A digital business analyst is a professional responsible for understanding and analyzing the digital side of a business. They are responsible for helping to create and maintain online platforms, as well as developing online marketing strategies.
What Does a Digital Business Analyst Do?
The nature of the work done by a digital business analyst can vary according to the industry he is working with. However, in the majority of the job roles, here is what they actually spend time on –
Research
Before anyone starts a project, they need to have a crystal clear understanding of their business goals and the business itself. Usually, the goals and missions of the business are not clearly stated, and there are chances for the ownership to be casual as well.
This is where an analyst researches the business, its missions, goals, and everything related to the business and plans initiatives to grow the business.
Define
No matter how advanced it sounds, business analysts are primarily consultants. These individuals make recommendations to the leaders by analyzing the business data.
These individuals pitch the leaders with numerous strategic and advanced business processes to make a change and open the doors to success.
Plan
Business analysis is in no way similar to regular data analysis. Business analysis is just not about one thing, and it is a package of different processes, such as researching, planning, producing data, and then converting it to recommendations.
It is about developing insights and implementing them to make the business grow.
Implement
The BA is solely responsible for putting solutions in place of business processes. After gaining a suitable insight into a project and how it would affect it, they propose it to every level of the organization, starting from stakeholders, leaders, and employees.
These individuals take charge as the project manager, who monitors if the plan is implemented correctly and ensures that the task is executed properly. Also, they can introduce alterations if they receive any vital information.
What Skills Are Necessary?
Digital business analysts are very skillful and knowledgeable individuals, and if you aspire to be one, you would need a certain skillset!
Here are some skills that can make you eligible for the post of digital business analyst –
#1 Understanding The Strategic Necessities
Companies and organizations follow a strategy to grow their company. Kick starts with understanding the company’s strategic needs. Once you gain the proper concept, it will be easier for you to transform the strategies into initiatives. Also, it will help you get clarity and work towards the company’s common goal.
#2 Focusing And Accepting Customer Experience
Businesses primarily focus on making profits, and on making profits, the analysts must focus on understanding the need of customers. One may need to think out of the box to get this right. The well you understand your customers and their challenges, the better you get at designing solutions for your fellow customers.
#3 Think About Business Models
Digital business evolves quickly, and sometimes focusing on the business process may disrupt smooth functioning. To succeed, as an analyst, you think about how you will implement the processes and how to develop the processes, and only after analyzing the process will you be able to bring a change to the organization.
#4 Agility
It is one of the skills that an analyst needs. An analyst has to be agile in his decisions and have a lean mindset. These two skills have a greater impact on the business.
#5 Stakeholder Collaborations
Consistent stakeholder engagement is a primary key to any business. For a digital business environment, the stakeholder engagement activities should be consistent. To make a difference, you must introduce experimental and evolutionary initiatives.
#6 Using Data Strategically
An analyst is always in search of better stakeholder engagement and thrives on understanding the need of his customers. To do so, you must be able to analyze the data. You can get a hold of a lot of information through regular interactions using social platforms.
Using data analytics will help you understand your customers better and actually enhance your products and solutions.
This is an evidence-based approach that helps analysts with their decision-making.
#7 Technology
As a digital business analyst, you must stay updated with the technology. You do not need to be that upgraded with technology like a tech-freak software engineer.
Staying updated with technology will help you discover better ways of doing a task and find new possibilities and capabilities for your company.
And you need to work with the business officials or leaders and help them understand what difference the advanced technology can make.
What Tools Do They Use?
When it comes to analyzing business, there are various tools that analysts use. These tools are –
Requirement Management
A business analyzing task aims to determine the clearest terms, such as what’s needed and how much is needed for all the stakeholders. This includes proper documentation, setting priorities, communicating, and tracking, which is a lot for an analyst to manage.
The requirement management applications are specifically designed to simplify one’s task, keeping records and data well-documented and organized and ensuring that no piece of information is overlooked.
Erp (Enterprise Resource Planning)
Enterprise resource planning gives an analyst the very idea of the business’s primary function, insight into how the implemented procedures unfold, and so on and so forth.
Here, ERP software keeps an entire category of tools used to gather crucial information about the business and manage the collected data.
Project Or Task Management
Business analysis is a task that should be completed within a pre-determined amount of time. Project management is the skill that lets you see through the project completion, determine if it is on budget or on time, etc.
