Have you ever wondered why certain projects are more successful than others? Everything starts with good management and analysis of the requirements. Nowadays, it is common to have a project manager, development team and QA specialists ‘at command’. However, many development areas remain unaddressed.
The advantages of having an analyst involved with a project are not always obvious, but they are priceless. If sometimes, you have to redo the functionality, no one has a clear idea about the final product and where you can get the actual requirements, it's time to consider hiring a business analyst.
The Role of Business Analyst In the Project
An IT business analyst is a specialist who fills the gap between the IT company and the business. They analyze the needs and expectations of the business, search for the most effective solutions, and draw out the requirements for the developers to improve the quality of the final product, service or software. It is important to have a business analyst at all the stages of the software development life cycle.
It happens so that a customer comes to the development team with a great idea, but without a detailed understanding of how they should implement it. The best solution is to analyze all the factors before the project starts. The business operations analyst does the research on the target audience and existing competitors on the market, analyzes the needs, and summarizes all the collected information to share with the dedicated team.
As a result, the business understands the expected functionality of a future application or software better. The research phase improves efficiency, saves time and costs during the development stage.
What Certifications Do BAs Need to Have?
The job of a business analyst is relatively new in the IT field, however, its popularity is growing. Many organizations like IIBA, PMI, IQBBA, and IREB provide business analyst certification. You can apply to certify your skills and knowledge as a business analyst and get official recognition of your proficiency.
- Among the most reliable certifications in business analysis are:
- IIBA Certification of Competency in Business Analysis;
- IQBBA Certified Foundation Level Business Analyst;
- PMI-Professional in Business Analysis Certification.
Some of the areas of business analysis need an academic degree. If you would like to develop an application or software for healthcare, you have to hire a professional with at least a bachelor degree in healthcare management. The scope of responsibilities of a healthcare business analyst includes identifying problems, highlighting the improvements, and optimizing costs. To do that, an expert has to be aware of the specific nature of the medical sector.
Additional Value That BA Can Provide for Your Project
It may seem that business analysis is simple since it does not require deep knowledge in a certain IT field. In fact, all this knowledge should be very practical. Otherwise, the results of the business analysis will have a very weak connection with reality and may lead to the creation of a product that is not working properly. This can negatively affect the company's reputation. So, business analysis is a crucial part of the development process.
A senior business analyst can significantly improve the quality of the project. Still in doubt? Let’s take a closer look at 5 more reasons to hire a business process analyst today.
Validation and maintenance of requirements
The development of a project starts with a set of requirements. It is exactly the task of the business analyst who ensures that the qualified vendors will work to find efficient solutions. However, the job is not finished yet. Sometimes, the project development can start within several months after the research, so a business analyst should also review the requirements according to the changes in the market.
Facilitation of the complex business processes
The communication between a team and business representatives can fail. Another important reason to hire a business intelligence analyst is the facilitation of this communication and an ability to play the role of a mediator between the business and technical staff. Sometimes, both sides can contact a BA to receive answers when both the development team and business representatives are busy with their daily tasks. It can optimize time management and be more efficient in terms of project development.
Support for data conversions
As a rule, business owners know what kind of information they would like to include in their application or the website specifically. They do not usually know, however, where they should get this information from and how it is going to appear in the final product. A business analyst communicates with other team members to define, convert, update and, validate the current data.
Test management
Sometimes, the development team can have no test manager who is working full-time on the project. In this case, a business system analyst can replace this position and ensure that the testing process is on time, accurate, and covers all the important issues. As they have an overview of the whole project, it is easier to detect errors before they occur.
Assistance after the implementation
After the project team launches an application or some other software piece, it is still crucial to analyze whether everything functions correctly. A development team and project managers can interpret their own results but BAs focus on the bigger picture. They can estimate how every process impacts the whole application and how the initial stages of deployment go as a whole.
Hiring a BA For Your Project: The Bottom Line
Software development requires the involvement of various specialists. Business analysis, though, is often left aside, which is a big mistake if it is so. To ensure that your project fully meets client requirements, it is always better to hire a business process analyst whose main role is to become a bridge between the business and the development team.
