These days, we are experiencing the process of increasing digitalization of the society (Big Data), which invents new ways of working (Business Intelligence) and therefore, new profiles highly are sought after by companies (Business analysts and BI professionals).
In this article, we will discuss why Business Analysts / Business Data Analysts will be more and more sought after in large organizations in 2018.
Data at the heart of all projects
In an increasingly digitalized world, where data has become a new resource in the same way as gold and oil, produced in abundance and is selling well, for most or all projects data has become a sensitive subject. Not only sensitive to the level of security, but also to the level of their good use. The role of the Business Analyst / Business Data Analyst is to determine for a project what data it needs and ensure their availability and that the data structure is consistent with what one wants to obtain from this data. It accompanies the business section by interviewing them about the needs and looks at what is available and usable with IT technical managers. It must also ensure that the confidentiality of the data is ensured from the beginning to the end of the project.
Decisions increasingly based on data
To make correct decisions, based on accurate and up-to-date information, policymakers need something more than intuition. In large organizations, the amount of information produced is such (production indicators, financial reports, balance sheets, sales projections, etc.) that managers often lack qualitative information updated on demand and in an easy format to read and synthetic.
The role of the Business Analyst / Business Data Analyst is to put in place solutions to exploit this data and make it easily accessible to managers. This role of decision support requires knowledge of Business Intelligence tools. The implementation of business intelligence solutions in a business responds to the transition to a new organizational culture, that of management based on clear objectives and measurable efficiency.
The gap between the role of managers and technical teams is widening
The role of managers is already full and the rapid digital transformation of organizations and services creates a gap in terms of skills and time available to adapt to them. On the other hand, the technical teams are deeply rooted in the technical solutions they implement and evolve rapidly, and do not have the time to immerse themselves in business processes to translate them into technical solutions. This is where the Business Analyst’s liaison role comes in to bridge this gap. To think that one can do without this interface, which certainly at a cost, is a short-term vision, because it is to forget that a bad understanding and definition of the requirements of the project at the base (for example, implementation of a new margin reporting system, or a new customer billing system, etc.
Projects are often interconnected via data
The Business Analyst acts as a liaison between the project manager and his technical team and the internal client (business side). He often works on multiple projects, which may have a link between them if only through the use of common data between projects. Having a vision and a global understanding of data structures and their different uses within the organization, its role is, therefore, essential to help understand business processes and translate them into documented functional requirements. Indeed, a good understanding of the technical and functional issues is the basis to guarantee the success of the project and reduce the risk of rework.
What is your opinion on the subject? How is your business impacted by Big Data?
