Rory Bolus, a Business Analyst Team Leader at Allan Gray, talks about shaping the business analysis role with Rafieqah Isaacs, in business analysis: the job, the role and the career.
In your opinion, is there a threat to the business analysis role becoming redundant?
Not at all. I do however think that there will be an increase in BA specialisation, leading to business analysis becoming a more general “catch-all” term that encompasses an even wider variety of focus areas.
What would be the one thing you would change about the Business Analysis role today and why?
I would place more of an emphasis on real understanding and problem solving, than on formal techniques and processes. Too often it seems we believe that having technically correct documentation guarantees the success of our solution. If we focused on real understanding first, and ticking the boxes second, I think we would be far more effective in what we do.
What aspects of being a BA are you passionate about and why?
Solving people’s problems with elegant solutions. I love making people’s lives easier and solving problems they hadn’t even thought of yet.
How do you find the balance between Business and IT in your job?
Business analysis boils down to understanding and communication. You need to understand who you are talking to and what they need, and then communicate (to the relevant parties) what needs to be done. If you can do this effectively, then trying to ‘balance’ Business and IT becomes irrelevant. Easier said than done though …
What has been the most difficult part of your job?
Getting developers to really read my specs!
‘The Business Analysis Role with Rory Bolus‘ was first published in the 2015 Inter-View Report. Talk more about the business analysis role on Twitter with @RoryBolus and @Raf_Sunshine.
