Hi all,

To start off with - I have been involved in the following activities over the past 4 years.

Initially started out as a Java Developer and then very soon moved onto Low Level Designing. This entailed analysing the High Level Design and then developing Usa Cases in IBM Rational Rose for the Team Members to implement. In a short time, I moved to actually writing down the High Level Design or HLD. The HLD is directly a result of analysing the Business Requirement Specifications and the Technical Architecture Document. Hence there has been a level of Business Analysis involved here.

What I would like to know is if my previous work can be enveloped into a role played by, say, a junior BA. I understand there is lot more soft skill techniques needed as part of being a BA. Most of my role has actually been in the Systems Analyst role rather than BA.

Request advice to know if I am ready to state that I have been doing business analysis and move on as I plan to formally take on the role of a Business Analyst. I have a theoritical knowledge of BPM and also know a lot about Business Analysis as I work in direct contact with the clients and hold regular meetings to update and understand their requirements. Its the finer details that I need to work on going ahead.

Any help will be appreciated. Thank you

Ken

Hi Ken,

if a Business Analyst is someone who documents change requirements broken down in to their component parts to expose their logical interrelationships, then yes what you have been doing is to an extent Business Analysis.

Of course, there are other definitions of what a Business Analyst is and you may not fit as well with them! However, there is no formal, legal agreement on what a Business Analyst is. That means that no-one is entitled to say you are not performing the Business Analyst role (except perhaps for your own line management!). There are some definitions put out by accreditation bodies such as ISEB and IIBA, and these are useful guidelines but hardly binding.

(My) Logic says that you have been performing the role of analysing requirements for change if you have been [formally] "analysing the High Level Design".

For me, Business Analysis is all in the process and techniques of formal (inductive mostly, unfortunately) analysis and much less in the soft skills. But that is just my opinion and as I say there is no formal definition.

So welcome to Modern Analyst, fellow Business Analyst!

- Guy

Thanks Guy and Adrian,

The organisation I work in and the client I work for are quite unique. Due to mutual agreement between the two (the cost factor is obvious here), you more or less have a single person who works on the business requirements and then follows it up with the development team to ensure the project scope is intact. Now these activities border on Business and System Analysis and so gets quite murky at times. Many times the BA ends up looking into the Use cases developed in UML.

I am happy I have confirmed my belief that I have done some sort of BA work, the only lacking factor being inexperienced in holding extensive workshops with the business. In the Telecom industry, projects seldom stick to the scope they once began with, and being a BA/SA in this industry will make you realise that almost no design is correct until the very end! Will keep my questions coming

Cheers

Ken