What is an agile business analyst?

We already went through the main skills that a business analyst should be equipped with. They can roughly be categorized in three categories: fundamental, technical and BA (Business Analyst) skills.

There is this term and profession emerging – and agile business analyst. What exactly does it mean and in what way is it different from a business analyst’s profession?

Why an “agile business analyst”?

The term “agile business analyst” is generally applied to people who work in an agile software development environment. Nowadays there is a plenty of courses on “how to become and agile BA”. There have actually been various discussions whether this profession actually exists, because in the past the agile community kind of eliminated the role of a business analyst from the agile software development process. There have been claims that developers can do their own business analysis work and a separate position for this just gets in the way and might mess up the process.

An agile business analyst has more or less the same role as a business analyst. Just that it is in an agile environment. The role of a business analyst is very important when it comes to the business needs and creating a plan for the team. In fact, when it comes to larger projects, it would be very difficult to manage without the assistance of a business analyst.

Skills required for an agile business analyst

As the agile process focuses on the level of uncertainty, agile business analysts have a critical role in understanding exactly this and the root cause of the business problem. Therefore the main skills, required for an agile business analyst are:

Ability to analyze a broad defined area
Identifying related user stories
Integrating the needs of the project with those of the stakeholders
Having well-structured and analytical mindset
Flexibility and adaptability
Ability to work under pressure
Creativity
Proactive in finding and owning resolutions of problems by seeing the big picture, not just the details of a project or a process
Being innovative – searching for new approaches to solve specific business problems
Leadership, based not on authority, but achieved through influence and communication. Leadership is based on providing continuous improvement for the organization.
Business-oriented – thinking what can be done to improve business and solve its problems

Having said this, we can agree that all of the above are actually among the skills which are generally needed for a BA profession. That is why most people in this field agree that as agility is a mindset, needed for the business analyst in general, there should not be any specification or division among analyst professionals. The slight differences though, can be found in the way an agile business analyst is expected to approach the project.

Difference in approach

In the first place, there is less emphasis on documentation. Agile requirements are generally written in terms of user stories, which are practically defining certain business needs. However the way they will be implemented is not written in detail, but discussed through direct communication.

This is the second main characteristic – face-to-face, direct communication between the project team and the business users. In this relation, changes are encouraged throughout the project. As we said, flexibility is a must, so the agile business analyst makes sure the requirements fit the business needs and leaves them open for negotiation and further change.

In the BA field many agree that if a professional follows the above mentioned tenets and tries to cultivate the necessary characteristics and abilities, there actually won’t be a difference between a business analyst and an agile business analyst. And if you are among the ones who aspire for a career in this field, do not hesitate to contact us.

image source: testingxperts