ITCareerCoach Training - Coaching » Business Analyst Career http://www.it-career-coach.net How To Take Your Career To The Next Level Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:09:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 What Software Do I Learn to Become A Business Analyst? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/10/20/what-software-do-i-learn-to-become-a-business-analyst/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/10/20/what-software-do-i-learn-to-become-a-business-analyst/#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:16:47 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=3323

what software should you-learn to become a business analyst?

what software should you-learn to become a business analyst?

[Ask IT Career Coach] is a Career Advice Newsletter for Information Technology (IT) professionals including business analysts, computer programmers, data analysts, database developers, technical writers, project managers and software testers.

If you, have a challenging question about your career, submit it here and we will answer yours just as we are answering this question submitted by a technical writer titled: What Software Do I Learn to Become A Business Analyst? …

Question

How do I learn or get the software knowledge that would make me a business analyst?

What types of software programs will I have to use on the job; and how do I learn these programs in a visual manner without having to refer to textbooks?

Answer:

You do not understand what a business analyst does and because of that you are mixing software jobs (like that of a computer programmer’s) with the business analyst’s job.

This mix-up is quite common because software oriented jobs are more common and better understood than business analyst jobs.

When you think of a computer programmer’s job, the picture that comes to mind is that of a highly skilled technology savvy professional who spends a lot of time building software programs, creating data entry forms and screens, designing websites or even installing desktop applications.

Unfortunately, when you think of business analysts, you also imagine that their duties or tasks are similar to those of computer programmers!

Because of this, you are wrongly associating the business analyst’s career with more software / technology careers like software testing, technical writing or computer programming.

So, in TODAY'S POST, I will contrast the role of a software tester, computer programmer, technical writer and business analyst to bring the point home.

What Does A Business Analyst Really Do?

The primary skills that business analysts use on the job are communication skills
(both written and verbal) unlike computer programmers, whose primary skills are tied to expertise in specific technologies like C#, Visual Basic, Java, PHP.

Business Analysts are highly-skilled or expert at communicating technology requirements with stakeholders, customer, power users or even technical teams (think software developers, software testers, web designers).

The primary communication tools used by business analysts while facilitating the requirements engineering process are Office productivity tools including Microsoft Word (for documenting requirements), Microsoft PowerPoint (for making presentations) and Microsoft Excel.

However, unlike computer programmer jobs, business analyst jobs are not required to be software or technology centered.

Don’t get me wrong!

Some job postings for business analysts require knowledge of software development languages like C# or Java or a software development background.

The business analysts that apply for these job postings are more accurately classified as Technical Business Analysts.

There are several domains or specializations available to business analysts (mortgage, financial, telecommunications / telco, automotive, healthcare, insurance) and technical business analysis is just one of these domains.

Read more about domain business analysts here:

However, the requirements for domain business analysts are not the same as the requirement for becoming a business analyst.

You are a business analyst first before you become a technical / domain business analyst.

So, don’t apply the role, responsibilities and requirements for the technical business analysis domain to all business analyst domains.

Competence or mastery of Microsoft Office Productivity software (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is a requirement for business analyst jobs even when it is not stated on the job posting.

A business analyst who uses Office Productivity software can document requirements with Microsoft Word, make PowerPoint presentations and run what-if analysis using Microsoft Excel.

Focusing on software skills beyond Microsoft Office software makes you more of a computer programmer than a business analyst.

For your information, here are some of the differences between computer programmer jobs and business analyst jobs.

Business Analysts Compared To Computer Programmers

  • Business Analysts gather requirements while computer programmers build to specifications.

  • Business Analysts document work flows and business processes while computer programmers model and build software programs that follow those workflows or business processes.

  • Business analyst are hired for their written and verbal communication skills while computer programmers are hired for their expertise or skills in specific programming languages or technology platforms.

  • A computer programmer's work is deeply invested in learning or using technology while a business analyst’s work is deeply invested in understanding, documenting and communicating business requirements.

  • A business analyst’s primary software tool is Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint while a computer programmer’s primary software skill is knowledge of Java or C# or Visual Basic or PHP or other programming languages.

  • Business Analysts document the requirements or features of software programs while computer programmers build software programs.

  • Both the business analyst and software developer are involved with the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) for different reasons. While the business analyst owns the analysis and documentation of software requirements, the computer programmers owns the building of software programs.

  • Read more about the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) here:

I am also going to contrast the role of business analysts with that of software testers and technical writers to bring this home.

Business Analysts Compared To Software Testers

  • Software Testers are more hands-on with programming than business analysts.

    Software Testers are more skilled in programming because they sometimes have to write automated tests using scripting programming languages.

    A business analyst should not be required to write scripts or learn programming languages except in instances where they are applying for technical business analyst jobs.

    So, you cannot project the hands-on software skills requirements for software testers onto the hands-on skill requirements for business analysts.

  • Software Testers write manual or automated tests that verify that software programs developed by computer programmers were written according to the specifications or requirements documented by business analysts.
  • Software Testers have to test or inspect the procedures or functions written by computer programmers.

    For that reason, they may have to learn the basics of the programming language used in creating the software program.

    There is almost no value in business analysts inspecting a programmer’s code or even messing with it because Business Analysts do not have those competencies!

  • Read more about Software Tester Careers here:

Business Analysts Compared To Technical Writers

  • The skills exercised by technical writers are similar to that of business analysts in some respects.

    Both technical writers and business analysts exercise strong written communication skills.

    However, while a technical writer’s skill is useful for documenting the features of a software program after it is built, a business analyst’s skill is useful for documenting the features of a software program before it is built!

  • A technical writer’s primary role is the documenting of existing software features, business processes, etc.

    Because of this, a technical writer may have to learn specific software programs (apart from MS Word or PowerPoint) to help them with create technical documentation like Help Files, Software Manuals, etc.

    The technical writing industry is such that job postings require knowledge of specific software documentation tools.

    However, this must not be confused with the software requirements for business analysts.

    Business Analysts are not technical writers and the business analyst’s job does not require knowledge of specific software programs apart from the ubiquitous (Microsoft Office, MS Word, MS Excel or MS PowerPoint).

  • While the technical writing industry is componentized along the lines of software documentation tools (Adobe PageMaker, Adobe Frame Maker, Adobe Acrobat, Quark Xpress, Corel Ventura), the business analyst industry is segmented along the lines of domain specialization (financial, utilities, web / user interface (UI) business analysts, etc.).

  • Read More about Technical Writer Careers:

What Does It Really Take To Become A Business Analyst?

The requirements for business analysts’ jobs are primarily documentation, requirements analysis and communication (both written and verbal).

While it is common for a business analyst to spend his / her time, preparing PowerPoint presentations, taking meeting notes using Microsoft Word or writing Use Cases in plain-old Microsoft Word, it is common for a computer programmer / software tester / technical writer to spend the same amount of time coding new program features / documenting bugs / documenting the features of a software program.

A business analyst must be 100% comfortable in his / her role as a communicator, presenter, leader, facilitator or analyzer without feeling the need to learn more software tools!

How To Get Hired For A Business Analyst Job – Case Study

Some time ago, I was hired to help an Information Technology (IT) director put together a software development team for a financial software project in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.

In that role, we posted a senior business analyst job opening and then started interviewing qualified business analysts.

The business analyst I interviewed and recommended got the job because she did something different from the other business analysts who applied for the same job.

She walked into the interview with a bound, spiral document that showcased the comprehensiveness, thoroughness and versatility of several business documents she had created for one automotive client in the Greater Saint Louis region.

She did not get hired because of what she said at the business analyst job interview or because of the software experience listed on her resume.

She got the business analyst job, by showcasing her hands-on business analysis skills.

What differentiated her was a compilation of various types of business analysis documents she had worked on for an automotive client in the Greater Saint Louis area.

The financial client hired her as an Information Technology (IT) business analyst for a financial software project because they connected with the hands-on, visual depiction of her business analysis skills exemplified by her Microsoft Word based portfolio.

My final advice?

Don’t approach the business analyst industry based on how the software testing, technical writing or computer programmer industries work.

