Senior Business Analyst

• A Senior Business Analyst role requires you to work to investigate business problems and opportunities, and specify required changes to business processes, people skills, information, technology and organisation structures and roles. You'll select, apply and monitor the use of modelling and analysis techniques, methods and standards in an informed and proficient way;
• Work effectively with senior business and IT stakeholders, conducting investigations at a strategic level and assuring the feasibility of proposed solutions. You’ll take a holistic view of the business situations investigated, ensure that stakeholder perspectives are identified and analysed with a view to achieving consensus, so that business objectives and requirements are understood and provide a context with which recommended solutions are aligned;
• Business analysts must advise senior stakeholders on business change priorities within the context of the organisational strategy and objectives;
• Utilise business knowledge and experience to assess and advise on the feasibility and relevance of proposed options for business and technical change;
• If you want to succeed in a senior business analyst role, you must be the lead for the detailed specification and modelling of holistic solutions using standards, methods and techniques as required. You'll maintain links with colleagues within related disciplines such as business operations, software engineering and service delivery functions and support the deployment of business and technical changes;
• Use your skills to plan, arrange and facilitate meetings and workshops with stakeholders throughout the business change and software development lifecycles; taking responsibility for the management of stakeholder relationships across different levels of seniority;
• Support business case development through the identification and definition of business and technical options that will address the business objectives and requirements, and the analysis of the costs, benefits, risks and impacts for each option;
• Assist business stakeholders in defining acceptance tests for new business processes and IT systems, and take responsibility for the effective execution of the acceptance tests.

As a Senior Business Analyst, your skill set deepens with specialist knowledge, leadership and a strategic perspective.

BCS is supporting the Business Analysis professional best practice with Professional Level certifications which lead to the Advanced International Diploma in Business Analysis. 

Business analysis techniques

Proficient in applying techniques which help when investigating, analysing, modelling and recording a business area or system of interest.

Information modelling tools

Proficient in using tools (manual or automated) to record the structure, relationships and use of information within an organisation, such as: class diagram and relational data model.

Corporate, industry and professional standards

Proficient in applying standards, practices, codes, and assessment and certification programmes relevant to the IT industry and the specific organisation or business domain.

Stakeholder engagement/ analysis

Senior Business Analysts must be proficient in establishing relationships, analysing perspectives and managing stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines; adapting stakeholder engagement style to meet the needs of different audiences. You'll be able to identify key business stakeholders and assess their levels of power and interest and their perspectives to inform the way(s) in which they should be considered and managed.

Business proposals

Proficient in methods and techniques for preparing and presenting business cases, requests for proposal (RFP) invitations to tender (ITT) and statements of requirements/work both verbally and in writing.

Soft skills are a key component of your continued professional development and success as a BA. BCS offers a comprehensive suite of materials to members to support professionals in the development of their soft skills.

Conceptual thinking

Acquiring understanding and insights regarding the underlying issues in complex problems or situations through the development of abstract representations, the identification of patterns and the analysis of hypotheses.

Strategic perspective

Keeping organisational objectives and strategies in mind, and ensuring courses of action are aligned with the strategic context.

Interacting with people

Establishing relationships, contributing to an open culture and maintaining contacts with people from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Effective, approachable and sensitive communicator in different communities and cultures. Ability to adapt style and approach to meet the needs of different audiences.

BCS Professional Certificate in Business Analysis
This certificate is designed for people who are already in a business analysis role and want to gain a deeper understanding of business analysis strategy and application.

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Chartered IT Professional
Demonstrate your expertise in the field of Business Analysis with the BCS Chartered IT Professional award, the independent standard of competence and professionalism in the technology industry.

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BCS Professional Member
As a professional member of BCS, you’ll become part of a large professional community in the UK and beyond. You’ll get access to career support tools, latest BA industry news and exclusive BCS research.

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