From Designer to BA

[Fairly New graduate]

Hello,

My end goal after finishing uni was to train to work as a BA. I am currently working with a large IT outsourcing as a designer, at first the job was sold as a BA role with rotation onto different projects, in reality its not. Its the same project producing detailed designs to pass onto developers.

My question is this grounding for a future career as a BA who can really make a difference or is it time to jump ship?

[zara_backdog]

"producing detailed designs to pass onto developers"

Hum: - BA's do this don't they as part of their role?

[sasguru]

Get a real job doing development. Only then will you have any chance of being a decent BA. Otherwise become a teacher of media studies.

[Fairly New graduate]

Thanks for the feedback, I understand BAs do this but they also do a lot more! Are there any BAs here who can tell me how they started off?

[zara_backdog]

Been a BA for abou 10 years - Started of in IT Support. Ideally you needs lots of exposure in different areas and Business systems. Sounds like you are in a good position but need a little patience in order to gain the industry experiance you will need.

[TykeMerc]

"producing detailed designs to pass onto developers"

Hum: - BA's do this don't they as part of their role?

That's certainly a major responsibility of the BA on many of the projects I have managed. I'm a PM so this is my slant on it and I make no claims that this is a complete list.

In a rough chronological order and dependant on the experience and skills of the BA and needs of the project the vastly simplified deliverables of a BA as part of a project team are:

1. Initial statement/analysis of Business needs (Major input to the PID)
2. Development and documentation of project approach
3. Input to Business Case
4. Analysis and documentation of detailed requirements to allow identification and development of solutions
   1. From a client BA this is a statement to be sent to suppliers for commercial proposals and designs
   2. From a supplier BA this is input to the design and proposal team
   3. Input to the risk and opportunities registers
5. Production of test cases, initial test and training approaches
6. Analysis of design versus requirements, questioning and clarification of functional and non functional requirements
7. Analysis and proposal of changes to Business processes
8. Clarification of final design/proposed solution versus finalised requirements
9. Production of detailed test cases, training scenarios
10. Assist in implementation of solution (many seperate functions) especially process improvements/streamlining
11. Monitoring of test and training (hugely simplified statement)
12. Analysis of implemented solution against requirements, designs and proposals
13. Input to the post implementation activities including lessons learnt exercises
14. Input to project closure activities

As I said these are typical BA functions, vastly simplified, depend on team size, skills and experience of the BA, are fairly iterative (sp?) in nature and dependant on the actual project and how it's run.
As Zara said it sounds like you just need to be patient and let your skills develop you're doing work that I would expect a BA to do.

[Gonzo]

Where do you get the information that tells you what the designs have to contain? That is the core of the BA work, along with presenting it clearly so everybody relevent can understand what is supposed to happen.

I have been a BA for nearly 10 years.

My first IT work was as a general "all IT problems fix or liaise" person in a small department of an Investment Management Company which I did for 18 months.

Then I joined a Investment Management Software supplier as a Tester which I did for just under one year.

At the same place I then moved to a junior BA role where I was producing the business specifications for software upgrades. I did that for six years.

In the three and a half years that I was contracting I was doing more "Take a high level requirement, design the solution, then get on and do it" type work.

ADDENDUM The one thing that I think is the most important for a BA, above all else, is people skills. It is not enough to be able to talk to people, you also need to have a sixth sense for when you are being told bulltulip (which will happen for endless numbers of reasons). For me anyway, this is a skill that has developed over time, I didn't have it when I was 25.