Levels of business analysis

This article considers 3 levels of business analysis. The functions at each level are typically performed by performed different roles taken by business analysts.

• Strategic
• Operational
• Tactical

The sort of functions undertaken at each level of business analysis are shown below.

1. Strategic:
   1. Business transformations
   2. Portfolio management
   3. Business change
   4. Business architecture
   5. Target operating models
   6. Business agility
   7. Benefits realisation
   8. Strategic use of AI and machine learning
   9. Cyber security
   10. Big data and business trends
   11. Environment, Sustainability and Governance (ESG)
2. Operational:
   1. Business process management
   2. Business data
   3. Management information and Decision support
   4. Business rules
   5. Business cases
   6. Requirements discovery
   7. Problem analysis
   8. Integration of AI and machine learning
   9. Data analytics
   10. Mitigation of cyber security risks
   11. Incorporating ESG factors into processes, data and business rules
3. Tactical: 
   1. Software requirements specification and management

Roles of business analysis

Business analysis is a demanding function comprising many specific roles, e.g.

• Agent of change
• Problem Solver
• Modeller
• Planner
• Facilitator
• Negotiator
• Reporter
• Mediator
• Interpreter
• Fact Finder
• Interviewer
• Reviewer
• …

Business analysts need to be:

• Business and people oriented
• Technically savvy
• Effective networkers
• Team players
• Independent of politics
• Self starters
• …

Business Analyst Skills Profile

To fulfill the demands of the job, business analysts need a variety of skills, both hard and soft, e.g.

• Understand the nature of business strategy, goal setting and business planning.
• Able to think conceptually, to analyse and understand root causes of problems and to identify business based solutions to the identified problems.
• Able to create business architectures and participate effectively in business change programmes.
• Competent with business process modelling, business data modelling and business rules
• Requirements discovery and specification techniques for functional and non functional requirements
• Possess a large range of communication skills including making presentations, interviewing facilitation of workshops, attending and running meetings and report writing
• Demonstrate inter-personal skills such as team leading and negotiation
• Apply project skills such as the creation of business cases, setting objectives, planning, estimating and project management

Further reading for levels of business analysis

Click this link for a more comprehensive view of the skills required for by a professional business analyst.