The issue of business analyst job descriptions is one that a lot of people find to be a grey area. For other kinds of professions, the job description is usually clear-cut, and can be figured out from simply analyzing the position title. When it comes to business analysis, such clear delineation rarely exists. In fact, one of the most common problems that most of the business analysts out there complain about is the fact that their job descriptions are vague. This is therefore one issue that you always have to keep in mind especially when you are moving from one company to another as an analyst of this kind.
In a nutshell, business analysis simply refers to a job where you are required to analyze the operations of a business and then suggest ways to optimize it. In other cases, you may also be needed to be in charge of designing business plans. Though these two issues may sound straightforward, in many cases they overlap with other job descriptions in one way or another. For instance, as part of business analysis, you may be needed to come up with market strategies. However, if the company has a marketing manager or any marketing executive, you may find that doing this is considered overstepping your boundaries, since there is someone who is employed specifically to do that. Other issues that may be considered the analyst's turf but which may cause conflict with other departments in the organization include setting up of fraud control mechanisms and also software implementation.
As one would imagine, being such an analyst in an organization with many departments can cause unnecessary conflicts between you and your fellow employees. For this reason, it is always a good idea to simply find out your job description in any company before you can start working with them. One mistake that most analysts make is to assume that their roles in the companies that they are going to will be the same as their roles in their previous companies. However, this is not always the case. Most organizations have wildly varying job descriptions for such analysts. This means that every time you switch jobs, you would need to find out exactly what you would be expected to do. In some cases, the same applies when you move from your current position in the same organization, as is the case with promotions or transfers to different departments or locations.
In a nutshell, business analysis simply refers to a job where you are required to analyze the operations of a business and then suggest ways to optimize it. In other cases, you may also be needed to be in charge of designing business plans. Though these two issues may sound straightforward, in many cases they overlap with other job descriptions in one way or another. For instance, as part of business analysis, you may be needed to come up with market strategies. However, if the company has a marketing manager or any marketing executive, you may find that doing this is considered overstepping your boundaries, since there is someone who is employed specifically to do that. Other issues that may be considered the analyst's turf but which may cause conflict with other departments in the organization include setting up of fraud control mechanisms and also software implementation.
As one would imagine, being such an analyst in an organization with many departments can cause unnecessary conflicts between you and your fellow employees. For this reason, it is always a good idea to simply find out your job description in any company before you can start working with them. One mistake that most analysts make is to assume that their roles in the companies that they are going to will be the same as their roles in their previous companies. However, this is not always the case. Most organizations have wildly varying job descriptions for such analysts. This means that every time you switch jobs, you would need to find out exactly what you would be expected to do. In some cases, the same applies when you move from your current position in the same organization, as is the case with promotions or transfers to different departments or locations.