Remove false associations between the business analyst’s role (primarily written and verbal analysis or communication of requirements) and the hands-on skill requirements for software testers, technical writers or computer programmers.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/10/20/what-software-do-i-learn-to-become-a-business-analyst/feed/ 1 Is Business Analysis A Good Fit For My Personality Type? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/05/19/is-business-analysis-a-good-fit-for-my-personality-type/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/05/19/is-business-analysis-a-good-fit-for-my-personality-type/#comments Fri, 20 May 2011 02:00:48 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=3207

Is Business Analysis For Me?

Is Business Analysis For Me?

[Ask IT Career Coach] is a Career Advice Column for Information Technology (IT) professionals looking for answers to their most challenging career situations.

In This post, I will answer questions on business analysis and software developer careers. Here is the first question:

Is Business Analysis A Good Fit For a Programmer With An ENFP Personality Type?

This question was submitted by Brenna (a computer programmer from South Africa), whose personality type on the Myers Briggs Personality Test is: ENFP (Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving).

Brenna codes with Cobol, Java, SQL, JavaScript, HTML, Flash and is burnt out of coding!

Brenna, has not been able to keep up with programming and wants some direction on what she should do with her life.

I am recommending that Brenna considers becoming a business analyst for the following reasons:

  1. She has good verbal and written communication skills. You can see dome evidence in how detailed, structured and clear her writing is

  2. She is project oriented instead of detail and routine oriented as you will find with programmers. ENFPs also tend to be project oriented instead of detail oriented.

  3. She has not been able to keep up with her computer programming career because she lacks a passion for the industry and also because she is not going about it the right away..

Click here to read Brenna’s post and my reply to the question: “What Is The Future Of ENFP Personality Type In Computer Programming”


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2011/05/19/is-business-analysis-a-good-fit-for-my-personality-type/feed/ 0 The Agile Business Analyst, A Customer Advocate? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/22/the-agile-business-analyst-a-customer-advocate/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/22/the-agile-business-analyst-a-customer-advocate/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:13:22 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2846

The Agile Business Analyst

The Agile Business Analyst

The Agile Business Analyst plays a key role in facilitating conversations between stakeholders, quality assurance / testing teams, customers, subject matter experts (SMEs) and software developers in an incremental, iterative fast-paced product development environment.

So, who is the Agile Business Analyst and why should business analysts who are already comfortable with the process of eliciting requirements in a traditional product development environment be concerned about becoming more agile?

Introducing The Agile Business Analyst Role

The Agile Business Analyst’s role includes facilitating communication, reducing the reliance on extensive documentation and reducing the length of the feedback loop in product development projects.

  1. Collaborative - The Agile Business Analyst works closely with software developers, stakeholders, project managers and software testers and relies less on comprehensive requirements documentation at the inception of the project.

  2. Flexible and Adaptable - Unlike a more traditional software development project, an agile business analyst expects and welcomes changes in requirements. Being Agile means that changing requirements is not made difficult because of extensive documentation, communication cycles or change management processes.

  3. Just In Time Requirements – An Agile Business Analyst knows what is the right amount of requirements documentation to gather for a development cycle or iteration.

  4. More Face to Face Meetings – Because the Agile Business Analyst focuses on less documentation and more face to face meetings or interviews with stakeholders, software developers or testers, Agile Business Analysts make use of more User Stories and less Use Cases for documenting requirements.

  5. Iterative Development – And unlike requirements management practiced in a traditional waterfall software development life cycle, the agile business analyst only focuses on gathering, analyzing or validating the requirements needed in each iteration.

Between The Agile Business Analyst and Traditional BA

So, the Agile Business Analyst focuses on the deliverables for each iteration to o facilitate a faster development process.

Another key difference with agile business analysts is that they work with software testers or quality assurance professionals to elicit Test Cases directly from User Stories instead of from Use Cases.

Because Agile Business Analysts rely on face to face meetings and in-person communication, they work better in teams where the developers, stakeholders, project managers and testers are located in the same place and are committed to being involved on a continuous basis through the life time of the project.

The Agile Business Analyst gathers just-in-time (JIT) requirements through intense collaboration with customers, customer advocates, software architects, stakeholders and software testers.

Why Are We Not More Agile?

Traditionally, a business analyst is expected to gather all the requirements for a project at the beginning. These requirements are then shared with the Project Manager and Stakeholders as a static, fixed or immutable set of requirements.

This type of requirements gathering is common in product or software development project that make any or all of the following assumptions:

  1. Business Analyst – The business analyst can gather, analyze, validate and specify all the requirements at the beginning of the project and before a single line of code is written.

  2. Project Manager – The project manager needs to have a complete set of requirements to facilitate accurate project planning.

  3. Software Tester / QA – The software tester needs to have a complete set of requirements before creating a test plan and user acceptance or QA tests.

  4. Software Architect – The software architect needs to design the entire software system at the beginning of the project befor e a line of code is written.

  5. Computer Programmers – That computer programmers need to receive an extensive and complete set of requirements preferably in Use Cases format before they start coding.

    Traditional software or product development projects also assume that for developers to create a working product, they need to be told in detail, every basic, alternate path and exception flow through the system.

  6. Customers – That customers have a mind, wants, needs and desires that can be completely known at the beginning of the project through extensive requirements gathering and documentation.

    This also means that once the customer’s requirements is gathered or documented, it will not change during the life cycle of the product or software development cycle … at least not without extensive negotiation, documentation and signing-off.

The Role of The Customer Advocate

But is this true? Can the customer’s mind, needs, wants or desires be known and documented completely at the beginning of the project?

Does setting the customer’s requirements in stone assure a better product, a more satisfied customer and increase the chances of project success?

  1. The needs of today’s customers are not set in stone. Far from it, the very process of gathering customers requirements can change what the customer wants.

  2. The marketplace is always changing and product features become less important or even irrelevant in short periods of time.

  3. The practice of planning projects or designing entire software systems completely, at the inception of a project is fraught with risks, estimates and guesses.

    This practice often leads to more software features that are out of touch with the customer’s needs and more project failures.

    Considering that so many projects planned this way fail, Business Analysts need to consider utilizing more agile communication skills to supply requirements when they are needed.

Unlike the traditional business analyst who works from the assumption that requirements once signed off on are fixed in stone or immutable, the agile business analyst plays the role of a customer advocate by assuming that requirements can and will change during the life cycle of the product development effort.

The agile business analyst welcomes changes in the customer’s requirements because they reflect what the customer really wants and not what was documented.

In doing this, the agile business analyst elevates the customer’s needs above the needs for more documentation.

The agile business analyst understands that there is always some uncertainty in the marketplace, so the planned features of a product or software application cannot be set in stone!

The agile business analyst understand that software developers do not need to have 100% of a product or project’s requirements extensively documented using Use Cases before they begin coding.

So the Agile Business Analyst relies more on communication, presentation and facilitation skills than written documentation in communicating with software / product developers.

Today’s constantly changing marketplace requires the Agile Business Analyst A customer advocate who elevates the customer’s needs above that of extensive requirements documentation!


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/22/the-agile-business-analyst-a-customer-advocate/feed/ 6 What Is The Most Difficult Challenge Facing Your Career? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/12/what-is-the-most-difficult-challenge-facing-your-career/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/12/what-is-the-most-difficult-challenge-facing-your-career/#comments Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:33:53 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2820

The Most Difficult Challenge Of My Career

The Most Difficult Challenge Of My Career

Hello,

“What is the most difficult challenge facing your career right now”?

Your most difficult challenge may be about how to get a job or how to improve your skills or how to get promoted on the job

Perhaps your most difficult challenge is about how to transition out of or into a business analyst or computer programming or database developer career.

Whatever your challenge is, just go ahead and post it as a comment on this page and I will deal with it for you.

I may answer it by writing a new article that addresses your concern or by posting a comprehensive reply to your comment.

The concern or challenge facing you is important to me, so go right away and post it as a comment on this page.

Thank You,


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/12/what-is-the-most-difficult-challenge-facing-your-career/feed/ 70 The Six Sigma Business Analyst http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/12/the-six-sigma-business-analyst/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/12/the-six-sigma-business-analyst/#comments Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:09:54 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2817

Six Sigma Business Analyst

Six Sigma Business Analyst

The Six Sigma career path intersects or shares a number of tools, processes, goals and techniques with the business analyst career path.

