Top 7 Career Challenges of a Business Analyst

Aiming for a business analyst (BA) career is something many people have set as a goal. Yet, being a business analyst requires a good set of skills, both technical and social. This is because business analysts have an essential role in the growth of any business. Technology is developing tremendously and new software products, trends or apps appear on the market. Those who want not to fall behind the trends and be one step ahead of them need a business analyst.

But however dreamy this job might sound, it comes with challenges and pitfalls. Yet, the challenges faced by the business analyst can be overcome by informing more on these.

General Overview of Business Analyst Career

How to be an analyst is something many people ask themselves. Yet, many of them confuse business with data analysts, and the differences are important. A business analyst’s job is to take a step back and analyze the processes within the business to make them more efficient. Business analysts are mainly working with people that are part of the management and stakeholders, to help them make teams more productive, reduce costs, and identify business opportunities.

Business Analyst Challenges

Many ask themselves if being a business analyst is hard or a difficult job. Just like any job, being a business analyst comes with ups and downs, with advantages and challenges. As the business analyst demand is continuously growing, more and more people feel that a career as a business analyst fits them the most. So, let’s delve into the top 7 career challenges of a business analyst.

1. Demand on the Market

Gaining a job in the field of business analysis might be a real challenge at the beginning. But if you manage to get your first job after you graduate as an entry-level business analyst, many doors have opened. There is a business analyst demand that is continuously growing, but many of the open positions look for specialized business analysts.

Challenge: You need to stay competitive on the market. So going to courses and training to gain more experience and know-how in a specific part will be one of the business analyst challenges. Saving the time to do this will be a challenge itself, but not one you can’t overcome with good planning and motivation.

2. Working from Home

The global pandemic has changed the way people live and work. And to ensure that the employees stay safe and away from the virus, many companies have shifted to online work. If you are a work from home business analyst, you have probably noticed that it might be more difficult to do your job. As a business analyst, you rely heavily on communication, and the most effective form of it is face-to-face communication. And as other teams are also working from home, some employees might fall behind their tasks.

Challenge: Working from home is a challenge itself, which makes it challenging to find your productivity and efficiency. How to face this challenge? By noticing when team members are falling behind deadlines and trying to identify if this is happening recurrently. On top of this, you should know yourself how to organize your working space to nurture productivity, so that you can share these tips and tricks with those who need them.

3. Differences in Working Styles

Business analysts do not work solely with one team, but with multiple ones. They make the connection between teams and stakeholders and have the responsibility of defining the scope and objectives. Each of us has its own perspective and working style and a BA needs to adapt to all of these.

Challenge: Working style difference can easily be overcome if you allow yourself to clarify and set goals along with the teams, and then clearly express these to stakeholders. Even though it may sound easy, all these activities contribute to a business analyst growth and improvement.

4. Solving Conflicts

Business analysts are working with many people at the same time and one of the key responsibilities is to maintain the peace between different views and groups. If you have wondered “Is business analytics hard?”, some business analysts might answer yes solely for this reason.

Challenge: There are projects where teams or stakeholders do not agree with each other’s views and goals and have a difficult time collaborating. It is therefore important for a business analyst to help stakeholders keep problems separate and not mix things. At the same time, it is essential to state the importance of collaborating towards achieving success.

5. Expanding Your Skills

Depending on your business analyst career goals, you define some actions you want to do. It is an essential part of everyone’s job to aim to improve and expand their skills.

Challenge: A business analyst career growth relied heavily on expanding both social and technical skills. This is one of the challenges for business analyst, as these skills are essential for your job. Expanding your skills in a balanced way is the real challenge because you need to improve your communication, problem-solving, time and project management, or conflict solving, but your knowledge about the business or its needs too.

6. Technology Issues

One of the challenges faced by business analyst is one of the appropriate technological solutions. While business analysts identify the needs of the business and propose solutions, some stakeholders might focus on the differences between these solutions.

Challenge: While some proposed solutions might seem the best one, the teams experience technical limitations or constraints that force them to look for an alternative. Some people might focus solely on this and as a business analyst, it’s important to point out the effort the whole team is putting into this project. At the same time, help stakeholders understand that some plans cannot be done as set up previously because there are technical limitations.

7. Collaboration and Communication

Many people who want to pursue a business analyst career or are currently developing in this field probably know that it is one of the jobs that rely heavily on communication and collaboration. Being a business analyst might seem like a lone job, but in fact, it is a team one.

Challenge: Business analysts collaborate and communicate with stakeholders, superior management, and team members. Take the time and space to analyze all the possibilities, brainstorm for alternative solutions, compare notes and observations, and learn from the others. It might be the key to a successful career in this domain.

Final Words

Pursuing a business analyst career comes with many challenges, but with rewards too. As a business analyst, you work with different groups of people at the same time and need to ensure that everything is going according to the previously set goals and plans. However, sometimes technical issues and limitations can cause conflicts and misunderstandings, so you need to develop both your technical and social skills.

Communication and collaboration are essential to a career as a business analyst as they can also help you adapt to different working styles and support stakeholders and the entire business to be more efficient. Have you found this article helpful? Then share it with your network and sign up for our newsletter for more awesome stories and information.