Sixteen business analysis, project delivery and change management professionals from across the globe try and predict the future world for business analysis consulting.
What does the future hold for business analysis, project delivery and change management?
Based on what’s happening in the world around us, the Inter-View community peered into their crystal ball to make well-informed predictions that will matter in 2018.
There are some interesting forecasts, with six clear industry threads standing out:
- Strategic pursuit of business retention through challenging economic times
- Focus on all-round customer experience driven through digital initiatives
- Imperative to aggregate data towards determining key insights and trends
- Firmer regulations that protect consumer information and confidentiality
- Better understanding business analysis value and uptake of the profession
- Greater creative competency in a world calling for automation and innovation
Here are the 16 predictions for the future-world for business consulting:
#1 – Angie Culverwell, ZIMBABWE
The country’s economic impact on business will be a key issue, therefore the focus will be on the need to find methods of keeping the business afloat.
#2 – Anton Oosthuizen, United Arab Emirates
With difficult economic times ahead for most industries, rather than relying on new business, the CEO’s focus will be more on business retention than ever before.
3# – Brad McMahon, Australia
As companies realise digital is the future, the customer will be the focus. Business analysis and customer experience tools and techniques will become more tightly aligned.
#4 – Christina Lovelock, United Kingdom
An increase in entry-level business analyst roles, including graduate schemes and apprentices, which will eventually lead to more business analysis manager roles and head of business analysis roles.
#5 – David Munene Gakuru, Kenya
Business’ main concern will be the nature of data, especially data veracity and how to effectively aggregate the information so as to be to provide insights and trends.
#6 – Debra Urban, United States Of America
Business Analysis will continue to be fleshed out and properly defined, as there are currently many discrepancies regarding what a business analyst does and should do.
#7 – Desiree Purvis, New Zealand
Cyber security will lead to more demand for people with the right skills and knowledge to counter attacks, a non-functional requirement that can no longer be glossed over.
#8 – Dima Yakoub, Syrian Arab Republic
Organisations will better focus on the right approaches, techniques, skills and technologies to achieve business objectives at all levels and align them to their strategic goals.
#9 – Franzelle de Klerk, Namibia
Agile, and how to implement it. And not simply in terms of delivering software projects, but in how to run the business using agile and lean principles.
#10 – Jang Man, Slovenia
Business will continue to focus on pursuing economic growth, at the expense of customer satisfaction, human relationships in the workplace and appropriate pay for the workforce.
#11 – Lerato Mphaka, Lesotho
With modern-day solution inter-operability comes the inherent challenges of data security, as regulators become more stringent with laws protecting client data.
#12 – Mangesh Mulpuri, India
Business growth will begin to slow down, for some time to come, and many start-ups which develop new and creative ideas that shape of the IT world will emerge.
#13 – Mthokozisi Malindzisa, Swaziland
More companies will turn to business process automation to help improve and transform efficiency within the organisation.
#14 – Samuel Arabome, Nigeria
Data (through modelling, simulation and other analytical skills) will be leveraged to generate predictive insights for current and future business trends.
#15 – Shaun Shenfield, Canada
IT management will become more cautious when engaging a solution by seeking detailed estimates, and are willing to take the time and spend the money to get them.
#16 – Videsh Maharaj, South Africa
Greater demand will be placed in business analysts having the ability to prototype functional requirements and step into the role as a usability specialist.
Please tell us what you think, by posting your insights and predictions on the future of business analysis, project delivery and change management in the comments section below.
Predicting The Future World For Business Consulting was first published in the Inter-View Report 2017.
