The Business Analyst Mindset

Whenever you're trying to do something in an organization the desire to know "why" is at the core of the mindset of a good Business Analyst.

Innocent like a child

Business Analysts needs the innocence of a child. A bit like a five years old kid  constantly asking: "But why?" Consider the "Why" as an assistant in understanding the level of desire, commitment, and need for the change and how this change impacts both processes and other areas in the organization.

Understanding the context may also assist with how the need for the change can be justified. You'll need to reflect on the "Why" to be successful. Along with some other mindsets which include a constant believe that inefficiencies exist. 

The pace of change in today's business world is significant. Management might change, clients might change, priorities might shift and the marketplace itself transforms regularly. Well crafting processes and approaches to getting things done decay quickly, they simply become obsolete. Add to the fact of people who create processes initially really have a perfect crystal ball, or resolving issuing isolation without understanding the flown effects of the minor changes being made.

This is why inefficiencies are present in virtually every business processes. As an effective Business Analyst, you'll believe this fully and have a burning desire to find and fix these inefficiencies.

The best place to start is with what's happening today

The second mindset characteristic is "The best place to start is with what's happening today". It is easy to dismiss understanding what processes that exist today giving in the excitement and haste to get the new and improved "to be" state. However is very difficult to get a destination without knowing where you are today. Whether using a map or GPS the turns you'll have to make are determined not only where you want to get to, but where you are now.

As an effective Business Analyst, you'll want to expend significant time understanding the existing "as is" processes in order to facilitate effective changes in your organization.

Seek and enjoy

The next important mindset of a good Business Analyst is to seek and enjoy the details as well as the big picture. Exploring and documenting business processes can be very detailed work. It takes patience and the abilities to ask questions about exceptions and other nuances in about processes.

Although the devils in the details is a very accurate statement truly effective Business Analyst seeks to understand and optimize how processes interact with each other. Supporting the overarching goals and objectives of the organization is also critical to success in business analysis. A big picture view of what is happening and could happen in the business is just as important as capturing and tracking the procedural details.

Serve as the bridge

Lastly, the Business Analyst view is to serve as the bridge between business and technical personnel. It's rare to find an organization that doesn't have a language problem.

Technical teams talk about data flows, sequence errors, engineering specs and etc. Business personnel talks about turnaround times, customer preferences and capability management. The vocabulary between these two groups can be so different that discussions can be nearly useless as everyone scrambles to understand each other.

This is where the Business Analyst comes in. With an interesting knowledge of what the organization is trying to accomplish, and a view of what technical team needs in order to satisfy their needs. The Business Analyst serves as a facilitator and translator from those stakeholders requesting the change to those who will deliver the change.

They calm nerves and become diplomatic between people who often drastically have different perspectives about a problem.

Finally

When you as a Business Analyst embrace these varying mindsets business and technical people both feel heard, and more confident their needs are understood and can be met. Your organization can then move forward in a controlled and full manner and your projects and underlying processes will more likely deliver to the required change.