The best and the most challenging thing about business analytics is that as a business analytics professional you work closely with the stakeholders and the decision makers. The good thing about it is that you can watch your work materialize and make an immediately perceptible difference. The challenging part is that the stakes are always pretty high and you work with people who do not necessarily understand your workflow nor do they share your technical acumen. Success in business analytics therefore depends on more than your mastery of certain technical skills or your understanding of business processes as well as statistical analysis. It depends on your attitude towards the job which should be guided by certain principles. Business analytics courses may or may not cover these but we have got you covered.
The key responsibilities of a business analyst
- Understanding the requirements of clients and stakeholders and optimizing the services accordingly.
- Finding gaps in business processes and suggesting alternatives to increase efficiency.
- Being a bridge of communication between technical and executive members of a corporation.
- Analyzing company data to recognize trends.
Each of these steps have multiple steps within. Doing any of these effectively requires special skills and training. However, there are certain habits you can make which will make life easier for you in general.
Efficient and effective communication
Your communication skills will be tested at several points. When you apply for a business analyst job, the employers will want you to be able to communicate with clarity, precision and purpose. When you communicate with prospective clients trying to understand their requirements your communication skills will be tested again.
For both the cases you may choose to leave out phrases like ‘you must’ , ‘you never’, ‘you’re wrong’, ‘why don’t you’, from your vocabulary. While they seem to be perfectly innocent in an everyday conversation, some people might find these a little frightening.
Write stuff down. When you are speaking to the stake holder, write things down. If not the whole conversation, at least pointers that will work as cues. Five ten years down the line you will realize that this high school habit has been your best friend in the fast paced world of business.
Data visualization and more
A lot of experienced business analysts feel that data visualization is essentially an extension of effective communication. As a business analytics professional, you access data from different sources in order to find patterns. These patterns may reveal a tendency among the consumers or a silently overpowering trend in the market. It is data analysis that prevents the market from taking your company by surprise and sweeping it off its elements. All this data can only make sense to an executive if explained expertly by an analyst. Your analysis only makes sense if you are able to make others understand and convince them about the implications of your findings.
Data visualization is one of the most important tools in your arsenal and you should make it a habit to practice the art.
Focusing on the product
It often occurs that the product gets lost among the clamor of market research, analytics, and SEO practices. As a business analyst your focus should never drift too far away from the product. Optimizing the product and branding it for what it really is as well as finding the people who actually need it is very important.
Staying on the lookout for new tech
The advent of a new set of tools should not make you nervous on the contrary the idea of learning a new tool should excite you. Not only will this attitude help you cope with the vicious pace the technology industry is moving forward in but also turn you into an asset if not an inspirational figure in your company. You can start with mastering the popular tools like Excel, SQL, R and Tableau and then move on to other newage tools.
In a nutshell
- Be thorough and meticulous in communication.
- Do not tax your memory with much, note stuff down.
- Work continuously on your business as well as technical acumen.
- Develop an eye for problems.
- Focus on the product.
- Keep updating your skills.
Any experienced practitioner will tell you that it is the small habits and principles that help you last longer and strive further in any industry. Share this wisdom with your peers and colleagues and they will thank you too. All the best for your future.