Should BA be working in one particular domain for long or Keep shifting to be more marketable?
I have been analyzing/observing the trends/expectations of many and varied IT companies in India specifically for Business Analysts. I could see very clearly that organizations emphasize on domain knowledge or a prior experience of a particular domain, say Mortgage Industry or CPG or Insurance sector or Retail.
While I was attending one of the seminars by Glen R Brule, IIBA Vice President of Chapters, it was mentioned very clearly that BA’s are expected to work across domain(s). The core work, right from Requirement Elicitation to Requirement Communication (including all phases of a Project Life Cycle) remains the same irrespective of any domain. I do understand that there are requirements emerging from client side that are specific to core business domain, but they should also take care of the BA competencies that an individual has developed over a period of time. The amount of knowledge, client interaction experience, eye for details, documentation capabilities, a knack for problem solving and various other skill sets make them qualify as a BA.
To my mind, a BA is someone, who is an expert in knowing how to ask the right questions in any situation and with any product / domain and is able to drill down with probing questions to get an understanding of the detail, i.e. a BA can adapt. It is not necessary that in every organization’s umbrella there happens to be specialties in Manufacturing, Aerospace & Defense, Financial Services, Telecom, Retail & CPG, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Media & Entertainment and so on.
At times, if you continue getting opportunities in one domain, you keep learning over years. But the moment you decide to step out and find that the specialties/specific domain that you have worked on is not present on the other side that is when you have to prove. You get a chance to add another learning curve. If I see myself as a BA, then it should always be a conscious choice not to become a specialist.
A good BA will study the existing processes to understand pain points and inefficiencies and that is the value of the BA. This scenario will arise if you are in the service sector. But in a product company, you would rarely want to change your domain. When you are able to know the entire life cycle of a domain, you are marketable yourself. There is no need to change domains.
Learning how to interrogate the customer to discern between musts and wants, drive down to the core issues the customer needs to solve (using software or updated processes) and translating these to an IT project team so that it is successfully delivered is a specialized field unto itself. A BA has much opportunity to explore, because BA is technology independent. The only profile who has got enough freedom to explore many domains is a BA. Ultimately it is all about how you want to shape up your career.
well written mam!!i totally agree with you here as BAs are definitely creative and have a wider and broader mindset. They are not just confined to the bookish knowledge and can have the capability to explore wider domains and think from different aspects. They need to be shifted to enhance their skills be it technical or conceptual and that would definitely prove to be beneficial in the long term
As rightly said by you, BA shouldn’t be restricted to one specific domain. Example: If I’ve been working in the telecom domain of “XYZ” company from the last 4 years and later decide to switch to another company, I shall face trouble, because the new company might require a BA in some other domain. Therefore, it is imperative for a BA to work in as many domains as he can. This is important from your career growth.
But, there is a twist in the tale; The customer often expects the BA to be a subject matter expert, which can be obtained only after giving good 2-3 years to one domain.
The choice is yours – Make your customer happy or Make yourself happy!
Nicely written! I agree that a BA (infact this stands for all professionals) should change domains over a period of time.
But care must me taken that you don’t become a “jack of all, master of none”. One must master a domain and then move on. This will have 2 benefits. One, you would have enough visibility in your primary domain as to fetch you more and more work at a good remuneration. Second, there will always be a fall-back domain available in case you don’t like working in some other.
Good insight. Being a BA myself, i have wondered many times whether i should stick to one domain or switch domains. While it is true that a BA remains BA to whichever domain he goes, one may need to ’specialise’ to progress as SME, solutions consultant etc. It is a rare case where a private banking chief is invited to lead an IT company. Often Murthys outnumber kamats
Great article there, Priyanka!
The only question I had in mind was raised by Vinod
Marketability is a short term prospect, being an SME is a long term one. Your thoughts?
Hi priyanka, Nice article.Got some ideas about the roles of a good BA
Good question asked Abhinandan. In the context of the topic chosen, the connotation behind using the word Marketability is “getting accepted” at newer workplaces/Org. The time duration attached to “marketability” such as a short term or a long term goal is completely your call/choice.
The very thought of not being accepted when you decide to step out in the world intrigues questions inside you. You become a ‘self critique’ and ask yourself, why am I lagging behind as compared to anyone else? Why am I not getting suitable opportunities as others? Does the new opportunity demand knowledge of a particular domain or they ask for advanced skill sets? That is when you have to prepare to “sell” yourself. When the world does not have any consideration for what you cannot showcase during limited time, you have to constantly prepare yourself.
That is the reason why I wrote the last few lines, “A BA has much opportunity to explore, because BA is technology independent. The only profile who has got enough freedom to explore many domains is a BA. Ultimately it is all about how you want to shape up your career.”
I hope this answers your query. Please let me know if you have any further questions.
regards,
Priyanka
very nice article Priyanka, good insight
Nice Article Priyanka.
if everywhere Domain Specific ppl will require then what abt the new ppl. initially struggle will be there but just imagine the satisfaction of getting new knowledge and adding more experience in different domains.
Working on same domain leads to monotonous life which directly affects your efficiency.