MY WORK AS A BUSINESS ANALYST
For the longest part of my teenage years and early twenties I grew up hating computers. I saw it as the chosen career by my contemporaries and I always had a bias against “following the herd”. But I have come a long way since those early days of losing my homework because I forgot to save, to now, where I dream of opening a “geek squad” for senior citizens back in my hometown of Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India.
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In this period, and now counting 17 years (since 2010), I have worked and enjoyed working as a Business Analyst/Program Manager.
I knew early on, even after getting my MBA that number crunching wasn’t my calling. Neither was hard-core development. I believe I have found my niche working with users and showing them how to use technology efficiently and effectively. In case you were wondering, that’s what a Business Analyst does- acts as a bridge between non-technically minded business users and solely technical-jargon speaking developers. It’s the best of both worlds.
Below are some BA specific links for those interested in a BA career. If you need further mentoring, please feel free to contact me.
BA training:
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The site promises and I am sure delivers on her slogan “We’ll Help You Start Your Business Analyst Career.”
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This is also a great all comprehensive resourceful site.
BA certification:
There are 4 levels of certification offered and is the most renowned in the industry.
BA LinkedIn groups:
These are some key LinkedIn groups to join to participate in conversations related to jobs, salaries, learnings, new technologies and techniques etc.
BA general resources:
I will recommend this one website which I trust and is very active as well as comprehensive. They also conduct many free webinars.
USEFUL BOOKS
Written by pioneering consultants and bestselling authors with track records of international success, The Decision Model: A Business Logic Framework Linking Business and Technology provides a platform for rethinking how to view, design, execute, and govern business logic.
User story mapping is a valuable tool for software development, once you understand why and how to use it. This insightful book examines how this often misunderstood technique can help your team stay focused on users and their needs without getting lost in the enthusiasm for individual product features.
Analyze and manage each of the two major kinds of business rules. Analyze and define business concepts, model business vocabulary, and create a concept model.
Make business processes smart and agile.
Thinking in Systems, is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. Edited by the Sustainability Institute’s Diana Wright, this essential primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world, showing readers how to develop the systems-thinking skills that thought leaders across the globe consider critical for 21st-century life.
Books by Alistair Cockburn
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Just a few of his titles.
Click below to see more.