So, in this post I would like to introduce you to the … Six Sigma Business Analyst.

Ask IT Career Coach

This post answers the question submitted by a business analyst who is enrolled at the business analyst boot camp.

If you have a question or challenge, be sure to send it using: Ask IT Career Coach and we will answer it for you, just as we are answering the question below!

Here is the question submitted by the Business Analyst Boot Camp Participant …

Hi Kingsley,

I had applied to a BA position and … and the response was they were looking for people …. who had Six Sigma certifications.

Is the 6 Sigma now the new minimal benchmark for getting a BA job?

If so, I’d better get cracking on it.

What’s involved?

cheers

What Is Six Sigma To Start With?

Six Sigma is a business management discipline that seeks to improve quality by removing the causes of defects, errors or variation in manufacturing and business processes.

Six Sigma uses quality management, statistical and business analysis methods to empower six sigma professionals designated in martial arts like terms as black belt, green belt and yellow belt.

Each Six Sigma project uses a sequence of steps to achieve quantified goal (cost reduction or profit increase) critical to a customer of the business process under consideration (cycle time, safety, delivery, etc.).

Six Sigma was originally designed to eliminate defects in manufacturing processes, but it is now widely applied to other business processes as a tool for improving the quality of a business process.

How Is The Business Analyst Involved In Six Sigma?

I have given you a pretty good picture of what a six sigma business analyst does. Now, I will answer the question of whether Siz Sigma is the new minimal standard for getting a business analyst job.

  • Who Is The Six Sigma Domain Business Analyst?

    Six Sigma is one of the business analyst domain career paths.

    You are not required to become a domain business analyst or to become a six sigma business analyst.

    However, if you decide not to specialize in a business analyst domain, you have to master the skills required to become an IT Business Analyst.

    However, before you decide to become a six sigma business analyst, you need to get a good understanding of your skill sets, internal and external business environment.

  • Do You Have A Statistical / Quality Management Background?

    You can decide if a six sigma business analyst career path is good for you by taking a look at your educational background, training, work experience or skill sets.

    If you already have some statistical and quality management background (I gained mine as a management trainee in Procter & Gamble), you may find that becoming a six sigma business analyst is a logical decision for you.

    If you do not have this backgound, then you have to factor in the cost of learning statistical and quality improvement from scratch.

  • Can You Meet Internal Customer Expectations Using Cross Functional Business Analysis Skills?

    I don’t recommend that you evaluate becoming a six sigma business analyst solely from the point of view of … “what’s in it for me!“

    Because the Six Sigma Methodology emphasizes the very opposite … that you focus on meeting your customer’s needs, wants or requirements.

    So, you may start by asking yourself this question: will my customer’s needs be better met if I become a six sigma business analyst?.

    Sometime ago, I functioned as the IT Director for an Electronics Manufacturing Firm in the Midwest. One of my customers was the Quality Assurance Director who I assisted with improving the quality of the plant’s electronic components.

    In this role, it would have made sense for me to become a six sigma business analyst, considering that one of my major internal customers was the Quality Assurance director.

  • Can You Meet External Business Requirements With Six Sigma BA Skills?

    Finally, you may also approach becoming a six sigma business analyst by reviewing the business analyst hiring trend in your city.

    This makes sense especially in a situation where you are out of work and you have no internal customers to satisfy.

    However, you also need to make sure that six sigma business analyst skills is in higher demand than IT business Analyis skills or some other BA domain!

    This matters because mis-interpreting the demands of employers or hiring managers can have a serious consequence on your career. So, don’t make conclusions for a couple of interviews. Apply for more jobs, analyze every business analyst job in your city and make then make an informed decision.

The technique that I used in answering this question is taken from a business analysis tools known as SWOT Analysis.

SWOT Analysis teaches you among other things to match your strengths and weaknesses against opportunities and threats in your internal and external environment.

I will be bringing out more information on using SWOT Analysis in Decision Making in a Soon Coming Post :-)

This post answers a question submitted by a business analyst looking at transitioning into the six sigma business analyst role. Be sure to leave your comments or questions at the end of this post and I will answer it for you.


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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2010/02/12/the-six-sigma-business-analyst/feed/ 0 How To Answer Business Analyst Job Interview Questions http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/28/how-to-answer-business-analyst-job-interview-questions/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/28/how-to-answer-business-analyst-job-interview-questions/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:50:12 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2565

How To Answer Business Analyst Job Interview Questions

How To Answer Business Analyst Job Interview Questions

I’ve taken dozens of IT job interviews with various IT departments ranging from small IT shops to Fortune 500 IT departments to non-profits to consulting firms to staffing or recruitment agencies!

I’ve been interviewed and hired for both management and non-management IT positions. I’ve personally interviewed, hired and also coached IT Professionals who’ve gone on to wow their interviewers or ace the IT positions they wanted.

I’ve been in several situations where to get the next consulting assignment, I interviewed with several firms and also received multiple, competing job offers!

I’ve been in situations where firms competed for my services by trying to hire me away or by going out of their way to impress me with pretty good offers.

I’ve been hired for high visibility IT jobs in large organizations with just one single phone interview … and without going through a face to face interview.

I’ve taken more IT interviews than I care to count … closing and getting job offers 9 times out of ten.

I’ve even taken and aced phone interviews while driving and while on vacation.

I’ve been interviewed by a team of not one single person but a team of professionals several times during my career and sometimes without any warning and still wowed the team of interviewers without any additional notice or preparation!

As far as IT job interviews are concerned, I’ve been there and I have been there and I’ve done it.

I Have Something To Say

I have a lot to say about job interviews and I’m asking you to learn from me, so that you can truly be the master of your own fortune.

Are you are ready to be all you can be, break out of your personal limitations and experience the success you want?

Begin by learning how to your business analyst job interviews”.

Are you teachable and open to learning? If you are, read the rest of this article on How To Ace Business Analyst Job Interviews.

Boost your Business Analyst Job Interviews Using The Scientific Method

If you are looking for a scientific way to boost your Business analysis skills or ace your Business Analyst job interviews, start using practice tests.

Research has shown that practice tests or quizzes improve retention, recall or understanding.

Research has also proven that workers who study and take quizzes have better long-term recall than their colleagues who study without taking quizzes.

Don’t use practice tests only in preparation for certification exams because they are useful for much more than that!

Practice tests or quizzes are effective for improving Business Analyst skills, retention or recall which helps you ace your Business Analyst job interviews!

Let’s go ahead and review how you may used practice tests to improve your skills or advance your Business Analyst Career or get a Business Analyst job.

Use Quizzes to Ace Business Analyst Job Interviews

Quizzes or practice tests are effective because they mimic the question and answer format of Business Analyst job interviews.

In Practice Tests, the Quiz software usually presents random questions to you, rates your answers as correct or incorrect and then displays correct answers for your benefit!

Practice Tests simulate Business Analyst job interviews by presenting the different types of questions interviewers ask including Single Choice, Multiple Choice or Open-ended interview questions.

In a Business Analyst job interview, the potential employer will ask a question and then review your answers for correctness, promptness of reply and comprehensiveness.

Lack of correctness (wrong answers), promptness (slow responses) and comprehensiveness (not enough details) may cause you to lose your Business Analyst job interview or give you a bad rating!

So, how would you prepare for your next job interview using this new information?

Start by using practice tests which can;

  • Present potential Business Analyst job interview questions in random order

  • Rate answers to single-choice, multiple-choice and open-ended interview questions … so you get used to answering them in interviews

  • Present the correct Business Analyst job interview answer with additional explanations so you familiarize yourself with the correct answers

Use Quizzes to Sharpen Your Business Analyst Job Interviewing Skills

Practice tests actually improve your ability to remember or recall correct answers in your interviews.

Use them extensively to prepare for your interviews weeks or months before you need a job!

Practice tests are effective because you answer a set of questions multiple times until they sink in and become second nature!

How Sharp Are Your Business Analyst Skills?

During your Business Analyst interviews, you are evaluated based on the correctness, promptness of reply and comprehensiveness of your answers.

