The senior business analyst role is an important one, as it requires the individual to have most of the skills that are typically needed for a project manager. They need to be strong leaders and able to take charge of multiple projects without making mistakes. The senior business analyst is also expected to provide support and guidance in the form of advice and opinion on any decision that needs to be made, especially those that would impact a team’s success. As a business analyst, the senior business analyst is also expected to have knowledge of all the project’s details and must be able to easily communicate it to others.
Senior Business Analyst Responsibilites
The responsibilities that a Senior Business Analyst will have include:
- Communicating directly with customers or other stakeholders about what solutions are being adopted for a problem.
- Evaluating and documenting the current processes or systems being used, as well as potential solutions to any problems presented by the business.
- Assisting in the team’s planning process to ensure that all necessary resources and deliverables are in place for the project’s successful implementation.
- Participating in project creation or initiation, including implementation of the deliverable.
- Making sure that all documentation is up to date and helps to make decisions on any processes that need to be changed.
- Representing the project to customers or other stakeholders, including speaking to groups and giving presentations where necessary in order to explain the project.
- Learning the new processes, systems and technologies being implemented by your team, so that you can effectively manage projects that include new processes or technologies.
- Learning how to effectively communicate with people in a variety of ways, including written and verbal communication as well as use of web based tools such as blogs or social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.
- Providing input into the team’s quality assurance process and ensuring that the project meets all necessary standards.
- Taking responsibility for any mistakes that would impact the project, including mistakes in documentation, as well as tracking problems or issues and determining solutions to them.
Another significant role of a senior business analyst is to mentor other members of the project team so that they can be successful at their jobs. This would include providing one on one training, as well as group training where appropriate. Senior Business Analysts are sometimes also called project leaders, or business analysts that provide additional support to others.
Tools used by Successful Senior Business Analysts
The tools used by a Senior Business Analyst can vary greatly depending on the industry and project type. Some of the more common tools include:
- Spreadsheets and databases, including Microsoft Excel and Access as well as QuickBooks and SAP.
- A project management system like Microsoft Project or other time tracking software systems like MindJet scheduling software that records tasks performed by team members on projects.
- Web applications like SharePoint portals or Collaboration software, or web based applications like Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM or SalesForce.
- Microsoft Word for creating business proposals and other documents.
- Adobe products for designing graphics and presentation slides for presentations.
- Blogs and other Internet tools to communicate with people outside of the company, as well as use of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to communicate with the broader community on projects that you are working on.
- Microsoft PowerPoint for creating presentations that tell a story about what you are team is doing.
- Project management software for tracking tasks and others related to project creation, implementation, and execution.
Senior business analysts are sometimes seen as leaders in a business unit due to their role as the primary decision maker on projects. They often make key decisions on how to move on projects forward and what type of work needs to be done in order to meet deadlines or get a project done.
Senior business analysts typically have extensive knowledge of all the processes that are used by the company and can be used to make decisions on processes. They also have a good understanding of the importance of documentation to their teams and the work that needs to be done in order for the project to be successful.
Senior business analysts should ensure that all documentation is up to date on a regular basis, especially if it is related to new processes or technologies being implemented or used on projects.
In order to ensure that documentation is up to date, senior business analysts have to find time to update key components as well as review other documentation that has been modified. In order to ensure their efforts are successful, they have to have a solid understanding of the changes being made and be able to communicate them in a clear way so others may understand them.
Senior business analysts should also be learning new technologies, processes, and systems on a regular basis so they can make educated decisions on what is best for their teams needs when working on projects. They should ensure their teams are learning these new processes before implementing them on projects.
Senior business analysts should also be working on creating and updating documents that explain the work of the project to others, including potential customers or other stakeholders. This means they should be very good at writing and speaking, which may lead others to give them more responsibility in other departments as they are able to communicate what they do well.
Senior business analysts should also be taking responsibility for any mistakes made by themselves or their teams so that it does not impact their reputation or that of their managers.
Senior Business Analyst Salary
Salary depends on the scope of work and the country they are working in. References from Glassdoor; Senior business analysts can make $100,000 per year to $300,000 per year. As a starting salary, they can start at $30,000 to $45,000 per year to more than $100,000 plus with the right skills and experience needed to be considered a senior business analyst role.