Business analysts: why are there so many of you?

[pauldee]

I'm a BA.

I know 90% of the BA's are useless.

I 100% see the point of view from some that BA role is useless.

I also see exactly the same in your roles too. Bad developers, bad testers, bad project managers, bad service managers, bad dev op. The list can go on and on.

However, we all know what a good person in each of those roles brings to the table. Each has their place in project delivery and IT.

Be thankful 90% of those out there are rubbish at these jobs, winging it, blagging everything, googling answers all day etc. as they make the job market really easy for the minute percentage of the good 10% who wake up one day and realise a life as a permie is not what they have to do for the next 50 years.

I'm glad I chose to switch to the contract market. These tulip BAs leave me plenty of work. If you struggle with interviews I would really take a look at whether you are genuinely good at what you do or just part of the 90%.

Sorry to be harsh.

As with PMs, I've worked with good BAs and bad BAs. A good BA can make a project a joy, whereas there are some projects I've worked on that involve a BA where I feel I've been doing most of the business analysis myself. Anyone who says all BAs are a waste of time has probably only worked with rubbish BAs.

[NotAllThere]

Some Developers could be BAs. Some Developers could be good BAs. Some Developers shouldn't be let anywhere near normal people.

Back in the day of steam powered computers, there were no BAs and no developers. Just analyst programmers. (The people who are now developers who shouldn't be let near normal people were then known as systems programmer).

I blame the consultancies for the split. It's easier to be more woolly about deliverables with BAs than with developers.

[Fronttoback]

On the point of my career once being part of many tasks if you followed a full business analysis life cycle then we have many too. I often find clients use a BA for "requirements gathering" but that equates to 1/6th of the theoretical skills a BA can cover.

What are the core skills of a BA? Can you write them down for me please?

[munkee]

As with PMs, I've worked with good BAs and bad BAs. A good BA can make a project a joy, whereas there are some projects I've worked on that involve a BA where I feel I've been doing most of the business analysis myself. Anyone who says all BAs are a waste of time has probably only worked with rubbish BAs.

Couldnt agree more. I do believe a BA coming from a developer background often to be more useful than those that come from a "business only" background. However with that being said, there are plenty of projects out there that don't touch any IT but require a BA to be involved, it's when the background and skills arent matched up to the right project that things turn horrible.

I also dislike seeing subject matter experts parachuted in and stuck under the banner of BA. Allow them to be identified as the SME on the project for sure, but dont give them a title that doesnt match their skills. This is often why requirements end up dictating the solution to the IT teams because the SME has a pre-conceived idea of how it will all work.

[munkee]

What are the core skills of a BA? Can you write them down for me please?

At the broadest level sure. If you need further details let me know. Click the following links (I promise its not meatspin)

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

[Fronttoback]

Couldnt agree more. I do believe a BA coming from a developer background often to be more useful than those that come from a "business only" background

It depends what level the BA had reached as a developer. If we are talking a few years, and the person bailed without having achieved much then that type of BA is a disaster amongst devs because they think they know something about how things should be implemented- but they only know enough to be dangerous.

Failed developers to not make good BAs.

[Fronttoback]

At the broadest level sure. If you need further details let me know. Click the following links (I promise its not meatspin)

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

I'm not clicking that. Can you write down the core skills of a BA. I want to know what you do. What is your USP

[NotAllThere]

At the broadest level sure. If you need further details let me know. Click the following links (I promise its not meatspin)

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

Moderation note. URL's checked and SFW. Still at your own risk of course.

[LondonManc]

It depends what level the BA had reached as a developer. If we are talking a few years, and the person bailed without having achieved much then that type of BA is a disaster amongst devs because they think they know something about how things should be implemented- but they only know enough to be dangerous.

Failed developers to not make good BAs.

Good developers don't necessarily make good BAs either

A good developer may have poor interpersonal skills but a perfect aptitude for programming; I wouldn't let him near the end user but I'd expect him to code me the best system possible.

[Cirrus]

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

Right: I can see why this is happening. One of those links shows 'leadership' and 'supplier management'. This is exactly what I've been talking about. These are absolutely nothing to do with BAs. But of course they now try and run projects and give the impression PMs are there to shout at people and fill in thousands of pointless weekly reports.