Correctness:

Your answers are evaluated based on how precise or correct they are. Even when the Business Analyst interview questions are open ended, your answers are still evaluated as correct or incorrect.

You impress your interviewer when you can answer most or all of the questions you’re asked correctly. Not getting your facts straight or not knowing your material will certainly cost you the interview!

Promptness:

You are evaluated based on how quickly you respond to Business Analyst interview questions.

The quicker you are in responding to Business Analyst interview questions, the sharper your skills are perceived to be.

So, you lose points when you take too long to answer a Business Analyst question and you gain points or credibility, when your answers are quick or instinctive.

Comprehensiveness:

Your interviewer evaluates your Business analysis level of knowledge when you answer a Business Analyst question.

So, a comprehensive, detailed or factual answer will score more points than a sketchy, skimpy answer.

When you are asked a Business Analyst question, you really need to wow your interviewer by demonstrating that you have more than a superficial understanding of the topic.

You need to do this by giving the correct answer promptly and comprehensively (with as much detail as the time you are given permits).

How To Answer Business Analyst Interview Questions Correctly

Business Analyst Testing Software programs present a list of Business Analyst interview questions and then evaluates your answer to each question as either true of false … which helps you identify the correct answers.

You need to study each answer’s explanation, understand why it is correct and why the other answers are not correct.

You also need to attempt the same question several times until your answers are consistently correct.

Practicing with Business Analyst Testing Software will help you respond back promptly, correctly, comprehensively in a live Business Analyst interview.

How to Answer Business Analyst Interview Questions Promptly

Because practice questions are presented in a quiz software, you have a reliable way of recording, tracking or monitoring your training sessions and improvement.

Your ability to answer Business Analyst interview questions promptly is a function of your familiarity with the question or topic.

As your level of familiarity with Business Analyst questions increases, your promptness in answering also increases. So, practice taking Business analyst interviews using Business Analysis Testing software

In this article, we discussed how to boost your skills and ace your Business job interview using a proven scientific technique.

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]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/09/28/how-to-answer-business-analyst-job-interview-questions/feed/ 0 Do Business Analysts Need Computer Programmer Skills? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/08/19/do-business-analysts-need-computer-programmer-skills/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/08/19/do-business-analysts-need-computer-programmer-skills/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:43:55 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2268

Business Analysts Learn Computer Programming

Business Analysts Learn Computer Programming

Are database development, computer programming, data analysis or web development required skills for Business Analysts?

Perhaps you’ve seen, heard about or applied for jobs asking for a broad or seemingly impossible range of skill sets?

Like those job descriptions for business analysts requiring computer programming skills or those for PMP Certified Project Managers with 5 years of software development experience!

This post addresses “how to bridge the gap between business analyst skills and unfair job descriptions written-up by Information Technology (IT) departments”

Bridging The Gap Between Business And Information Technology (IT) Careers

I would like to know if Business analysts are expected to know more about programming.

I attended a job interview last week and the interviewer was hesitant to consider me for the post of business analyst (BA) as i have no coding experience.

Do i need to know about database design, structure etc for me to be a good BA?

All along in my previous projects the database design, architecture and technology were decided by the technical team and DBA’s and i come into the picture as BA only after everything has been finalized.

But i was a Junior (jr.) BA and now im applying for the position of senior BA and people point out my lack of coding experience.

“Here is the answer to the challenges created by business analyst job descriptions which are worded to include programming and database skills”!

  1. Looking from the business analysts (job seekers) perspective, you may be tempted to say NO.

    You may also argue that computer programming tasks should be left ONLY to software developer job descriptions.

  2. Looking from the perspective of employers, recruiters or hiring managers, you may say YES because business analyst job descriptions are just a means to an end!

    For employers or hiring managers, the end is always the same (the job that needs to be done) … and job descriptions are just a means to achieving that!

So, which of these two perspectives (the employers or the job seekers) is the right one?

  1. The employer who only cares about getting work done and will use any job description to achieve that end or …

  2. The business analyst who feels overwhelmed by requirements for computer programming skills on business analyst job descriptions?

To this question correctly, we need to understand the roots of the conflict! So, let’s take a look at the source of gaps between IT Job Descriptions and Business Analyst Careers.

Introducing The IT Business Analyst

  • The Information Technology (IT) Business Analyst Role Is Slowly Coming To Maturity

    As the roles of the computer programmer, database developer and systems analyst matured, the “IT Business Analyst” role evolved to fill analysis and requirements tasks left out of software development roles.

  • The Accidental Business Analyst?

    As software development teams improve their requirements management or software development processes, some computer programmers begin picking up the requirements gathering and analysis tasks left undone by their team members.

    These Accidental Business Analysts are usually computer programmers or systems analysts with strong people, communication, business and requirements management skills who transition into or assume the role of the IT Business Analyst.

Some employers have not achieved a separation between “IT Business Analyst Roles” and “Computer Programmer Roles” in their minds.

For these employers, the distinctions between IT Business Analysts and Computer Programmers are a superficial play on words … hence the business analyst job description written-up to include computer programming languages!

So, back again to the question; “should a business analyst learn computer programming languages or acquire database development skills”?

  • Are You Looking For A Business Analyst Job?

    1. If you’re not looking for a business analyst job then you don’t need to learn computer programming (except if your employer mandates it).

      If you’re really that secure in your current business analyst job and know for a fact that you won’t be looking anytime soon … then you may argue that programming is not for business analysts :-)

    2. If you’re looking for a business analyst job and you want to go the extra mile for prospective employers, then go-ahead and learn some computer programming!

      It’s really the attitude that matters because job descriptions are not intended to be perfect and in the employer’s eyes, they’re just a means to an end.

      Put Yourself In The Employers Shoes for a moment and you will begin to see that it’s not personal. The employer only wants what’s best for the company and if they’re so inclined, you may help them by learning some computer programming!

    Give Employers What They’re Asking For

    I strongly believe that you should give employers what they want instead of wondering about the fairness or correctness of business analyst job descriptions!

    1. Perhaps, you feel overwhelmed by the requirements for computer programming or database skills in business analyst job descriptions.

    2. Or you feel that it’s unfair to expect business analysts to perform programming tasks

    Get a clue, if you’re not the one hiring, then your feelings are irrelevant!

    In today’s competitive job market, you will fare better by addressing the employers concerns because if you don’t, someone else … who is more hungry or desperate than you will!

    Another business analyst who wants to provide the required programing services will get the job you need!


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    ]]> http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/08/19/do-business-analysts-need-computer-programmer-skills/feed/ 21 How Important Is Domain Knowledge For A Business Analyst? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/07/19/how-important-is-domain-knowledge-for-a-business-analyst/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/07/19/how-important-is-domain-knowledge-for-a-business-analyst/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:38:38 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=2089

    The Domain Business Analyst Career Path

    The Domain Business Analyst Career Path

    Is a business analyst with domain knowledge more valuable than a business analyst without domain knowledge?

    By looking at how business analyst job descriptions are written, you may be tempted to say yes!

    Business Analyst job descriptions are written as if there is a distinction between IT oriented business analysts with skills in UML, Use Cases, Requirements Elicitation, Requirements Modeling and domain oriented business analysts with knowledge in specific domains like sales, marketing, customer relationship management, insurance, finance!

    For some reasons, hiring managers, staffing agencies and employers behave as if there is a difference between domain oriented business analyst job descriptions and IT business analyst job descriptions.

    So, the question is How important is domain knowledge for a Business Analyst? and Is a Domain Oriented Business Analyst worth more than an IT Business Analyst?

    A Question About The Value Of Business Analyst Domain Knowledge

    I am a bored corporate research professional working at a big services company and wish to move to a different domain.

    The ones I have identified are pre-sales, business analysis or marketing communications …

    I think BA could be a good step forward from where I stand. But doesn’t a BA require domain specific knowledge?

    Most of the job ads I see prefer a BA in (say) the finance domain to be from that background …

    How important is domain knowledge for a BA? Can it be built on-the-job or is it an absolute pre-requisite?

    Why Do Business Analyst Job Ads Specify Domain Knowledge?

    In the rest of this article, I will discuss why hiring managers, staffing agencies and employers specify domain specific knowledge in business analyst job descriptions.