Not only this, but it also helps the analyst to keep things in check, from the constraints to official requirements and managing resources.
Long story cut short, the project management tool ensures the smooth functioning of integral sectors of the organization.
Wireframing
When it comes to business analysis, wireframing has its importance. It helps in defining and clarifying things. This tool is mostly used in developing code architecture or making product prototypes during the pre-production period.
CRM (Customer Relation Management)
Using social media platforms to interact with your fellow customers can help you gain vital information to improve your game.
The CRM tool helps the analyst gain valuable information by automating interactions with your customers. Also, this tool keeps stock of all the valuable information, which you can later use to gain deep insights.
Diagramming Or Modeling
Business analysts always look up to software for concerting volumes of raw data to easy-to-understand data models.
Again, the models here are not tangible, virtual, or visual, but concepts such as decisions. Specifically, models like the decision models are mental diagrams used to clarify the logical reason behind a particular business decision.
This also helps the leaders understand why they should bear such a business process and what possibilities it can bring to the business.
Extract, Load, Transform (Elt)
The entity which is getting extracted, loaded, and transformed is nothing but data. This software takes away volumes of data from the sources of the business, prepares it, and stores the pack of data in a Data Warehouse. The data warehouses are responsible for generating the analytics.
The amount of data loaded in these warehouses is much more usable and easily understandable.
Data Visualization
This tool helps the analysts identify the data patterns and later present them in a form that is easy to read or understand.
How Can You Become a Digital Business Analyst?
If you wish to become a digital business analyst, you need a bachelor’s degree and work experience. Generally, you can be a digital business analyst if you fulfill these two demands.
Also, if you get a vendor or industry certification for complementing your degree, you might find better options for employment.
Here is how you can become a digital business analyst –
Step #1 Getting A Degree
The majority of the BA positions demand a bachelor’s degree in business administration or any other stream related to BA. Also, to apply for this post, you must have post-secondary training.
A general business administration program is no rocket science, but it includes coursework in aspects like business, law, communication, etc. Although, some schools offer dedicated courses focusing on accounting, marketing, or management. These courses help the individual majoring in a career in their stream. And at the undergraduate level, it is a four-year-long program.
Some business analyst institutions even offer internship programs to help students gain experience. This adds much more value to the students.
Choose Your Program
Before you choose your BA program, there are some factors that you need to consider. Factors such as whether you wish to take your lessons online, physically, or in hybrid mode. The cost factor is a major factor that you should look at. Also, there are other factors, such as if you wish to study anywhere near or plan to go to another state or even a country. Another factor can be if you want full-time schooling or part-time schooling.
These are the basic factors that you need to consider to determine your requirements, which will help you figure out your educational path.
Step #2 Gain BA Experience
Experience is a must if you aspire to be a Business Analyst. To gain some experience and have a proper concept of what it is, you may apply for entry-level positions in HR (Human Resources), Management, Information Technology, or any other field related to BA. Once you gain the knowledge and experience, you are all set.
Right at the start, you will have to work in a group under the supervision of a senior and experienced analyst or with a definite team of consultants. Once you gain the expertise, you can start working independently.
Employers sometimes pitch for candidates who have earned their bachelor’s degree and work experience. The majority of these programs are 2 years long, although some institutions offer the same program acceleratedly, i.e., completing the course within a time frame of 12 – 18 months.
Step #3 Earning The BA Certification
Many employers like to recruit business analysts who graduated from IMC (Institute of Management Consultants). And the CMC exam, i.e., the Certified Management Consultant exam, comes in three levels: basic, experienced, and consultant.
If you are to sit for the basic level exam, you must have a bachelor’s degree, three to nine years of consulting experience, and at least five standard evaluations! And if you want to apply for the next levels, you would certainly need more experience.
Not just this, to be eligible, you need to pass an oral and a written examination.
Step #4 Join An Organization
One more thing that you can do is join or get in touch with an organization of business analysts. This will help to make more connections, keep track of what challenges and developments are coming your way, and can help you learn more about opportunities.
There are numerous organizations, and you can join the IIBA (International Institute of Business Analyst) or DSA (Data Science Association).
You can also look for local or national organizations and compare which one best fits you!
Conclusion
A digital business analyst is an important part of any business. They help to create and maintain online platforms, as well as develop online marketing strategies. If you want to become a digital business analyst, you need to have strong web design and development skills, marketing, and analytics.
