1. What is your talk/session about at this year’s conference?
Session Title: Growing Your Own BA's: Everything You Need to Know
Many of us found business analysis by accident. This is not a sustainable talent pipeline for such a vital profession!
In this session, a panel will provide different perspectives on creating BA career paths and development programmes. There is never a ‘good time’ to start developing your own business analysts and creating entry-level opportunities… you just have to start!
Audience members will have the opportunity to propose questions, hopes and fears to the panel and learn from their insights and experiences.
Early career BAs and BA leaders are encouraged to attend, we need everyone to understand the wide range of benefits for your organisation and be able to advocate for better routes into business analysis.
2. What is one thing you think young BAs can take away from this?
For those passionate about the BA role, its pivotal to dedicate time to ensuring the next generation of BAs continue to benefit organisations through a continuous conveyor belt of new talent. If this isn’t a priority for BA teams and their organisations, BAs will continue having to justify the countless benefits they bring.
Do developers have to justify their significance in every project? Do testers? BAs need to be valued and a key takeaway will be ideas on how to implement this to your organisation from others experience doing just that.
3. What’s one piece of advice you’d give young BAs about their career?
Never underestimate the power of strong stakeholder engagement. In my opinion the BA role is centred around an ability to build great working relationships with stakeholders at all levels in order to achieve our goals.
Spending time perfecting stakeholder engagement techniques best suited to you and a range of scenarios is vital to being a successful BA!
Always show willingness and intrigue. Always ask the question, you never know what it may unearth!
4. If you had to describe what being a BA feels like in 3 words, what would they be?
Intriguing, troubleshooter, intermediary
5. Please tell us your name, what you do and how long you’ve been in your profession for.
I'm Lauren Howes, Business Analyst Team Lead at Transport for London, recently been promoted in the last couple of months but have been a Business Analyst for 7 years.