CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Become a
Business Analyst

Welcome to The BA Guide

I'm Jeremy Aschenbrenner, creator of The BA Guide. If you desire to begin your career as a Business Analyst but are unsure where to start, or have begun the process but got lost along the way, then you are at the right place.

I'm here to tell you the truth. The path to becoming a Business Analyst is not short nor easy. I'll guide you and give you the information you need, but I can't force you to take action... that's up to you.

"Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen." - Michael Jordan

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Your path to becoming a Business Analyst

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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!).

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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

Enrolment

You can enrol online at any time. The whole process only takes few minutes.

Enrolment