"Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen." - Michael Jordan
Your path to becoming a Business Analyst
STAGE 1: VALIDATE INTEREST
Before you start down the path, we first need to validate the role of a Business Analyst is something you want to pursue further.
What is a Business Analyst and what do they do? (video)
Top 7 Reasons You Should Become A Business Analyst (blog article)
Most important skills for a Business Analyst to possess (infographic)
Skills learned based on various careers and backgrounds (video)
STAGE 2: LEARN THE FUNDAMENTALS
The exciting stuff begins! This leg of your journey is all about understanding the basics of Business Analysis. These initial concepts will build the foundation for you to put all of your future knowledge on top of.
Tasks of a Business Analyst
SMART requirements
Elicitation techniques
Business Requirements Document (BRD)
Requirements specification
Prioritizing requirements
Software Development Life Cycles
Identifying and managing project stakeholders
Uncovering and documenting business rules
Visual modeling concepts
Gaining business approval
Conducting a project review
Want to learn about all of these topics in one place? Check out our Business Analyst Fundamentals online course.
STAGE 3: ENHANCE YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Now that you know the basics, it is time to dig in deeper on some extremely important topics. Since learning all of these may be a bit overwhelming, start by picking 3 or 4 of the concepts which interest you the most (or where you are lacking) and complete those before moving to Stage 4.
Critical Business Analyst Knowledge
Agile Fundamentals: Including Scrum, Kanban, and Scrumban *
Identify and Define the Problem *
Conduct a Strategy Analysis *
Plan the Project *
Understand and Elicit Requirements *
Additional Business Analyst Duties
Become an Agile Business Analyst
Product Owner Fundamentals
User Stories *
Software Testing
Project Management
Visual Modeling
Why are visual models important?
The Practical (Beginner’s) Guide to Process Flowcharts *
The Advanced Guide to Process Flowcharts
Visual Modeling for the Business Analyst
Business Analyst Software
Microsoft Excel *
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Visio
Technical Skills
Microsoft Excel - Advanced
Business Analyst Soft Skills
Critical Thinking
Negotiation
Still unsure what you should learn about first?
In the above list the * symbols denote our top recommendations.
STAGE 4: ENTER THE JOB MARKET
Here is where your hard work pays off. It is time to begin your career as a Business Analyst. This stage is broken up in two tasks.
#1 - CREATE A COMPELLING RESUME
Your first step is to formulate a resume that highlights your skills and experiences. Since building out your resume can be rather daunting, here are some resources to help:
Learn resume basics (BA Job Hunting eBook)
Get some inspiration (resume examples)
Finished creating your resume but want someone to validate it? Check out our Personalized Resume Analysis services.
#2 - PREPARE TO ACE THE INTERVIEW
Now that you have a resume created and you have begun applying for jobs, it is time to learn how to ace your inevitable interview. Since this step is extremely important, we've created a number of resources to assist:
This is the first thing you should do after landing an interview (video)
Prepare for your interview (blog article)
What BA hiring managers are looking for (video)
Prepare for the BA questions (Top 50 Business Analyst Interview Questions)
Looking for some additional help? Check out our Ace the Interview & Start Your Business Analyst Career interactive course (includes a live mock interview!).
STAGE 5: CONTINUE LEARNING
Once you have begun interviewing and even after landing your Business Analyst position, it is important to continue learning. Here are some options for you:
Finish up the remaining in-demand topics from Stage 3
Validate your new skills with a certification
Round out your skills by reading some Business Analysis related books