    I will answer this question by looking at “who is better positioned to increase productivity when hired”.

    1. Who Costs More To Train? Companies that hire business analysts without domain knowledge resort to training the new BA hires by enlisting the help of senior business analysts, subject matter experts or training vendors.

      Even when employers use internal resources for training new BA hires, they incur costs of lost revenue, reduced productivity and increased administrative expenses .

    2. Who Is Positioned To Help The Business Now? Business Analysts lacking industry insight or domain knowledge needs more time on the job to learn and understand their domains before tackling any business problems.

      This may be unacceptable to stakeholders or business managers who can’t wait to get results now!

      A business analyst with domain experience who can start troubleshooting business problems is seen as being worth more than another business analyst (lacking domain expertise) who may only observe, learn or ask questions!

    3. Who Can Lead The Business? Senior Managers, IT Directors, Business Owners and other high level executives place more value on business analysts who can be trusted to lead the business.

      Business analysts unlike their counterparts in computer programming are expected to provide leadership for business-line units and organizations for which they are hired!

      Because of how business is done , managers, directors or business executives place less value on the judgment of business analysts without domain knowledge or industry experience!

      The perception which may be unfounded is that; a business analyst with domain knowledge has more potential to lead than another who lacks domain experience!

    So hiring managers or employers tend to write business analyst job descriptions as if there are two business analyst career paths:

    • The business analyst with IT business analyst training and specialized domain knowledge. This is the Specialist Business Analyst.

    • The business analyst with IT business analyst training only! This is the Generalist Business Analyst.

    Are You A Specialist Or Generalist Business Analyst?

    So, are specialist business analysts worth more than generalist business analysts?

    The answer doesn’t depend on “how you feel about the fairness of business analyst job postings” but on plain common sense which is always hiding in plain sight :-)

    If you’re applying only to IT Business Analyst Jobs, then don’t worry about your lack of domain knowledge.

    If you’re applying to domain specific business analyst job postings like those for healthcare, finance, insurance, marketing, sales, customer relationship management (CRM) domains, then you had better do something about your lack of domain knowledge!


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/07/19/how-important-is-domain-knowledge-for-a-business-analyst/feed/ 0     Alternate Career Paths for Business Analysts http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/07/03/alternate-career-paths-for-business-analysts/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/07/03/alternate-career-paths-for-business-analysts/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:07:36 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1845

    Ask IT Career Coach

    Ask IT Career Coach

    The fundamentals of earning an income is rooted in the exchange of goods, services or skills and having an 8 to 5 job is just one way of doing that!

    This post answers the question of what to do when you can’t get a job! posted by a reader (Kintu Vicent) who is inquiring about “how to earn an income as a business analyst without regular employment!“

    If you need help with a Question or Challenge, be sure to ask it as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering this reader’s question below!

    Please, send this post to your friends using the “Tell a Friend” Button button below. You earn points or cash each time you refer an article to your friends using the Tell a Friend Button.

    Here is the Question:

    dear sir/madam,

    i am an african youth living in Uganda (east african country).

    i would like to be a good entreprenuer (small scale business owner) but also having a profession both beneficial to my own businesses like procurement and logistics and side by employment inorder to accumulate more capital to invest in my projects.

    i have the following to ask you.

    can you give some sophisticated business ideas a business analyst does?

    rather than being a consultant or contract personel ,how better can a business analyst creat his own employment to face the global challenge of un-employment.

    best regards,

    looking forward to hearing from you.

    High Un-employment Rate

    The un-employment rate in the United States is at a 26 year high! and other countries are also experiencing dramatic spikes in un-employment. So, business analysts and other IT professionals need to consider alternative or non-traditional career paths for earning a living“.

    First, Prepare a Strategic Plan Using SWOT Analysis

    You create your own employment by using SWOT ANALYSIS to elicit alternative career paths or prepare competitive services for the business analysis marketplace.

    You have to consider your strengths relative to the business analyst market place because you only get paid for what you can do well compared to others and you have to consider business analyst career paths strategically because you may be thinking in a box.

    By thinking outside of the box, you begin to see opportunities that were hidden because of self-imposed mental constraints or limiting beliefs!

    Alternative Career Paths for Business Analysts

    Let me introduce three career paths for business analysts who don’t want to work a regular 8 to 5 contract or full-time business analyst job.

    1. Business Analyst Blogger Career Path: You may become a blogger for the business analyst blogosphere!

      To become a business analyst blogger, you need a computer, a word processor and an internet connection.

      You can live anywhere in the world as a business analyst blogger because your clients are easily discoverable on the internet.

      There are several ways of monetizing your blogging income streams and you need to choose a profit model that best suits your blogging goals.

    2. Freelance IT Business Analyst Consultant Career Path: You may become a freelance IT business analyst consultant!

      As a freelance IT business analyst consultant, you may specialize in requirements analysis, requirements modeling and documentation, Use Cases, UML or Data Modeling for Software Development Projects.

      As a freelance IT business analyst consultant you may also setup shop virtually and work remotely for clients that need your services.

      You will need a more sophisticated marketing plan so you can discover or engage the types of clients that will be needing your out-sourced business analysis services.

    3. Freelance Web Business Analyst Consultant Career Path: You may capitalize on the opportunities created by the strong demand for web skills by becoming a freelance web business analyst!

      As a freelance web business analyst, your services may include helping companies align their web investments with their business goals using your superior business analysis skills.

      As a freelance web business analyst, You may also decide to help companies analyze how customers use or interact with their websites or help elicit business requirements for web analytics projects.

      If you have developed strong quantitative or analytical skills, you may also help business leaders take advantage of hidden opportunities in their clickstream, search, survey or web usability data.

    The alternative career paths listed above are just a tip of the iceberg … there are more!

    If you need help with eliciting alternative career paths or preparing a competitive service for the market place, feel fee to contact us.

    Career Paths for Business Analysts

    Kintu, it is possible to create your own employment as a business analyst without working a traditional 8 to 5 job.

    Begin by using SWOT Analysis to discover what you are good at and then create a competitive offering for the business analyst marketplace!

    This post answers a question posted by a reader on “how to become a freelance business analyst!!

    If you have any Question about your career, Post IT as a comment on this page and I will be sure to answer it for you!


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/07/03/alternate-career-paths-for-business-analysts/feed/ 3     The Most Valuable Business Analysis Skills Are ?? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/24/the-most-valuable-business-analysis-skills/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/24/the-most-valuable-business-analysis-skills/#comments Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:09:23 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1717

    What Are The Most Valuable Business Analyst Skills?

    What Are The Most Valuable Business Analyst Skills?

    One of the toughest challenges facing business analysts today is building the domain experience required for business analyst jobs.

    Acquiring business analyst domain experience from scratch is hard because you need to get a job before you can build domain expertise … yet no-one will give you a job without that required domain experience!

    This post however discusses how to get around the business analyst domain experience required for business analysis jobs.

    What is Business Analyst Domain Experience?

    Business analyst domain experience is the hands-on business skills or domain knowledge acquired by working in specialized industries like automotive, banking, insurance, telecom, utilities or working for business units such as customer relationship management, finance, sales and marketing.

    Business analyst domain experience is gained by solving business problems for a specific industry or business unit and it can’t be gained by taking certifications exams or by learning business analysis concepts like Use Cases or Requirements Modeling.

    In other words, business analyst domain experience is gained by getting your hands dirty with work in an industry or by solving real-world business problems for a business unit.

    Don’t Confuse Your Business Analysis Skills With Domain Knowledge!

    There is a difference between your business analyst skills and your business analyst domain experience.

    Your business analyst skills (like Requirements Elicitation, Use Cases, UML etc) are the techniques or tools used in solving business problems.

    They are skills that serve as the means to an end. The end being the business problems or challenges facing your industry.

    What Is The Value of Domain Business Analysis Skills?

    A business analyst transitioning to a new domain starts out with little or no domain knowledge and then builds up the industry knowledge over time.

    That is the reason why some of the most senior business analysts in an organization are those who started out first by learning the ins and outs of their employer’s business before they took formal training.

    Businesses value domain business analysts because their knowledge is not easily transferable and because they know how to run or operate the business units efficiently.

