The role of a business analyst is gaining paramount importance in current times. They are one of the most highly paid professionals today. However, to become a business analyst, there are a few skills you would require. In this article on how to become a business analyst, we'll take you through a business analyst's role and how you can successfully become one.

Who Is a Business Analyst?

In today’s data-driven environment, organizations use data to unearth business patterns and to derive meaningful insights. With the available data, companies try to improve processes and make critical decisions.

A business analyst enables change in an organization by understanding and analyzing business problems and delivering solutions that will maximize its value to its stakeholders. 

Business analysts bridge the gap between IT and business teams using analytics to evaluate processes, determine requirements, deliver data-driven solutions, and generate reports to executives and stakeholders.

They work closely with the technology team to enhance the quality of the services being delivered. They also help in assisting in the integration and testing of new solutions. 

Now that you know who a business analyst is, let us walk you through a business analyst's responsibilities.

Responsibilities of a Business Analyst

The job of a business analyst comes with several roles and responsibilities . Hence, before you understand how to become a business analyst, it is of utmost importance to clearly understand the duties carried out by a business analyst. Given below are some of the primary responsibilities of a business analyst:

1. A business analyst identifies an organization's business objectives and problems and comes up with lucrative solutions.
2. They comprehend and collect business requirements from clients and stakeholders. 
3. Business analysts interact with the development team in order to design a solution for solving a particular problem. 
4. They proactively provide feedback on a software application's layout and implement the newly designed features that a business needs.
5. Business Analysts gauge the functional and non-functional requirements in a business.
6. They conduct regular meetings with stakeholders and clients to discuss business issues and solutions. 
7. Business analysts are responsible for validating the status of a project with the help of user acceptance testing. They ensure if the business solutions are in line with the clients’ requirements. 
8. A business analyst documents and builds data visualizations to convey all the project findings.

Now that you know the roles and responsibilities of a business analyst, let us take you to the next section of this article on how to become a business analyst.

Skills and Steps on How to Become a Business Analyst

To successfully carry out the duties mentioned, you must have a rich technical and non-technical skill set. Listed below are the top skills you require to become a business analyst.

1. Degree and Domain Knowledge

You should hold a degree in the relevant field. It is also useful if you carry sound domain knowledge along with relevant experience.

2. Analytical Skills

Business analysts must possess analytical skills, along with logical and critical thinking. This helps in interpreting business needs and choosing the best solution for a challenging business problem.

3. Microsoft Excel

Excel helps create several graphs and helps generate dynamic reports related to a business problem. 

4. Negotiation Skills

A business analyst must have excellent negotiation skills. As a business analyst, you must achieve a profitable result for your company while keeping the client happy. 

5. SQL

Knowledge of SQL and relational databases is required for a business analyst. This helps in accessing, retrieving, manipulating, and analyzing data. Working knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server , MySQL database, Oracle DB, and SQLite is crucial.

6. Programming

Knowledge of programming languages , such as R and Python , is a prerequisite. Programming knowledge helps in solving complex problems and performing faster data analysis.  

7. Data Visualization

Business analysts must know to work on various data visualization tools like Tableau , QlikView, and PowerBI. This will help them create reports and dashboards, forecast data, and make vital business decisions.

8. Communication Skills

A business analyst should have good presentation and communication skills to interact with clients and stakeholders. To carry out documentation, they must also have superb writing skills. 

Those were the skills required to become a business analyst. Now, let us walk you through a roadmap that depicts what steps a fresher needs to take to become a business analyst.

• First, have a graduation degree in a related field. 
• Second, learn SQL and other relational databases. 
• Third, have good hands-on experience with programming languages.
• Finally, be good at both written and verbal communication and practice to become good at presentations.

Moving on, we can take note of the roadmap mentioned below by experienced professionals to become a business analyst.

• As mentioned earlier, a graduation degree is mandatory.
• Knowledge and experience in writing SQL queries. 
• Expert knowledge of programming languages. 
• They need to have good communication and negotiation skills.
• Good at creating interactive reports using various business intelligence tools. 
• Having a certification offered by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) such as Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) would be highly beneficial.

Now, let us go to the salary structure of a business analyst across different countries.

Salary Structure of a Business Analyst

According to Glassdoor, a business analyst in the United States earns an average annual salary of 68 thousand and 346 dollars. 

Fig: Business Analyst Salary in the U.S.

Meanwhile, in India, a business analyst earns an average annual salary of 7 lac rupees.

Fig: Business Analyst Salary in India

A business analyst in the United Kingdom earns an average annual salary of £40,000.

      Fig: Business Analyst Salary in the U.K.

In Australia, business analysts earn an average annual salary of 90 thousand Australian dollars.

Fig: Business Analyst Salary in Australia

Now that you understand the salary range of a business analyst across various countries, let us look at the companies hiring business analysts worldwide.

The popular companies hiring for a business analyst position are CISCO, Capital One, American Express, WhatsApp, Google, Ernst & Young Global Limited, Amazon, and Dell, to name a few.

Are You Ready to Become a Business Analyst?

Now that you know who a business analyst is, the roles and responsibilities of a business analyst, the steps on how to become a business analyst, you’re all set to start your business analytics career. 

For all business aspirants out there, the "Business Analyst" Master's Program provided by Simplilearn is a brilliant choice. This certification will help you become a business analyst. To know more about this master’s program, click on this link: Business Analyst Simplilearn .

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