Five Must-Read Books For Business Analysts

Business analysis is a rapidly growing sector, with BA Times estimating that business analyst job openings will increase to around 2,700,000 in the United States by the end of 2020. Thus, more organizations than ever before are recognizing the value of codifying business needs and solutions within the framework of a research discipline. This makes business analysis a valuable career option and anyone with an IT or business background can effectively transition into analysis. These books introduce business analysis for those looking at a career change, as well as offering in-depth exploration of current methodologies. By providing a contemporary and professional overview of business analysis the books herein offer great value both to veteran analysts and those new to the discipline.

1) A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK Guide)

BABOK Guide is the international standard for the practice of business analyses and this must read guide will bolster your analysis skills. The vast majority of the work that business analysts undertake is covered in the guide, and it has been updated a number of times over the years, remaining up to date as the current standard for analysts.

Every perspective that an analyst may take is covered in the book: agile, business intelligence, information technology, business architecture and business process management are explored in full. Business tasks are organized into six knowledge areas providing the guide with an accessible structure, and one that is easily referenced. Chapters on business analysis, key concepts, knowledge areas, underlying competencies and a thorough exploration of over 50 techniques of business analysis provide a thorough overview of contemporary analysis.

2) Agile and Business Analysis, by Debra Paul and Lynda Girvan

Subtitled Practical Guidance For IT Professionals, this guide offers a thorough introduction to agile techniques. Whilst some argue that business analysis has always been agile, an emerging dialogue has been placing increased emphasis on this element of business analysis and business analysts must now be familiar with an agile framework. Girvan and Paul’s clear guide is a fantastic place to start.

Agile analysis has a number of benefits from improved stakeholder engagement, increased responsiveness to customer needs and a clear vision for the measurement of success. Agile methodologies are exceptionally valuable for business analysts – by placing agile analysis firmly in the context of business decision making and analysis, this book builds a practical guide for the application of agile for IT professionals.

3) Business Analysis Agility: Solve the Real Problem, Deliver the Real Value, by James Robertson and Suzanne Robertson

Robertson & Robertson focus on how businesses can use agile analysis to get to the heart of customer problems and begin to offer solutions of real value. This framework is a recipe for success in competitive markets as organizations begin to offer customers peak value in response to the challenges they are facing.

Business Analysis Agility is built on the years of experience its authors have developed working in the industry and it is well structured to enable any business analysis to follow its points. Chapters focusing on uncovering the problems that customers are facing and understanding how to optimize customer experience in the process of solving these problems are especially valuable as evidence of business analysis working in the real world. The framework provided by the authors for using stories and narratives to drive towards customer solutions is practical and accessible.

4) How to Start a Business Analyst Career by Laura Brandenburg

As a consultant and blogger, Brandenburg has been working in the analyst industry for years and her writing has enabled many individuals to discover business analysis as a new career path. Drawing from her own transition from the editing and publishing industry into business analysis, this is a guide to help start your journey into business analysis.

Brandenburg has created a detailed guide about how to approach a business analyst career in a structured and straightforward fashion. She makes it clear that there is no single traditional trajectory for business analysts – whilst junior-level analyst roles are rare and highly competitive, individuals often make moves into mid-tier analyst jobs from other areas. This makes a business analyst career a reasonable prospect for many people in a wide range of industries.

5) Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis by Jamie Champagne

Champagne’s seven steps creates an accessible breakdown for anyone pursuing a career in business analysis and this book will be of particular value to those that are new to the analysis industry. The role business analysts play, the value that business analysts bring to organizations and the key skills required of business analysts are covered in depth, but what makes Seven Steps exceptionally valuable to those new to the discipline is how real-world scenarios are used as an educational tool. Champagne demonstrates how business analysis can be used in working contexts, and the value that analysis brings to business decision making is demonstrated time and again within the text.

Business Analysis Is Booming
Many business analysts find themselves drawn to the role after getting started in other areas of business. Familiarizing yourself with business analysis can give you the skills you need for a lucrative career change, or to understand how you can better optimize your business processes. These must-read books will provide you with insight into the role of business analysts and offer you options for your future career.

Author: Katherine Rundell is a business writer at UKWritings and College Paper Writing Service. She has over fifteen years of experience in delivering IT solutions to organizations and has been at the cutting edge of business analysis research for the last five years. She is also a manager at Do My Essay writing service.