A Business Analyst who has spent their last few roles writing bids, is well on their way to becoming a SME in bid writing, and if the BA has stayed within the same domain, they have also been accumulating ‘domain knowledge’.
And so, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for this BA to advertise themselves as a ‘healthcare bid writing specialist’, for example, when looking for their next role. Their CV would contain these keywords, and they would reasonably look for job adverts requiring bid writing experience within the healthcare sector.
Arguably though, some of the best specialists start out as generalists. A laser-sharp focus allows them a deeper and deeper exploration of an increasingly narrow field. Philip Morgan promotes this idea in The Positioning Manual for Indie Consultants. Wider context and parallel domains are kept in mind, particularly if they are natural system thinkers, preventing the specialist from becoming narrow-minded or ignorant.
Returning to the above BA, they could proceed to further specialise in bid writing for healthcare, but equally they can pivot at any time into a new specialised skill, and/or domain of choice. ‘Bid writing for public sector’ may appeal, or ‘business case development for healthcare projects’. Both are good examples.
Finally, as is often the case for management consultants or individuals who enjoy new challenges, the BA’s next role may have nothing to do with bid writing or healthcare. However, their underlying generalist mindset and BA toolbox stand them in good stead regardless.
My specialism is software requirements; my expertise is software development, and my domain knowledge is financial services. I keep my professional skills sharp between client engagements by contributing to open-source software, notably spectre.console, as the CLI subsystem maintainer.
Previously, I’ve worked professionally as a BA, project manager, hands-on software developer, management consultant, and procurement officer. I am neurodivergent and a systems thinker. The possibilities are endless for the specialising generalist.