A question of change

There is always a problem that needs to be solved. Sales needs support for the new marketing initiative. Marketing should change sending preferences to allow customers to unsubscribe from various publications to comply with new regulations. The accounts payable system is old and slow and is becoming more inaccurate by the day. The organization wants these issues resolved.

Company leaders don’t have the time to research, investigate, and determine the best way to resolve these issues. Additionally, today’s solutions require automation, computers, software, servers etc., and investors are not doing these things. They don’t have the expertise.

Shareholders don’t want a code. They don’t want information systems. They don’t want networks. What they want is a solution to their business problems.

The Information Technology (IT) department will achieve this. Technology professionals will design software, define and populate databases, connect networks and install hardware. But first, all they need is to know what the company wants to do.

But who defines the measures to be taken to solve this problem?

Who defines the solution in such a way that the business can agree with the solution and software solution experts can understand what needs to be done to implement the solution?

And when the technology is ready for the business, who will ensure that the change is carried out efficiently and that the transition from the current process to the new one is smooth?

To ask the question is to answer. The answer to these questions is the business analyst; or business architect for some, business Analyst, Business Analyst, for others.

Over the past ten years, the position of Business Analyst has found its place in the catalog of human resources job descriptions of many organizations in Central and West Africa. Some countries have also obtained their own chapter of the International Institute for Business Analysis (IIBA). This is the case of Cameroon and Ivory Coast. And Cameroon in particular was able to have up to 05 certified business analyst professionals (CBAP).

The role of the business analyst is to solve business problems. Specification of requirements is an essential function of the analyst, as are the many other responsibilities that a business analyst can and should undertake, all of which lead to the successful solution of a business problem.

Business analysis is above all about change: changes in business processes, changes in the IT systems that support business processes; changes in the way the organization conducts its business. Everything the business analyst does results in some sort of change in the organization.

Most of what the business analyst does should be aimed at solving a business problem, which requires changing the organization from the current situation in which the problem exists to a new process or operation in which the problem has been resolved.

Above all, the business analyst is the problem solver. He is the go-to person in the business and development communities if there are any issues. Any type of problem: political, technical, commercial, misunderstandings, ambiguities, social, technological, philosophical. Big problems, small problems. Problems that require IT intervention and those that can be solved by rearranging workstations.

The business analyst accepts the task of proactively understanding what the business problem is and determining the consequences of not solving it, then defining a solution that will remove the problem, if not improve the situation. The business analyst does this before development begins, then ensures that the solution as designed by IT actually solves the problem and does so in a way that people affected by the problem can use the solution .

By solving problems, the business analyst continually adds value to the organization. In fact, all activities performed by a business analyst add value. The business analyst adds value by:

• Acting as an organizational change agent to improve business processes.
• Investigating the real problem so you don’t waste time and energy solving the wrong problem.
• Providing information to higher-level management so that their decision-making can be faster and more effective.
• Bringing business leaders and business process stakeholders to speak directly to technicians and technology experts to reduce communication time and problems.
• Creating an environment in which there is an unhindered flow of information between business units and between business and IT that increases the quality of the organization’s overall operations.
• Managing the organization’s expectations regarding the solution so that stakeholders realistically understand and accept the solution to their problem.
• Applying analytical and creative thinking to ensure the organization makes the best decisions and acts on the best solutions to problems.
• Ensuring that the product developed by the solution team solves the intended problem.
• Orchestrating the transition from current business operations to changed operations so that the organization benefits from the benefits of the new process as quickly as possible.

This is an arduous task, fraught with pitfalls and obstacles, both technical and political. And it is also a job filled with satisfaction and personal reward. The business analyst is at the center of everything, engaging engineers and businesspeople, pondering misunderstandings, defining functions and features, calming management, identifying impacts, creating constructive changes, and resolving problems.

I have been carrying out different roles and activities as a business analyst for 8 years now. A business analyst is more than just a requirements recorder. The business analyst is a central cog in the driving wheel of a successful organization.

The business analyst is the agent of organizational change.

The business analyst is the one who solves organizational problems.

