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What does a Business Analyst do? To answer this first we will try to under what is Big data? This term refers both to data that exceeds the limits of traditional databases, but also to technologies aimed at extracting knowledge and value from this huge amount of data, which is an almost infinite source of very important information.
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For example, analyzing corporate big data can be extremely effective for evaluating customer and sales data. Mobile phones, tablets and specially developed apps give the opportunity to the sales force or field staff to communicate in real-time everything done with the customer: sales orders, but also competitive actions, new opportunities, requests for technical information, presence of the product in stock, customer solvency, etc..really useful information for a company’s sales and marketing strategies.
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The analysis of big data companies therefore allows the creation of models that can analyze purchasing behaviours, opinions towards the products and the company itself, and those towards competitors.
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Analyzing this data, therefore, means being able to make targeted, attentive and aware business decisions that can potentially increase their business on both acquired and potential customers.
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However, these big data are often not used by companies in a profitable way. The cause? Most often it is the lack of specialized professionals, able to read this data and translate it into operational actions. In fact, the transformation of data into information requires specific skills.
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So here comes the role of the Business Analyst, a professional who supports business decisions, who thanks to his knowledge and skills, is able to extrapolate, rework and organize this information in the form of valuable dashboards and forecast models.
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Effectiveness and efficiency of the sales force, analysis of ongoing deals, average sales turnover, margins, sales volumes, market trend forecast, positioning of its product/brand on the market… thanks to the Business Analyst are no longer a secret, nor a mystery!
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Who is a Business Analyst?
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The Business Analyst is that individual within the company who is able to anticipate, through the information received and the perception of the problems detected, the main changes of scenario in which the organization will be operating, as well as the strengths and weaknesses on which to intervene in terms of architectures, solutions and implementations.
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This individual works closely with the IT Manager, who is able to support colleagues by halving or at least facilitating their normal business operations, training them in the optimal use of information systems. He also provides them perpetual support in the performance of their activities, and above all always putting them in a position to work with all the information available.
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In conclusion, a company without information today risks not seeing the threats of the market, of not having control on all its levers of action and of being completely disconnected from the rest of the world. On the contrary, thanks to the Business Analyst, there are countless decisions that management is able to make.
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To apply for a Demand Planner position, click here:
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Main Objectives of the Business Analyst
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Information analysis
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Within the company, the business analyst is the one who is responsible for providing the interface between the IT department and the operations departments.
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He specializes in studying the adequacy of a company’s Information System (IS) with its strategic objectives and works in liaison with the various operational branches as well as with the Information Systems Directorate (DSI).
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His role is to analyze the information process and strategies put to the service of the day-to-day decision-making of its company in order to evaluate its effectiveness or to make the necessary adjustments.
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Project management
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The Business Analyst is a true project manager who integrates the different needs of the company in order to formalize a number of specifications.
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He is sometimes referred to as a functional consultant, a more generic term that encompasses other consulting specialities, or more rarely as an organizational and IT researcher, a formula whose excessive length explains the rare use even if it is more accurate.
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Financial management
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The Business Analyst profession requires to be able to master all the skills related to project management, also, because of its recent popularity within financial departments that seek to adapt to economic and financial trends. He must be able to conduct studies on numerical data, and has an international profile.
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Continuous improvement
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His objective is to provide IT and organizational solutions to improve the flow of information and processes within the company.
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Skills Needed to Become a Business Analyst
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Skill 1: To become a Business analyst, you must have skills in mathematics, statistics, computer science, economics, engineering of major projects or other similar specialities. They must also have computer skills and know-how to use advanced instruments for analyzing and processing large amounts of data.
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Skills 2: A Business analyst must be able to analyze a wealth of data in highly specialized areas that are not necessarily familiar to him. He must also synthesize them, and return them in a format suitable for his superiors. He must then have excellent analytical skills, in order to master the reporting of computer software and to understand their meaning in terms of business.
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Skills 3: A business analyst must have a basic background in business or engineering, but understanding both worlds is crucial to doing this job.
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Skills 4: Communication also requires an important formalization of what the analyst has found in his research: writing presentations, explaining an analytical approach. The risk is that complexity will not be translated into terms that are understandable to all and therefore that something important to the organization is missed because of a lack of clarity.
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Skills 5: Another skill found in business analysts is that of IT. Business analysts generally have a perfect command of relational database management systems. This tool is used to work on company information and an indispensable tool for extracting encrypted information to analyze a company’s business. These databases can be Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL there are many existing databases in the market. Knowledge of SQL is often essential to carry out these functions.
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Qualities Needed to Become a Business Analyst
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Quality 1: A business analyst must have a strong analytical capacity for the company’s quantitative and qualitative data. With keen listening skills, he knows how to communicate and has an excellent relationship with everyone. It is also strongly recommended that he speak fluent English to be comfortable in a multicultural environment.
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Quality 2: A business analyst often has limited time to carry out his mission. He must, therefore, be able to reframe the exchanges when the conversation drifts. He must also inspire confidence to encourage people to speak.
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Quality 3: A business analyst must be creative in order to propose a solution that meets the needs. This can be a new idea, a combination of existing concepts, or an idea that is already existing but not formulated. Thus, he must know how to question, to dig out emerging ideas.
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Quality 4: A business analyst must be able to constantly reorganize, following external constraints. This can range from simply changing the agenda that disrupts the course of its action plan, to changing the scope of its analysis. Thus, a good business analyst must learn how to manage change.
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Quality 5: Versatility is also a quality that a business analyst must have. Indeed, the profession leads him to think both according to IT and the operational professions of the company. He also needs to interact with the various branches of the company in which he intervenes. In short, he must be able to lead meetings, to carry out and present summaries, to talk to leaders from different backgrounds.
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Business Analyst Job interview answer samples
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Why do you want to join us?
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Integrating your company is in line with my professional project and would allow me to put my dynamism and rigour to the benefit of the profitability of the group. Today I would like to make my qualifications available to a reputable institution such as yours. Trained as an International Organization Manager, and with five years of professional experience, I have an increased knowledge of risk analysis and business issues to consider.
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Why should we hire you?
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With years of experience, during which I have been able to develop my skills in development strategy and management methods as well as my analytical and synthesis mind, I am now eager to join a leading structure such as yours.
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What are your strengths?
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I have an excellent critical eye that allows me to immediately grasp the strategic scope of an innovation. A spirit of analysis and rigour are the watchwords that characterize me. I would like to have the opportunity to meet with you to explain in detail my background and my motivations.
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What does a Demand Planner do?
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