3. Mindset for Effective Business Analysis
3.4 Foundational Competencies
The Business Analysis Standard
The more individuals are proficient in a competency, the more they can apply it in the right context—and the more they are able to create the desired value.
Foundational competencies are the basic skills, abilities, and characteristics necessary to perform effective business analysis. Business analysis professionals should also leverage the underlying competencies to build upon that foundation, evolving their skills and understanding to be able to adapt to any initiative.
Underlying competencies are applied in many contexts and on different types of initiatives:
- Process redesign
- Business architecture
- Technology solutions implementations
- Digital transformation initiatives
- Data warehousing initiatives
- Cybersecurity initiatives
- Business data analytics
- Product ownership analysis-related work
Ongoing stakeholder engagement is necessary for building a shared understanding of the change effort, the value to be discovered, and the actual work to drive the change. The following five competencies were identified by the global community as important for any type of initiative and should be developed by all business analysis professionals:
Adaptability |
Adjusting behavioural style to increase effectiveness |
Facilitation |
Facilitating workshops, negotiating, and helping resolve conflicts |
Leadership and Influencing |
Building consensus, recommending solutions, and guiding stakeholders to the desired value |
Problem Solving |
Ensuring that created value addresses the root cause of problems |
Systems Thinking |
Holistically understanding the enterprise and context to maximize the value delivered |
