Daily Life of a Business Analyst

Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a Business Analyst looks like? This article will explore one such day.

What Does a Business Analyst Do?

A Business Analyst wears many hats within an organization. They perform business process analysis, market research analysis, customer interaction analysis, and other relevant forms of analysis to recommend ways for their organization to improve performance, make more money, and become more efficient across departments. Business Analysts rely on raw data to make these recommendations, which requires data collection, processing, analysis, and visualization. Training in business intelligence, business administration, data analytics, and statistics is essential to becoming a successful Business Analyst.

Although the daily tasks of a Business Analyst will depend on a variety of factors, such as employer, industry, business operation cycle, organizational goals, and other factors, the following is a general breakdown of what a typical workday may look like for a Business Analyst beginning a new project:

9 AM:

You arrive at the office and establish a breakdown of what needs to be accomplished today. Keep in mind that it’s likely that at least half of today will be spent in meetings or workshops. These meetings are essential for collecting information and touching base with other team members and departments about the contents of projects that are underway. Around these meetings, however, you have a lot to get done. 

First on the agenda is to search for possible business issues within the organization. This may involve reaching out to members of other teams to learn about their most pressing challenges with operations or management. If multiple issues are present, you will have to decide which is most pressing and look into this one first. It’s imperative to ask questions at this stage, perform interviews, or observe work in progress.

10:30 AM:

Now that you’ve honed in on one organizational issue, the next step is to start gathering data to learn more about its context. Collecting and analyzing data is likely one you will regularly use in your position as a Business Analyst. When gathering data, it may be necessary to collaborate with other teams, like those overseeing business workflow, clients, or customer experience, to gather relevant information. They will be able to provide you with insights into which categories of data types to use, as well as how best to record findings.

12:00 PM:

Now that you’ve gathered a sufficient amount of data to study the problem at hand, it’s time to analyze the numbers. The analysis phase involves spotting any patterns or trends in the data and any relevant outliers or other pertinent information related to the problem at hand. Once you’ve collected enough insights, you’ll need to explain them in detail, which involves articulating what the organization needs to do to solve this issue.

It’s common during the data analysis stage to correspond with the development team and even an architect if necessary so that the form of the solution you propose can begin to take shape. The more accurately you can define the problem and what it entails at this point, the more helpful this will be as your organization moves forward to implement changes using the solution.

1:30 PM:

After a quick lunch, it’s time to take the analyzed data and choose the best solution from the options that you found. If you were working with a large dataset, you might have found several viable data-driven options. However, an important consideration is how much these options may disrupt the overall business flow. That’s why it’s important to consider your organization’s goals and basic operational requirements when narrowing down the options to decide which is most applicable.

3:00 PM:

Once the possible options have been evaluated, and the most viable ones remain, you will have to present them to different internal and external stakeholders, such as team leaders, management, clients, or customers. This may occur in a Zoom meeting or another online platform where everyone can connect regardless of physical location. Remember to avoid jargon or heavily technical language when presenting options so that all audience members can understand your suggestions for the organization. 

Once you’ve presented your data findings, those at the meeting may wish to discuss which one is the best fit for the organization. When evaluating solutions, it’s essential to consider how a given solution can specifically address the issue or underlying problem. This may involve evaluating each potential solution using key performance indicators and anticipating how any conditions posed by this solution satisfy operational business requirements at your organization. Once a solution is agreed on, it will have to be estimated throughout the layout and planning stages to ensure that the proposed solution would meet all business requirements if applied. 

4:00 PM:

Once team members and other stakeholders have agreed upon a solution, you will have to document all findings. This is an integral part of the business analytics process because it records what you have learned through observation and analysis and ensures that these findings are preserved so your team can access them later. It’s essential to remember that others may read these findings, so when you record them, choose an accessible format, such as textual records with visual support via illustrations, charts, or graphs.

5:00 PM: 

The workday is nearly over, so the next phase of the business analytics work cycle, where your agency can implement the solution, will have to wait until tomorrow. This is a critical stage that cannot be rushed. This aspect of business analytics can take days or weeks to properly complete. This stage will require you to carefully oversee how clients or external parties use the new framework. It’s a challenging time because variables can go amiss, or objectives to be overlooked. 

As the solution is implemented, you must monitor if the change is resulting in the anticipated results or if it is missing its mark. This may involve asking end-users whether they appreciate the software changes you suggested or evaluating key performance indicator results to see how implementation has affected operations, as evidenced by real numbers. Once you know the answers to such questions, you’ll know if the solution is working to improve business operations or if changes need to be made.

After Work

One of the benefits of working as a Business Analyst is that a productive workday such as the one mentioned above can mean a work-free night. Now it’s time to enjoy a good meal, get a good night’s rest, and be ready to implement the change first thing tomorrow.

Learn More About Business Analytics by Enrolling in Hands-on Classes

If you’re interested in studying business analytics, a variety of courses are available for beginners and more advanced students. Noble’s Business Analyst Certificate is a great learning option for any aspiring Business Analyst. Relevant tools and skills such as data analysis, Excel, Tableau, and SQL are covered in this hands-on program. Those enrolled in this intensive course can elect to study online or in person in Manhattan. This class comes with the option of a free retake for learners who wish to revisit course material. 

In addition, those who want to locate learning options close to home can also use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool to search more than 250 live online and in-person business analytics courses in topics such as SQL, PowerPoint, and Excel for Business, among others.