    This is perhaps another reason why it pays to work in an industry for a while instead of hopping from one industry to another.

    When you transition to a completely new business analysis domain, you will have to prove yourself as if you are just starting … even though you may be an experienced business analyst!

    When is Business Analyst Domain Experience Needed?

    Transitioning From One Business Analyst Domain to Another: Business analysts transitioning from a domain like the automotive or auto-finance industry to another domain like healthcare or telecomms have to build their business analyst domain experience completely from scratch.

    Transitioning From One Country to Another: Business analysts transitioning from one country to another may have to re-establish their domain experience.

    New domain knowledge is needed because businesses operate under different laws, regulations, customs and economic climates across national or regional boundaries.

    So, potential employer want to be sure that re-locating business analysts are intimate with the customs or ways of doing business in the countries that they are hired :-)

    How Do You Build Business Analyst Domain Experience?

    If you have already developed domain experience by working in an industry for several years, what you need is not more domain experience but this comprehensive training on the techniques and practices of business analysis.

    On the other hand, if you don’t already have business domain experience and you are open to gaining experience in frontline industries or domains, click here.

    Here is how it works:

    • You Become a Domain Specialist: In the The Business Analyst coaching program, you are encouraged to specialize in a few business analyst domains so you can achieve a reasonable level of mastery or competency within those domains.

      The industries that we are focusing on right now are those that show the strongest promise for hiring or those that are cutting-edge or the frontline of the economy.

      Contact us to see if this will be a good fit for you, OK?

    • Become a Leader: The goal of the Business Analyst Coaching program is to get you networked with businesses and peers in your industry through extensive study, practical handson work and industry networking.

      Instead of just sensing your resume around waiting for someone else to hire you, learn how to the gain the recognition or attention of your peers and hiring managers using social media networking or branding.

    Just remember that you can solve the challenge of acquiring business analyst domain knowledge by specializing in frontline domains, solving real-world business problems and then marketing your profile or brand continually using social media.

    If this sounds like something you will be interested in doing, contact us for more information or learn more about business analysis coaching here.


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/24/the-most-valuable-business-analysis-skills/feed/ 3     How To Become A Healthcare Business Analyst http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/14/how-to-become-a-healthcare-business-analyst/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/14/how-to-become-a-healthcare-business-analyst/#comments Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:05:54 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1611

    healthcare business analyst career path

    healthcare business analyst career path

    This question was posted by a Healthcare Business Analyst looking for work!

    If you have a Burning Question or a Challenge that you need help with, be sure to ask your question as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering the question below!

    If you find this article helpful then share it with your friends using the “Share This Post” Link.

    You provide valuable information or advice to others each time you use the Share This Post Link.

    Here is the Question:

    Hi Kingsley,I like your articles and posts and look forward to a good advise from you on the following :

    The toughest challenge for me is to get back into Business Analysis after working for just less than 2 yrs where my domain was government sector projects and a dash of incomplete healthcare knowledge.

    I ‘m neither a fresher nor an experienced guy with very less domain exp. I mostly get healthcare projects ( since my last project was on health care domain) where my knowledge is inadequate and companies do not want to employ me for the same.

    How can I bag such jobs when the domain knowlege is lacking? or how can I convince that my BA skills are good enough for the new domain?

    I am not sure what additional skills I need to gain to be employable.Should I gain any technical knowledge or do IIBA certifications?

    Please advise.

    Thanks 

    Here is my Answer:

    Sri:

    I’m glad that you enjoy reading my articles and posts. I would be glad to answer your questions for you.

    Here are my thoughts on what you need to do to get back in the game.

    1. Learn How To Get A Business Analyst Job Without Applying For Any

    2. Learn How To Ace Business Analyst Job Interviews

    3. Get More Business Analysis Domain Experience

    How To Get More Healthcare Business Analysis Domain Experience

    The main issue facing your business analysis job search based on feedback from employers is inadequate healthcare domain experience.

    You need to address the lack of business analysis domain experience directly by looking for more informal or formal work in the healthcare industry.

    Don’t side-step the main issue by working on getting more educational qualifications because you won’t get more healthcare business analysis experience that way!

    You need to either get more healthcare business analysis domain experience or perhaps start all over with a new business analysis domain!

    If you decide to continue with the Healthcare Industry, then you will be building on your previous healthcare business analysis domain experience.

    If you decide to start over with a new business analysis domain, you may be able to get additional business analyst hands-on experience more easily or quickly.

    You also have the option on working on getting business analysis domain experience in more than one industry!

    For example, you may increase your chances of getting a business analyst job by getting business analyst domain experience in sales or marketing or customer relationship management (CRM) domains in addition to the healthcare domain.

    So, evaluate the availability or accessibility of domain experience in the healthcare industry compared to other industries or expose yourself to additional domains besides healthcare.

    Regardless of which business analysis domains you choose, do not try to bypass the lack of experience issue … be sure to address it directly in your actions

    Learn How To Ace Business Analyst Job Interviews

    It is possible that you are not getting hired because you are not putting up a compelling presentation at your business analyst job interviews!

    You may possess the minimal business analysis domain experience required for a healthcare business analyst job and still not get hired because of weak presentation or interviewing skills!

    A business analyst may get a job where another business analyst else with more experience, skills, training, certifications or educations fails because job interviews are subjective!

    So, you must work on improving your business analyst interviewing skills so you cover all your bases!

    “Click here for more Information on How To Get Through Business Analyst Interviews“

    Learn How To Get a Business Analyst Job Offers Without Applying For Any!

    It is actually possible to get health care business analyst job offers without actively soliciting for them.

    Assuming that the job search process is a marketing process, you are better off getting employers to call you with job offers!

    The problem with the traditional methods of job searching is that everyone who is out-of-a-job is probably doing the same thing! To get a job you have to do more than everyone else!

    So my advice is that; you have to raise the bar higher by getting employers to notice you or call you with business analyst job offers!

    Now, that is quite possible and I am going to show you how!

    The way to get employers to notice you is by becoming a leader in the healthcare business analyst domain or any other domain that you prefer!

    How To Become A Leader In The Healthcare Business Analyst Industry!

    The best way to get a healthcare job is by becoming a leader in the healthcare business analysis domain!

    Becoming a leader in the healthcare business analyst domain means that you do the things that gets you noticed in the healthcare business analysis domain.

    When you become a leader in the healthcare business analyst industry then employers are more likely to call you with job offers and your resume is guaranteed to stand out in any pile of business analyst resumes!

    We have a program that coaches you on how to stand-up and be noticed! . IT helps you “Become a Leader”.

    In that program you are shown or coached on “how to become a leader or gain recognition in the IT marketplace!“

    Sri, feel free to ask for more information by contacting us or by posting a comment, question or reply below!


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/14/how-to-become-a-healthcare-business-analyst/feed/ 5     Is the Job Market Good Or Bad For Business Analysts? http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/04/is-the-job-market-good-or-bad-for-business-analysts/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/04/is-the-job-market-good-or-bad-for-business-analysts/#comments Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:27:08 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1590

    Ask IT Career Coach

    Ask IT Career Coach

    This question was posted by a Business Analyst in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.

    If you have a Burning Question or a Challenge that you need help with, be sure to ask your question as a comment on this page and I will answer it fully just as I am answering the question below!

    Please, send this post to your friends using the “Tell a Friend” Button button below. You earn points or cash each time you refer an article to your friends using the Tell a Friend Button.

    Here is the Question:

    Hi,

    I am looking to go into My first Business Analyst role, I have had a mixture of responses from people here in the United Kingdom (UK).

    Some are saying that the market is bad for entry level Business Analysts and some say its good.

    Is there any one that could give me advise on what I should do and how I should market myself?

    Here is my answer to the question on “getting an entry level business analyst job in a good or bad job market“:

    1. Do not begin or opt-out of the business analyst job search because of the state of the job market.

    2. Do decide to search for a business analyst job because you want to be a business analyst.

    Your decision to become a business analyst or search for business analyst jobs should be based on an interest or dis-interest in becoming a business analyst and not on factors beyond your control like the condition of the business analyst job market.