The business analyst is the repository of information about business processes.

In essence, here are the business analyst’s marching orders:

• There is a problem – He defines it.
• There is a solution to this problem: He describes it.
• We need to change the organization to solve the problem – He’s doing it.

A very exciting job

Being a business analyst is a complicated job in Central and West Africa. This is a new profession in many organizations and with this newness comes confusion, questions, concerns and the inevitable complaints.

There is a new position in the corporate hierarchy. A purebred Trade Specialist or a fully business oriented worker cannot fill this position. This is not an administrator position, and the position does not require any authority; however, it is a key contributor to most successful Digital-related changes in an organization. Those in this role know first-hand how to improve productivity, reduce costs and comply with regulations, both from a marketing and technological perspective. They can look at any issue from the perspective of the entire organization to determine the impacts, positive and negative, of any proposed changes. They are able to find solutions to business problems, usually using digital technology. This position is that of a business analyst.

A business analyst works as a liaison between stakeholders to obtain, analyze, communicate, validate, and gain approval for requirements for changes in processes, policies, and systems.
The business analyst understands business problems and opportunities in the context of requirements and recommends solutions that enable the organization to achieve its objectives.

Business analysis activities involve “understanding how organizations operate to achieve their objectives and defining the capabilities an organization needs to deliver products and services to external stakeholders.” » This includes defining organizational goals, how those goals relate to specific objectives, determining what courses of action an organization should take to achieve those goals and objectives, and defining how different Organizational units and stakeholders within and outside that organization interact.

The role of business analysts

Over the years, the work of business analysts has evolved first into a role and then more recently into a position within the organization. When there was no business analyst position, the role was filled by other positions, such as IT project manager or business line manager, on a part-time or temporary basis. In some organizations, it was spread across multiple positions, such as Requirements Engineer, Quality Assurance Analyst, Quality Control Specialist, Product Owner, Project Manager, Quality Champion, Product Manager, software configuration, etc. Organizations now realize that the majority of IT project failures occur because no one has taken on the role of business analyst, but there is still no real agreement on what that role should be.

At WAT&CO , an Operational Consulting Firm in which I work as a Business Analyst, the business analyst fulfills numerous functions: from operational marketing support for a sector of activity to in-depth involvement in software development projects. The role of the business analyst changes depending on the client area he supports. This is why my position is Operations and Innovation Manager. This situation exists because the expectations of a business analyst in this company are customer-focused. A business analyst may therefore focus on a business domain supporting many applications and processes or a single large application (such as an enterprise application) or he may have deep knowledge in a domain process particular activity and support the technology associated with this process.

Regardless of the role, the Business Analyst must possess a wide variety of skills and knowledge ranging from strong interpersonal skills, excellent communication skills, problem solving, facilitation, quality assurance techniques, presentation skills and analytical/critical thinking. Dotted with all these skills, it is important for the business analyst to have a superficial understanding of the technological infrastructure (network, applications, software and hardware) that supports his or her business domain.

A focus on Business and not on IT

The business analyst focuses mainly on the company. In some cases, this means that the business analyst is not involved in IT at all. For example, the business analyst may be involved in reorganizing job descriptions and reorganizing manual tasks for a process improvement initiative, helping higher-level management determine business strategy, or collecting information and performing benchmarking for requests for proposals.
Regardless, the focus is always on the product, the solution to the problem. The ultimate goal of the business analyst is to solve the business problem, nothing less. When technology is involved, the business analyst is a member of the solution team, but remains focused on the solution. In many situations, the business analyst is the only one who is so focused on the solution. Because even after delivery of the project, he must make an evaluation of the solution.

So, is the business Analyst really the new kid on the block?

Has there been a sea change in business and IT leading to the creation of this position? No. In fact, the business analyst role has been around for centuries, perhaps as long as there has been business or at least there has been accounting for businesses. Business analysts aren’t quite the oldest profession, but their position actually predates modern computing, supporting the assertion that analysts solve business problems rather than write software requirements. You do not believe in it ? The next article will describe a little about the evolution of the business analyst and identify some of the most famous and infamous business analysts throughout history.