The role of a business analyst can be summed up in one word: change. It is the role of the business analyst to not only identify, but also implement the necessary elements of change that are needed in order to improve business systems and processes. In order to perform these tasks better, there are several things you can do.
1. Develop greater emotional control
In order to be a better analyst, you must learn to control your emotions. This type of discipline is necessary so that you can think more objectively about all of the information you are examining. If you do not have these types of superior intellectual skills, then you will probably not be as effective when it comes to identifying the specific components in a business process that need to be changed.
2. Increase communication skills by listening
One of the great mistakes made by a large percentage of business analysts is the failure to listen properly. Many individuals are too concerned about their own thoughts and do not take the time to sit back and absorb the ideas of others. It does not matter if the concepts that are being communicated are correct because you will gain more insight about what is going on.
3. Pay attention to fine detail
The devil is in the detail. This is also true in many business systems that need to be changed. Although the required alterations needed to make a business system better are often quite obvious, they tend to be wrapped up in a large amount of detailed minutia that obscures their discovery.
4. Learn how to identify what needs to be changed
This is one of the most important steps of being a business analyst. One of the easiest ways to identify components that need to be changed is to remove or replace each one and observe what happens next. By repeating this process over and over, the elements that need to be adjusted will probably become apparent over time.
5. Precisely define various elements involved with the process
Another important way to improve your business analytical skills is to learn how to define key terms that are used to describe the more frequently used concepts involved with any process. For example, is a holiday aluxury vacation or is it an annual celebration on a specific date? Both of the descriptions used to describe the word holiday are accurate, but only one is appropriate for the analytical task being performed. Therefore, precise definitions of certain words are often necessary so that there is no confusion involved.
6. Continually update technical skills
Technology is constantly developing at an ever increasing pace, and that is why it is so important for you to continually be developing your prowess with all of the latest technological gadgetry. You will quickly become an outdated dinosaur if you do not do this.
Conclusion
So when you are trying to improve your business analysis skills, follow the ideas in these six simple steps so that you can achieve better results. You should always remember that when a business analyst performs their job correctly, the business process that was analyzed and subsequently changed will now be better.