    Stephen Covey in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People mentioned that proactive people do not worry or focus on factors over which they have little or no control … instead they focus on their “Sphere Of Influence” … those factors or circumstances over which they can exercise control.

    So, do not focus or worry about the condition of the Business Analyst Job Market.

    Keep your focus on becoming a business analyst and making an effective search for a business analyst job by:

    1. Deciding if you want to become a business analyst by comparing your strengths to the demands of the business analyst profession

    2. Finding out how to get a business analyst job regardless of the condition of the business analyst job market

    Do You Want To Become A Business Analyst?

    Take the first action within your control by first learning the roles, responsibilities or duties of a business analyst.

    Next compare what you have learned about the day to day challenges or the life of a business analyst to what you know about your own abilities, likes or strengths.

    Finally decide if you want to become a business analyst based on all the information you’ve gathered.

    There are several articles on this website that will help you make an informed decision on becoming a business analyst

    Here are some articles on the topic of becoming a business analyst:

    How Do You Effectively Plan The Business Analyst Job Search?

    You need to make an effective plan for finding business analyst jobs because making that kind of plan is within your control or sphere of influence.

    Make an effective plan for becoming a business analyst by improving each of the following areas that impact your business analyst job search:

    1. Business Analyst Cover Letter

    2. Business Analyst Resume

    3. Business Analyst Job Search

    4. Business Analyst Job Interviewing Skills

    5. Business Analyst Hands-On Working Experience

    6. Business Analysis Domain Experience

    7. Business Analysis Skills & Knowledge

    The point here is that job searches fail because they are weak or improperly planned and not because of the condition of the business analyst job market!

    Here are some articles on the topic of creating an effective business analyst job search plan:

    Finally, I want to say that basing decisions about a beginning a career you like … on the job market condition is fundamentally flawed because of two reasons:

    • You cannot not wait till the business analyst job market is good because the market will be saturated with “Me-Toos” or everyone who wants to get a business analyst job because they hear that the market is also good!.

    • You cannot also delay applying for business analyst jobs when the business analyst job market is bad because others will also assume that the business analyst job market is bad. Applying when the business analyst job market looks weak is actually good for you because you will have fewer competitors then!

    So, think positively, focus on factors within your control and remember that if you think that you can become a business analyst … you can!

    This post answers a question posted by a reader. If you have a Question, Post IT as a comment on this page and I will be sure to answer it for you!


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/06/04/is-the-job-market-good-or-bad-for-business-analysts/feed/ 1     Bonus Use Cases Training In The Business Analyst Book http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/05/06/bonus-use-cases-training-in-the-business-analyst-book/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/05/06/bonus-use-cases-training-in-the-business-analyst-book/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 15:41:35 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1447

    Top Paying Skills in High Demand

    Top Paying Skills in High Demand

    Use Cases skills are in-demand for documenting or communicating the functional requirements of a system

    Use Cases skills are employed in product design roles, software development or architecture roles and are among the most sought-after skills for business analyst jobs

    Why Use Cases Training for Business Analysts?

    Here are some of benefits of Use Case training for business analysts:

    1. Use Cases are effective for documenting the business processes, requirements (business or system), features and functionality of a system. So Use Cases skills are needed at the problem analysis or requirements gathering phase, software design or development phase or testing phase

    2. Because Use Cases lie at the heart of many software development processes, Use Cases skills are in-demand for business analysts or software developers. Use Cases skills also play a principal role during requirements analysis, business process improvement, software testing, quality assurance and architecture

    3. Use Cases are effective for improving the requirements practices of software development teams or Information Technology (IT) teams and using Use Cases effectively can lead to improved product quality.

      When Use Cases are used in documenting or presenting the requirements of a system, the software development or IT team ends up with a better understanding of the system under consideration or development.

      Because Use Cases are written from the user’s view point in non-technical, implementation or jargon free language, the entire team including stakeholders, users, developers, testers and business analysts communicate or collaborate better resulting in improved product quality and a more efficient process

    How To Learn Or Master Use Cases Quickly

    The The Business Analyst Book is the e-book that provides you with a blueprint for learning business analysis or studying business analysis on your own. It is the teach yourself business analysis book.

    If you prefer step by step, in-depth, video training from Business Analyst instructors, then the The Business Analyst Boot Camp is the right place for you.

    The Business Analyst Boot Camp includes a complete set of business analysis videos, business analysis quizzes, business analysis handson projects and personalized business analysis coaching. The Business Analyst Book now includes select business analysis training lessons and business analysis quizzes adapted from the business analyst boot camp. So, now you are given access to select business analyst boot camp training material when you get The Business Analyst Book

    Bonus Use Cases Training Now Included In the Business Analyst Book

    The Business Analyst Boot Camp includes Use Cases quizzes, Use Cases video training and hands-on Use Cases projects. The Use Cases quizzes helps you master Use Cases in a shorter time and also prepares you for Business Analyst Job Interviews. The Use Cases quizzes are also designed to improve your comprehension, recall and retention of the Use Cases video training sessions.

    However, we are now adding one of the Use Cases quizzes from The Business Analyst Boot Camp to The Business Analyst Book for past or current buyers of the book.

    Included in the bonus Use Cases lessons for all owners of The Business Analyst Book are:

    • A Bonus Use Cases Lesson Summary: The bonus Use Cases Lesson is a downloadable electronic lesson that summarizes a Use Cases video presentation from The Business Analyst Boot Camp.

    • A Bonus Use Cases Quiz or Use Cases Practice Test:  The bonus Use Cases Practice Test or Quiz is adapted from the Use Cases video presented at The Business Analyst Boot Camp. The bonus Use Cases training comes with a private, secure, personal log-in to our web-based training portal or learning management system (LMS) and a Use Cases quiz that you may use to perfect your understanding or mastery of some Use Cases concepts.

    How To Learn or Master Use Cases

    The way to learn Use Cases quickly is by repeatedly practicing your Use Case skills until they are second nature. That is exactly what the bonus Use Cases training and Use Cases practice tests will do for you.

    To learn more about how quizzes or practice tests help you develop mastery or competency, click here.

    Learn Use Cases By Doing – Get Hands On Use Cases Experience

    Note that in the Business Analyst Boot Camp, you are also presented with projects where you apply the information gained from watching the Use Cases video towards solving situations or problems similar to those facing you on the job!

    Who Gets The Bonus Use Cases Training?

    The bonus Use Cases training will be delivered to all buyers (past, current or future owners) of the The Business Analyst Book.

    Note: that if you are subscribed to The Business Analyst Boot Camp, then you already have access to the complete set of Use Cases video training, Use Cases practice tests or quizzes, business analyst mentoring or coaching and hands-on Use Cases projects and this announcement does not affect you

    How Do You Get The Bonus Use Cases Training?

    Go to this link and place an order now for The Business Analyst Book and you will be given access to both the bonus Use Cases Training and the bonus Use Cases practice tests or quizzes


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/05/06/bonus-use-cases-training-in-the-business-analyst-book/feed/ 1     How To Succeed at Business Analyst Job Interviews http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/04/12/how-to-succeed-at-business-analyst-job-interviews/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/04/12/how-to-succeed-at-business-analyst-job-interviews/#comments Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:34:06 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1372

    How To Succeed at Business Analyst Job Interviews

    How To Succeed at Business Analyst Job Interviews

    Do you wish to know how to succeed at business analyst job interviews? Here is the secret.

    Business analyst interviews are designed to evaluate two things:

    • Your business analyst skills
    • Your business analyst experience

    How Sharp Are Your Business Analyst Skills?

    At your business analyst interview, you are evaluated based on the correctness, promptness or comprehensiveness of your answers.

    Give the correct answers

    Your answers are evaluated based on how precise or correct they are.

    Even when the business analyst interview questions are open ended, your answers are still evaluated as correct or incorrect.

    Be prompt in your replies

    You are evaluated based on how quickly you respond to business analyst interview questions.

    The quicker you are in responding to business analyst interview questions, the sharper your skills are perceived to be.

    So, you lose points when you take too long to answer a business analyst question and you gain points or credibility, when your answers are quick or instinctive.

    Provide comprehensive answers

    Your interviewer evaluates your business analysis level of knowledge when you answer a business analyst question.

