What is a Business Analyst? Find Skills and Career Path in 2025

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for management analysts, including business analysts, is projected to grow by 11% from 2029 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations. This highlights the increasing recognition of the value provided by business analysts in improving organizational efficiency. Let us understand what is a business analyst and how to start a career as one.

What is a Business Analyst?

Business analysts are the professionals who guide businesses to improve processes, products, services as well as software through data and business analysis. They need to work in collaboration with IT and business teams to help bridge the gaps and improve work efficiency. A business analyst conducts business analysis at four levels, which include -

1. Strategic Planning – Evaluation of strategic activities of the company.
2. Business / Operation Model Analysis – Identification and evaluation of business policies and procedures.
3. Process Definition & Design – Business process modeling, which is usually the outcome of process design and modeling.
4. IT & Technology Business Analysis- Assessing technologies, process and organization's structure to define solutions for achieving organizational goals. 

What Is The Role of a Business Analyst?

Business analyst job responsibilities mainly include helping businesses implement technology solutions in the most cost-efficient manner. This is achieved by determining the project requirements and communicating them to stakeholders, facilitators and partners in a clear and concise manner. Business Analyst roles and responsibilities include –

1. To develop the business case, while defining and documenting customer business functions and processes.
2. To ensure that the system design is perfect as per the needs of the users.
3. To help in developing a comprehensive change in management strategy for the court.
4. To assist technically in training and coaching professional and technical staff.
5. To develop a training curriculum and conduct formal training sessions covering assigned systems module. 
6. To interact with wide-ranging stakeholders to get the necessary information, engagement and involvement to move a project forward. 
7. To define the capabilities of the final product or service.
8. To conduct user acceptance testing.
9. To provide plausible solutions to business problems

What does a Business Analyst do?

Business Analysts bridges the gap between management and technology. The insights gained through analysis of data helps organizations set future goals, measure success and failure. Business Analytics is a scientific process, which requires technical expertise in evaluating data and business acumen to derive information, which can be used in formulating business strategy.

With the help of Data Analytics tools such as SAS, SQL, Python, etc., a business analyst studies the given data, explores patterns, relations and consequences and present the insights to stakeholders in the form of report or visualization recommending best practices to be adopted for the benefit of the business.

Also Read - What is data analysis?

A business analyst’s major responsibilities include customer analytics, business analytics, predictive analytics, regression analysis, marketing performance measurement and management, mathematical optimization, talent management, performance management and simulation.

People who learn Business Analytics Courses are also interested in taking up courses & certifications like:

1. Data Science and Analytics Courses
2. Tableau Courses
3. Data Science Courses
4. SAP Bi Courses
5. Qlikview Courses
6. Financial modelling Courses
7. Machine Learning Courses
8. Analytics Statistics Tools Courses
9. Data Visualization Courses

What Does A Day In The Life Of A Business Analyst Look Like?

A normal day in the life of a Business Analyst usually includes evaluating data, sharing insights with stakeholders and drawing up a strategy. Some of the daily responsibilities of a business analyst includes:

1. Understanding the business requirement
2. Evaluating data requirement
3. Data collection and analysis
4. Collecting information
5. Make presentation in front of the stakeholders
6. Monitor deployment of the new process
7. Take responsibility for project tasks and ensure they are timely completed
8. Design and run A/B test procedures to extract data from test runs
9. Evaluate and draw conclusions from data related to customer behavior

Must Read - Business Analyst Roles and Responsibilities: JD, Skills, Salary

Who Can Become A Business Analyst?

Fresh MBA Graduates 

If you are a fresh MBA graduate and want to become a business analyst, you can easily get opportunities if you have the skills and are certified.

MBA Students

Nowadays many organisations like to hire fresh MBA graduates as business analysts, but the competition is usually high. Therefore, students prefer to do certification courses in order to improve their chances of getting a business analyst profile.

Software Engineers/Developers, IT Analysts/Testers

Every software engineers/developers and IT analysts/testers are well-versed with programming languages, increasing the competition between them and makes it difficult to get good hikes. These professionals with skills in business analysis can go for a business analyst profile and earn better packages. Career growth in business analysis profile is also very high if professionals can learn the tools and techniques in the field.

Data Analysts

Data analysts who are certified can easily go for a business analyst profile as the average salary of business analyst is better than data analyst and there is also more flexibility in the role.

Sales Professionals

Sales professionals want to move to a business analyst profile as it provides good career growth and a move away from hectic sales numbers or targets.

Related - Difference Between Data Analyst And Business Analyst

What is the Eligibility Criteria for a Business Analyst profile?

There are no fixed eligibility criteria to become a business analyst. However, it is preferable to have skills in MS Excel, data modelling and documentation. Most of the business analyst professionals are from IT background, have an MBA degree or are certified in one of the prominent business analyst certifications.  

How do I become a Business Analyst? What courses are required to become a Business Analyst?

You must possess a bachelor's degree or preferably a master's degree in business administration, management, accounting, marketing, economics, statistics, computer or information science. Apart from this Business Analyst eligibility, you should also have the ability to use basic office tools such as Word, MS Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Visio, a common visual modeling tool.

