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IIBA.org How the Rise in Digital Skills Is Impacting Business Analysis | Analyst Catalyst Blog | IIBA

How the Rise in Digital Skills Is Impacting Business Analysis

 
 

By 2022, 85 percent of companies will have adopted big data analytics.1 This means that today’s workforce must quickly learn appropriate digital skills to keep up with the implementation of new digital technologies that is happening across all industries. “While an ever-changing business world is not new, what is new is how digital technologies are changing every aspect of business,” stated The Digital World Will Demand BA Skills.


Here-are-5-ways-the-increase-in-digital-skills-across-all-industries-will-affect-business-analysis-Social

 

5 Ways the Rise in Digital Skills Is Changing Business Analysis

Digital technologies are not just changing business. The skills they demand employees learn are also changing business analysis. Here’s how:

1. Business analysis is becoming more digital-focused – Most Business Analysts have a significant set of digital skills they use to meet the needs of stakeholders. However, the explosion of new digital technologies that companies are adopting requires BAs to constantly build their digital skills and apply them to their business analysis practice, making the process of business analysis more digital-focused. As a result, business analysis is becoming increasingly based on highly objective data and therefore more accurate.

2. Business analysis is becoming more advisory – In the past, Business Analysts have acted as liaison offers between businesses and their technical partners, per DVT Insights.2 “However, instead of only translating requirements to developers and solutions to business stakeholders, the business analyst role itself has transformed into advisor to stakeholders.” This indicates that business analysis is becoming more consultative, communicative, and personal than intermediary, which will only increase its effectiveness.

3. Business analysis is becoming more informed about the customer experience – Customer expectations are changing almost as quickly as digital technologies and the skills they require of employees. Because of this, Business Analysts must have a better understanding of the customer experience to meet the needs of stakeholders. This means that the practice of business analysis is becoming more inclusive of customer representatives as well as UI/UX specialists.

4. Business analysis is becoming more agile – As time to market gets shorter and shorter for businesses, business analysis is transforming into a highly agile practice. Agility has always been a component of business analysis, but with the rise of digital skills, it is becoming a core characteristic of it. As digital skills increase, the business analysis process will become more succinct. Since time is money, this will be very beneficial to stakeholders.

Read more about how to embrace agility.

5. Business analysis is merging with related fields – New digital technologies are increasing interconnectedness between individuals, systems, and fields. 5 Ways Business Analysis Will Evolve in the Next 5 Years3 stated,

“Business analysis is already blending with other disciplines…. For example, I see signs of business analysis blending with enterprise architecture (EA). EA is a discipline that strives to describe the enterprise and understand its interconnected relationships, traditionally from a techno-centric perspective.”

As digital skills expand, business analysis will become more flexible and will merge more easily with related fields.

Digital Skills are Positively Affecting the Practice of Business Analysis

Digital skills are impacting business analysis for the better. Among other changes, the rise in digital skills across all industries is making the practice of business analysis more digital-focused, consultative, informed about the customer experience, succinct, and flexible.

To help your Business Analysis career evolve to meet the rapidly changing needs in the workplace, IIBA membership provides access to the most current data and trends impacting the industry. Learn more about becoming an IIBA member.

How has the surge of new digital skills impacted your personal practice of business analysis?

 

 

References:
  1. BA Times. The future of business analysis.  

  2. DVT Insights. How will the traditional business analysis role be affected by digital transformation? 

  3. Joe Barrios.5 ways business analysis will evolve in the next 5 years.