    So, a comprehensive, detailed or factual answer will score more points than a sketchy, skimpy answer.

    When you are asked a business analyst question, you really need to wow your interviewer by demonstrating that you have more than a superficial understanding of the topic.

    You need to do this by giving the correct answer promptly and comprehensively or by providing as much detail as the time you are given permits.

    How Do You Sharpen Your Business Analyst Interviewing Skills?

    If you want to succeed at business analyst interviews, you must sharpen your business analyst skills to the point where you can wow any interviewer.

    This is the strategy that will get you through your business analyst job interviews … sharpen your skills to the point where you stand out at any business analyst job interview!

    You sharpen or improve your business analysis skills by using business analyst quizzes or practice tests to prepare for your business analyst interviews ahead of time.

    Quizzes are scientific tools that are proven to boost recall, retention and understanding.

    The scientific principle of using quizzes to improve your understanding of a material was covered here: Use Practice Tests Or Quizzes To Boost Your Skills Rapidly

    The way to sharpen your business analyst interviewing skills is by using a Quiz software such as included with the Business Analyst Boot Camp.

    How To Answer Business Analyst Interview Questions Correctly

    The business analyst practice test software mentioned above present a list of business analyst interview questions and then evaluates your answer to each question as either true of false … which helps you identify the correct answers.

    How to Answer Business Analyst Interview Questions Promptly

    Because the questions are presented using a software program, you have a reliable way of recording, tracking or monitoring the time it takes you to answer the interview questions.

    You also need to know that your ability to answer interview questions promptly is a function of your familiarity with the question or topic.

    As your level of familiarity with a business analyst topic increases, your promptness in answering questions based on it also increases!

    How to Answer Business Analyst Interview Questions Comprehensively

    After each Business Analyst Interview Question is presented in the Business Analyst Boot Camp, you are also presented with the correct answer and an explanation to go along with it.

    You need to study each explanation, understand why it is correct and why the other answers are incorrect.

    You also need to attempt the same question several times until your answers are consistently correct.

    This type of practice test / quiz software which is incorporated into the business analyst boot camp prepares you for real-world interviews so that you can respond back promptly, correctly or comprehensively and succeed at your business analyst job interview!

    How To Demonstrate Hands-On Business Analyst Experience

    The other important section of your business analyst job interview … that may decide if you get hired or not is how you demonstrate hands-on business analysis experience.

    It is not enough to say that you have six months or six years of hands-on business analysis experience, you must demonstrate that convincingly to your interviewer.

    When you attend the Business Analyst Boot Camp, you gain additional hands-on experience because you receive different types of business analysis work as you watch the training videos and work your way through the course at your own pace.

    Because you are working on practical assignments, you also gain additional hands-on business analysis experience!

    Note that the Business Analyst Boot Camp provides you with a Quiz module for sharpening or improving your business analysis skills and practical tasks that help you develop hands-on business analysis experience!


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    ]]>     http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/04/12/how-to-succeed-at-business-analyst-job-interviews/feed/ 8     How To Quit your Job the Right Way! http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/04/08/transitioning-from-a-business-analyst-job-when-your-boss-keeps-you-career-back/ http://www.it-career-coach.net/2009/04/08/transitioning-from-a-business-analyst-job-when-your-boss-keeps-you-career-back/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:09:01 +0000 ITCareerCoach http://www.it-career-coach.net/?p=1339

    Quit your Job the Right Way!

    Quit your Job the Right Way!

    Is your boss keeping your career back?

    Do you realize that the same boss who is responsible for keeping back your career will ultimately fire you for another IT worker with a better resume!

    If you are frustrated in your current job because of lack of stimulating, interesting or challenging work or because someone else like your boss … is keeping your career back then you need to read this article.

    One of the traits of successful IT professionals is the desire to learn, improve or working on exciting and challenging ideas all the time. It is what truly distinguishes achieving IT professions from others.

    As an IT professional, your passion, mind, skill sets, list of projects is what truly sets you apart.

    If your portfolio demonstrates passion, excellence and sharp skill sets, then you will have a successful career. You will be one of those lucky, in-demand or sought after IT professionals.

    If your portfolio does not demonstrate sharp skills or passion then you have lost your career.

    Is Your Boss Keeping Your Career Back?

    Do you know that your boss constantly receives and reviews resumes from other IT workers who are doing jobs comparable to yours?

    The irony is that even when your boss is responsible for keeping back your career by constantly assigning you to projects below your skillsets, the same boss will ultimately fire you for an IT worker with a better resume.

    But … that is not fair you say. Yes, I agree that is not fair, but that’s how the entire IT profession plays out.

    I have seen it happen to good IT workers time and time again.

    The takeaway is that you and not your boss is responsible for your career.

    Perhaps you were hired with promises of new projects or promises that you will be working on the latest technologies but you were sent to do maintenance work or work below your skill sets for a prolonged period of time.

    Ultimately, you will be fired. And when you are fired, you will be in a bad situation because your skill sets will be lower than what they should be.

    Moreover, other IT Managers reviewing your resume will wonder why you were working on un-challenging projects for so long and conclude that perhaps there is something wrong with your skill sets!

    Here is a comment posted by a business analyst that fully desribes this problem:

    Hi,

    I am currently in a very frustrating situation, i really need advise in this regard.

    I am currently employed as a business analyst, but the tasks that I perform are not Business Analysis related instead they more technical, first line support.

    I am really frustrated about the matter because now it seems as if I am not developing in terms of my Business analysis.

    Should I move, or not?

    Because the environment it self does not accomodate business analysis.

    Please advice ……….

    Thank you

    My response to this business analyst is that he needs to start looking into getting another business analyst job after following these guidelines:

     1. Ask your Boss to give you to a more challenging business analyst project:

    To be fair to your boss, you should gently, discreetly and wisely raise the issue.

    You need to give your boss a fair chance to remedy the situation by asking for more challenging work.

    You could initiate a conversation like “I really appreciate all the work you have been giving me and I am wondering if you could give me more work along the lines of … “.

    You need to do some research and come up with a list of projects within your firm that you think you would be better suited for.

    You also need to figure out your boss’s personality and the best way of communicating your intentions in a non-threatening manner.

    • Email & Talk: You may need to email your boss first and ask for an appointment to discuss the situation

    • Phone & Talk: You may need to call your boss on the phone and ask for a good time to have a private career based talk

    • Talk at Lunch: Perhaps your boss is more relaxed at lunch time. If that is the situation, you need to strike up the conversation with your boss at lunch time

    The point is that you need to discuss the situation with your boss in a way that shows that you are grateful for the work you’ve been given and would at the same time appreciate more challenging work.

     2. Start Preparing for a new Business Analyst Job:

    You should also prepare yourself for the possibility that your boss may do little to improve your work situation.

    Your boss may be unable to assign more challenging work because there is none available or because an internal decision has been made that you are not to be given the latest or challenging projects or because the boss simply doesn’t care about your situation.

    Whatever the situation, your career is still your responsibility and you need to take charge of it.

    Here are the steps you need to take towards getting a new business analyst job:

    • Get Your Resume In Order: Get your resume into tip-top shape by adding all the business analyst work you’ve done and making sure it is up to date.

      You need to take this action before you leave your current business analyst job

    • Get More Business Analysis Skills: Since you current business analysis work may have done little to improve your resume, you need to consider taking action along the lines of improving your business analysis resume outside work channels.

      It is important that you give yourself a 3 to 6 months window during which you work hard on improving your business analysis skills

    • Start Looking for Business Work: Somewhere in the 6 months window where you are working on improving your business analysis resume, you need to start looking for a new business analysis job.

      Since getting a new business analysis job may take some time, you need to factor in an additional 1 to 3 months for your job search

     3. Do Not Leave Your Business Analyst Job Prematurely:

    The final guideline is that you should not resign or leave your current business analysis job until you have a firm letter of employment in your hands.

    The reason is that employers are several times more likely to give you an offer of employment or hire you when you are currently in the employment of another firm than when you apply for a position without a job.

    This post was inspired by a challenge facing a busienss analyst. If you have a burning question … a challenge facing your career, post it as a comment and I will answer it for you.


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