Business Analysis roles were ubiquitous in the 1990s when big projects, such as enterprise resource planning Initiatives, required the critical thinking only business analysts could provide. But as businesses began moving at a faster pace, BA’s fell relatively to the backstage.

However, factors such as the economic downturn and regulatory compliance have forced companies to tighten their girdles, and think through business problems and their solutions, and of course…the way out was, and is business analysis.

Organizations are keen on having solid teams of world-class professionals who are competent enough to work towards achieving set goals. These organizations are not ready to throw away money on enterprise initiatives…or take risks and deploying solutions without careful thought and planning.

They are now banking on the skill sets of thoroughbred Business Analysts, among other management professional.

Even right here in our Nigeria… we are witnessing a great surge in the organizational adoption of Business Analysis from the IIBA’s framework. The recent recruitment exercise undertaken by the Central Bank of Nigeria serves a good reference point. Recruitments for IT Strategy & Innovation, Business Relationship Management and IT Business Partners had CCBA or CBAP certification as part requirements. This is just a glimpse of the bigger picture as other organizations are in tow.

Kathleen Barret, President of the International Institute for Business Analysis (IIBA) says the discipline is a phoenix rising.

The IIBA describes the job of a BA as a “liaison among stakeholders in order to elicit analyze, communicate, and validate requirements for changes to business processes, policies, and information systems”. People in the IT career are good candidates for BA jobs because they have a broad perspective of a company’s business, says Barret.

There are three types of BAs: enterprise BAs who identify opportunities for business change and define the work to be done; transition BAs who fine-tune plans; and project BAs who work on project teams that implement the changes. Annual salaries average around $80,000 (about N1, 200,000) with enterprise and transition analysts earning more.

Business analysis involves very complex and sophisticated thinking patterns and advanced communication. A successful Business Analyst (BA) is the rare individual who can combine technical knowledge, business acumen, analytical skill and communication skills while being able to see problems from both a strategic and detailed perspective. Excellent BAs bring value to their organizations by understanding true business opportunities, making realistic recommendations, and facilitating the successful implementation of these solutions.