by Business Analysis (BAPL),
You’ve probably have seen a similar blog from popular sport figures, influential entrepreneurs or even politicians. I thought to myself, why not do one for a Business Analysis Consultant!
A day in the life of a Business Analysis Consultant is changing from one day to the next. There’s never a dull moment, it certainly keeps you on your toes.
This blog will highlight what we usually do throughout the day!
I’m usually starting my day by doing a little reading on my way into work (for those days in either the BAPL or Client office). I use this time to not only catch up on articles and news, but also read BAPL emails and review materials in BAPL’s BA CoE. I use this time to get in touch with my BAPL Service Delivery Manager for any questions or any updates about my engagement.
I start off with reviewing the sprint board in preparation for our daily stand up meetings with our development team. This is where we talk about what everyone is doing today, what they did yesterday and where I can help clearing up any blockers for the development team.
The internal project Team then participate in our second daily stand up with our internal stakeholders. I provide any key updates from the vendor project team and we discuss any BAU issues. We also talk about what will be our team goals for that day and the different task that we need to do to accomplish it.
After daily stand ups, we usually have meetings (yes, I know, more meetings I hear you say, but this is essential in keeping the ship sailing smoothly), to discuss requirements, testing plans or any other topics that would help our development team to achieve their goals.
Once the morning meetings are done, I take some time to read my emails and review the sprint board. Usually, the development team have some updates or questions that will need some clarifications.
Next up, probably the most important time of the day, lunch time (my team has ever so kindly pointed out I can tend to get a little ‘hangry’ – hence why lunch is very important!) For office days we usually head on down to our favourite lunch spot for some Japanese ramen!!
After lunch, I tend to do some preparation for our afternoon meetings. This means doing some reading and research, data gathering and preparing materials to ensure our meeting goes smoothly. This might include modelling activities to build context and understanding. I refer to BAPL’s BACoE for any information about any techniques I use during this engagement. I also read the forum in the CoE for any insights from other consultants.
Our afternoon meetings are usually with stakeholders discussing our suggestions and ideas for the solution we’re developing. I record all the key decisions and actions in the meeting and send a summary to our stakeholders to ensure everyone is on the same boat. As a BA, it’s vital we are engaging and seeking feedback from our stakeholders to ensure the actions and decisions we are taking are in line with our clients expectations and required outcomes.
I also start creating or updating our user stories based on the outcomes of the meeting. This will also give me some time to review the state of the sprint board and check the progress of the team’s tasks.
On other days, we also do some testing for the items that has been completed by our development team earlier that day. Our Project SME’s can vouch for me here, there is a lot of testing to be done!
Before I finish up, I send an end of day update email to the project team and (every Friday) send a status update to my Service Delivery Manager at BAPL.
Usually (though not always) at around 5pm, its home time! I use my commute or any spare mental capacity to focus on industry trends and changes in the BA space. It is always important to keep your skills up to date. Luckily, at BAPL we also run professional development sessions and have multiple courses available at our fingertips.
It’s a full-on day with lots of challenges and learnings along the way. It’s rewarding to know that we’re working on products and systems that will improve the customer and staff experience for our clients.