Business Analysts: Racing to Nowhere?
Business Analysts: Racing to Nowhere?
The Race to Nowhere?
The question mark was on purpose. I’m wondering what all the effort is for. You know what I’m talking about: all the training, writing, conferences, blogging, mentoring…………………….
Why are we doing it? It really feels like a race to nowhere. We spend an inordinate amount of time educating ourselves to improve our professional standing. Where does it take us in our careers? Right now, I don’t think it takes us very far. I believe there are a few reasons for this:
- The Business Analyst Profession is Young
- Lack of Adequate Corporate Business Analyst Training
- Failure to Set BAs Loose on the Company
The Business Analyst Profession is Young
I’m not talking about the term Business Analyst. I’m talking about the Profession. The profession of the Business Analyst is one that is not yet recognized by most companies. In a recent post, I was pretty harsh on the idea of Certifications, but if you could get past the somewhat nasty tone of the post, I noted that I’m a fan of what the IIBA is doing. It is my opinion that the IIBA is doing more than anyone else to further the notion that the Business Analyst is a Professional position.
Unfortunately, most companies are only concerned with the Role of the Business Analyst. Companies see the BA as a Role to be filled not a Professional to be nurtured.
Lack of Adequate Corporate Business Analyst Training
Every day as I wander the highways and byways of the Internet, I come across yet another Business Analyst who has had to learn it all on their own. The lack of training may be related the previous point, but I think there are a couple other reasons that companies fail to provide adequate business analyst training.
The first reason is cost. Many of the BA training programs are expensive. As companies have been scaling back costs in an uncertain economy, they certainly are not going to spend THOUSANDS of dollars on training. The second reason is time. Having mentors produce internal training is good, but mentors need time to create the training, give the training, and respond to questions about the training. However, the mentors (senior level BAs) are usually the ones handling the most sensitive or visible projects within the organization. They just don’t have the time.
If there is no dedication to training, where do BAs go in their careers? Nowhere fast.
Failure to Set BAs Loose on the Company
Right now businesses everywhere know that they have Business Analysts that can provide solutions to complex problems for their customers and provide real value. However, Executives and Management, everywhere, FAIL to set those same BAs loose within their own companies. It always makes me wonder if the Executive management is scared of what these masters of problem solving will uncover. I don’t think so.
The problem is the silo’d nature of business. If there is a problem with Marketing, let the Marketing manager figure it out. If there is a problem with Operations, let the Operations manager figure it out. Companies just don’t see Business Analysts as a shared resource. If they did, there would be more companies hiring Business Architects out there.
Moving Down the BA Path
There isn’t much we can do about time. Good things will happen for the Business Analyst, they have happened, as time goes on. In the mean time, it’s important that Business Analysts demand more structured training from their companies. In addition, the IIBA should continue their efforts to ensure that Business Analysts are recognized as the Professionals that they truly are.
{ 7 comments }
I, as Business Analyst have faced most of the problems that you have mentioned above and so would agree with you, and it does kind of push me up to demand more from the organization on my expectations.
Brad,
I agree with your views on training costs, time consumption and BAs to learn all on their own. I also want to add that BA as a role is not completely understood still by many organisations. A System Analyst is considered as a Business Analyst or in some cases a UAT support or a PROD support role is called Business Analysis.
I am waiting for that good time when BA as a role and as a profession is clearly defined and understood completely by Organisation.
I facing #2 right now. I got the title of “Business Analyst” through a lucky inner-office job posting, but now that I have the job, I have received zero training to facilitate the work. I am given projects and told “Go” with no idea of where I’m going or how to get there. It’s frustrating to say the least.
But does being thrown in the fire, so to speak, essentially become your training? And if so, nothing provides a better learning experience than just that. Solely, my personal opinion. I do agree that certification is a necessary [evil
] process in the realm of professional services. And IIAB is doing a wonderful job by orchestrating and facilitating such certification(s). I have recently embarked upon a quasi-analyst career, and am beginning to understand the many angsts. But may be being so new/young I am naive, however, I feel as though my opportunities are limitless.
I have been a Business Analyst for about 12 years and never really knew it until about three years ago. As described above, the BA role is fairly new and I was left on my own to figure it out. When I was downsized and looking for work as a BA I was asked what processes I followed, did I use this tool or that tool. Believe me I worked for a big organization and I never used any tools. I was fortunate that I was honest and said I had to develop the process on my own and never used formal tools and I did find work. It’s all coming together now for me as a BA but it was all self taught. I am going to move toward the certification and then on to PMP certification. I think this will help me grow as a BA. I would love to someday teach other BA’s how to be a BA and not let them have to struggle to get to where I am.
I can’t tell you what a relief it is to know I’m not alone in my struggles as a BA, including not realizing I AM one until my position transitioned from Systems Analyst to “what exactly is it that you do here?” I had the opportunity to pick my own title around 2003 when new business cards were being ordered and I chose Business Analyst out of the air because I felt my role was solving systemic issues in the business, not just the computer systems. The lack of support and understanding from upper management led to training through self discovery and trials by fire, which was very costly out of my own pocket. I have been preaching the necessary role of the BA to bridge the gap between IT and non-IT (and the key to increasing the IT project success rate) for 8 years now. I am just thrilled to see that it’s a growing profession and gaining recognition worldwide. Even PMBOK had an infancy stage, but likely a faster growth rater because there is a clear role for a Project Manager on projects. But a BA is usually the one identifying the need for a project to begin with. Most businesses don’t formally hire dedicated persons to be perpetual pessimists (the unfortunate stigmata of a BA, in my humble opinion). The broken processes are usually discovered when staff through daily activities realize “Oh, that doesn’t work well, wish we had a better way of …” Yet these staff rarely have time to dedicate to analyzing the root of the problem let alone alternative solutions. I think the mind set is still to outsource business analysis to consulting firms when a company is ready to identify what to improve upon. Right now, the role of “business analyst” is usually one of many hats worn by the current staff.
Hello Everybody.
I am currently undergoing an training endorsed by IIBA as an Business Analyst. I am from an technical background meaning programming and would like to know how i can improve my knowledge further.
Thanks and Regards,
Arvind
Comments on this entry are closed.
{ 1 trackback }