Business Analyst Key Skills 

Here are some of the critical business and soft-skills required to succeed as a business analyst.

1. Knowledge of diagramming, data crunching, wireframing, computer programming, big data mining techniques, database management, and systems engineering.
2. Working knowledge of R for statistical analysis, and Python for general programming. 
3. Knowledge of statistical software such as SPSS, SAS, Sage and Mathematica.
4. Excellent command over Microsoft Excel. 
5. Curiosity and drive to continue learning.
6. Logical thinking.
7. Ability to assess risks and prioritize competing business demands.
8. Predictive analytics and statistics for making recommendations.
9. Critical thinking.
10. Ability to translate and visualize data concisely and accurately
11. Detail-oriented.
12. Futuristic approach.
13. Structured thinking.
14. Proficient in MS Office Suite, viz. MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, MS Visio, and MS Word.
15. Good data analysis and data modelling skills, including practical knowledge in SQL and related data manipulation languages
16. Knowledge in data visualisation and business intelligence tools like Tableau, QlikView, Power BI, and SAP BI.

How to Become a Business Analyst?

Here is how you can become a Business Analytics professional.

No Prior Knowledge

1. Gain experience in a volunteer role with a small company or take up any summer internship.
2. Go through BABOK reference book to understand business analysis tools and techniques.
3. Develop strong communication, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
4. Improve your networking with other business analysts.
5. Learn about documentation, data and problem analysis, visual modeling and elicitation.
6. Join a Business Analysis training institute.

Basic Knowledge

1. Learn software methodologies like SDLC Model, Component Assembly Model, Prototype Model, JAD Model, RAD Model, Spiral Model, Scrum, etc.
2. Work on your analytical skills to ensure problem identification in business, software and information.
3. Opt for a hands-on experience in any Business Analytics organization.
4. Take up any professional BA course and acquire the advanced skills.           

Intermediate Knowledge

1. Develop your technical skill sets, learn about Scripting Languages, Querying Languages, Spreadsheet, Statistical Language, Programming and Big Data tools Take up any graduate certification in business analytics and learn business data analytics, operations research, project management, database analytics, and predictive analytics.
2. Learn Unified Modelling Languages, Global Business Analysis Phases, Software Testing, among others.
3. Learn to writing compelling business cases and requirements documents.

Advanced Knowledge

1. Take up certifications like Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP), Certified Business Analysis Thought Leads (CBATL) or Certified Business Analysis Thought Leader (CBATL).
2. Learn to perform market research and competition analysis, and prepare reports.
3. Develop project management and people management skills.
4. Take up Advanced Business Analytics Specialization.
5. Work on your decision making and problem solving skills.
6. Improve your communication skills and core skills.
7. Follow various Business Analytics blogs and communities.

What Are The Career Outcomes After a Business Analyst Certification? 

Getting a business analyst certification can propel your career into new dimensions. With the right skillsets and experience, you can expect the following career developments in your career journey:  

1. Senior Business Analyst
2. Project/Business Managers
3. Business Process Architects
4. Product Head/Owner

What is the average salary of a Business Analyst? 

The average salary of a professional having 0-3 years of experience is around 4 Lacs per annum, while a Business Analyst with more than 3 years of experience earns an average of about 7 Lacs per annum. With experience and certification, the average salary also increases. The average salary can go more than 16 Lacs per annum for someone with more than 10 years of experience. 

Must Read - Business Analyst Salary Basis Experience, Industry, Company

Why Should You Choose a Business Analyst Course?

Taking up a business analyst course or business analyst certification will improve your employability and will also help you to learn new skills. Here are some of the reasons why should you take up any business analyst training:

1. Applicability of business analytics across different industries.
2. Contribute to managerial decision making through predictive modeling and machine learning.
3. Excellent remunerations. Average salary of a business consultant is around Rs. 10 Lacs per annum, while highly experienced professionals are paid somewhere around Rs. 25 - 30 Lacs per annum.
4. Exposure to a mainstream role in project management.
5. With Internet of things (IoT) becoming the future of IT industry, demands for professionals to manage voluminous amount of structured or unstructured data will go up.
6. Make informed and smart business decisions.
7. Better freelancing opportunities.
8. According to a Naukri Survey, 67% of the recruiters mentioned that they prefer certified candidates and are also willing to pay higher.
9. Get an opportunity to work with the best companies in India, including Amazon, J. P. Morgan, IBM, TCS, WIPRO, Infosys, etc.

What Do Recruiters Want In A Business Analyst Candidate?

Recruiters usually select candidate based on the following parameters while hiring a Business Analyst:  

1. Prior experience- Any prior experience in the field can make the recruiters interested in you. It is also great if you can have any transferable skills like requirement analysis, analytical abilities and documentation skills. Without any prior experience, you can go for a professional training course to get the necessary skills.
2. Key Skills- data analysis, financial modelling, SQL and documentation skills.

Top Recruiters Hiring Business Analysts 

Business analysis is an important area of business and organisations try to hire the best professionals in the industry who can make meaningful impact on their business. These professionals can help the companies to document the business requirements and provide solutions to business problems. A number of top companies like Accenture, HCL, Oracle, Gartner, KPMG, Deloitte and Cognizant hire business analysts.