“Business analyst job adverts should not require domain expertise”
Really? Who are you, GE, or some other multinational company? First some aerospace, then a bit of healthcare, and finally some defense contracting.
Let’s get real. Domain expertise does matter, a whole lot, actually.
It’s not that BA skills aren’t transferable, but should your new client be footing the bill for your learning curve? Maybe, but not by default.
I learnt this the hard wayโฆ
Six months after getting my business analysis qualification, I set up a landing page and bought Google ads for “business analysis services.” The first client was an events company; the next was an international aid agency. Reality hit when I was commissioned by a small firm of Chartered Surveyors to “analyse their business.” The truth was, I didn’t know their industry, the regulations and marketplace, or the business of selling surveys. I was a software engineer previously.
What should I do? Seriously? Compile a RACI matrix of stakeholders and commence interviews?
I did a terrible job, and it was a terrible experience. IIRC, I was too embarrassed to send them a bill for my time.
It’s humbling to encounter the limits of professional practice. My BA training largely ignored the relevance of domain expertise, and I think the training industry is failing in this area. A good “generalised BA” isn’t necessarily a good hire.
My domain expertise is Software Development, and that is where I happily remain. BAs who have never developed software would do well to remember the limits of their professional practice.