“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.
Better Software UK specialises in software requirements for Legacy System Replacement ๐ฅ; particularly for remote, outsourced and offshore development teams working in financial services.