solutions to increase the efficiency of the business. Along with these responsibilities, they are responsible for facilitating communication, document processing, and working for the continual improvement of business.

Understand the business needs: This involves gathering and analysing data to know requirements to improve the business health. This may also include working with stakeholders to understand their needs, challenges and goals. Some of the techniques often used by BAs to collect information are interviews, workshops, and surveys.

Develop Solutions: Once the area of concern is identified, which is hampering business efficiency, the next task of BAs is to develop solutions. It includes identifying the different possible and feasible solutions after knowing the pros and cons of each alternative solution.

Facilitate Communication: Business analysts effectively communicate the findings of their business analysis to team members and other stakeholders. Effective communication helps individuals to understand business objectives and work together to achieve common goals. They collaborate with different teams and departments to ensure that everyone is on the right track.

Document Processes: Document processing is another task that is continuously performed by business analysts.This involves creating detailed process maps and workflows that provide a clear picture of how the organisation operates. They may use various tools like use cases, and flowcharts to communicate the requirements to the development team.

Continual Improvement: A business analyst continuously involved in planning, monitoring and evaluating processes to improve the business performance. A business analyst is responsible for working on the area which is hindering business performance and recommending improvements plans to increase overall business performance.

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• How to Become a Business Analyst
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Career Progression

There is not a single standard of business analysis career path. An Individual enters the business analysis profession from a different educational field and progresses in different directions within or outside the organisations. A common business analyst career path may be as follows.

• Junior Business Analyst
• Business Analyst
• Senior Business Analyst
• Principle Business Analyst
• Business Analyst Manager
• Head of Business Analysis

Junior Business Analyst: Individuals start their careers in the business analysis industry with an entry-level role like a junior business analyst. Junior business analysts build command over analytical tools. They work with senior Business Analysts and assist them in tasks like gathering information, document processes, and facilitating communication to achieve common organisation goals.

Business Analyst: Business Analysts execute analysis tasks like gathering requirements, analysing complex data sets, and preparing documentation to provide solutions. They are responsible for collaborating and communicating the findings and solutions with business stakeholders in order to achieve organisational goals.

Senior Business Analyst: Senior Business Analysts lead complex projects and solve complex business problems. They provide training to junior business analysts. Senior Business Analysts give insights by identifying business opportunities, anticipating them, and analysing industry trends. They are responsible for overall business analysis, functioning, and technology investments.

Principle Business Analyst: Principle Business Analysts are the experts in the business analysis industry with proven experience. They set standards by establishing good practices, defining methods, developing frameworks, and ensuring quality assurance. They drive innovation solutions to improve the health of businesses and achieve organisational goals.

Business Analyst Manager: Business Analyst managers are responsible for managing and guiding a team of business analysts. They keep an eye on all the ongoing project execution. They monitor project execution, delegate tasks, ensure quality control, and maintain a collaborative environment for successful business in order to achieve organisational goals.

Head of Business Analysis: Head of business analysts are the ones who set departmental vision, like defining objectives, fostering innovation and growth, and ensuring continuous departmental improvement. They work closely with top-level management and present insights and recommendations. They manage relationships with stakeholders across the organisation, ensuring their needs are understood and addressed.

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What are the qualifications for a Business Analyst?

The basic qualification for a business analyst in India is to first complete 10 + 2 in any stream with a recognised board. One should complete his or her graduation in banking, commerce, finance, information technology, computer science, or any equivalent degree from a recognised university. A master's degree and some certification in business analysis are an added advantage.

Bachelor's Degree

• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Computer Applications
• Bachelor of Business Administration
• B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology)
• Bachelor of Economics (BE)

Master's Degree

• Master of Business Administration
• Master of Business Analytics

What are the skills required for Business Analysis?

A business analyst must have both soft and technical skills to excel in this industry. These skills are important for implementing the business analysis to identify and solve business problems. Below, we have mentioned these skills, which can be learned over time.

Soft Skills

• Communication & Interpersonal Skills
• Decision-Making
• Collaboration & Teamwork
• Negotiation & Cost-Benefit Analysis

Technical Skills

• Data Analysis & Visualisation
• Business Intelligence (BI) Tools
• Process Modeling & Analysis
• Requirements Management
• Agile Methodologies
• System Analysis
• Prototyping & Wireframing
• ERP & CRM Systems
• SDLC( Understand the software development lifecycle)
• Programming (Optional)

Top Recruiters For Business Analyst Job Position

Struggling to find your dream business analyst job? Don't worry! Top recruiters can help you with the perfect job opportunity. Here is a list of the companies that consistently hire for business analyst roles, making job search smoother and faster.

• Accenture
• Tata Consultancy Services
• Cognizant Technology Solutions
• Deloitte
• IBM
• Capgemini
• Amazon
• Dell Technologies
• Tech Mahindra
• EY

Salary of Business Analysts in Top Companies

The job of a business analyst is very crucial for a company to improve its overall performance. A career as a business analyst is very promising and high-paying. As per the AmbitionBox website, a business analyst earns between Rs. 2.9 lakh and Rs. 16.9 lakh, with an average of Rs. 8 lakh per annum.

Source: Glassdoor

Note: The salary figures mentioned anywhere in the article are just for reference purposes. Actual salaries may vary depending on the respective candidates, employer, job location, and numerous other factors.

Conclusion

Business analysts are problem-solvers who understand business needs and give technical solutions. Some of the Business Analyst Duties are to analyse data, develop solutions, and communicate effectively with stakeholders to improve business processes and achieve organisational goals. There are various career paths in business analysis, with opportunities for growth. To be successful, business analysts need strong analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills.