Business Analyst position
< Enough people got on my case about it that I've edited the post. Keep in mind it's emotionally difficult for me to read help wanted ads. I am seriously not being deliberately obtuse. I have now altered certain things from questions to statements. >
A friend has forwarded this job listing to me. As with most job listings, it's not written in human, so I think that I probably don't understand it. It's for a Business Analyst position. I'm still concerned about the word Business in there. It sounds like they need me to understand businesses, not users.
· Overview: Leads or participates in the research of business processes/systems and captures requirements specific to application development needs. Gathers detailed information to be used as input for project documents. Is mentored by a Lead IT Business Analyst. Reports to IT Supervisor, IT Manager, or IT Director.
IT Supervisor, IT Manager, or IT Director? More meaningless words.
_· Primary Responsibilities:
_
o Interacts with business partners and has an excellent understanding of business functions and current systems process
Which business? Which process?
o Assists in the preparation of project documents, occasionally working directly with Project Manager or Director Compiles and summarizes organizational and process information from the business partner, including a good understanding of business terminology
Unless I am misinterpreting this, that's a bad sign. I do not in fact know business terminology.
o Adheres to IT standards and processes
It's not a field I'm familiar with. I strongly suspect that would be another deal-breaker.
o Assists with preparation of presentations and demonstrations
Easy.
o Performs data collection tasks and leads/participates in requirement gathering/collection
Every human being who is not in a coma does this several dozen times a day. So, they must mean something more specific than they're saying.
o Recommends creative ways to address business partners’ needs Works with business partners to facilitate understanding of scope, in terms they can understand
o May work on multiple projects as subject matter expert
Why does this not say which subject matter the candidate should be an expert in?
o May perform some of the duties of an IT Software Engineer and/or IT Quality Assurance Analyst
I am more-or-less completely not that person. Or as near to completely as for the margin to not matter.
_Required Skills
· 6 or more years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
_
· Strong skills in logistics
How can you have skills in logistics in the abstract?
· Experience in projects that are linked to custom development and/or packaged implementation.
Is there a third kind of software beside custom development and packaged implementation?
· Experience with rules/constraint based optimization is highly desirable.
Not a term I'm familiar with using.
· Expert knowledge of the application of business workflow and requirements.
Which workflow? How is it possible to know requirements in the abstract, in a vaccuum, without specific conditions?
· Strong facilitator.
What the hell is a facilitator in the abstract? I just facilitated the heating of pizza in the microwave. But I'll bet they want something more specific.
· Understanding of targeting and marketing.
Well, that depends on who is being marketed to. I understand specific groups. Businesspeople are not one of those groups.
· Ability to effectively communicate business and technical information with all levels of employees.
Yes.
_· Ability to identify and resolve problems in a timely manner;
· Ability to gather and analyze information
Desired Skills
_
· Background in manufacturing planning a big plus.
Comments
tammylc on May. 21, 2007 5:50 PM
_· Strong skills in logistics
How can you have skills in logistics in the abstract?_
I list logistics as one of my skill areas on my resume. It means figuring out how to get things done. Obviously different situations will require different applications of that skill, but there is a general "something" there that some people are good at and others are not.
_· Strong facilitator.
What the hell is a facilitator in the abstract? I just facilitated the heating of pizza in the microwave. But I'll bet they want something more specific._
That phrasing would be referring to group facilitation skills - being able to lead a meeting, get a group to agreement and consensus or a decision, those sorts of things.
Given your admitted lack of understanding or interest in business process, I don't think this is a good job fit for you.
matt-arnold on May. 21, 2007 5:53 PM
I agree. I just needed to make sure it's not just linguistic confusion causing me to reject it.
tammylc on May. 21, 2007 6:00 PM
I don't think so. There are some things in there that are buzz words, but they are meaningful buzzwords to people with the skill set they're looking for - "rules/constraint based optimization," for example. If you're experience with that, you will recognize the term. If you're not, then you won't, and that means the job probably isn't for you.
Although really, Matt, you're certainly intelligent enough to be able to figure out what some of these things would likely mean in the context of a job like this, so I have to think you're being purposefully obtuse. Rules/constrain based optimization - given a set of rules/constraints, optimize the process to get the best outcome (where best might be based on productivity, profit, efficiency or some other measure). Custom development - creating a custom solution for a client vs. packaged implementation - helping a client implement an existing package of software in their environment. "Performs data collection tasks and leads/ participates in requirement gathering/ collection" - the job is called a business analyst, you're supposed to be analyzing business needs and helping them find the right solution - these are the specifics that the data collection/ requirement gathering would be around. Etc.
matt-arnold on May. 21, 2007 7:00 PM
There is intelligence, and then there is experience. Sure, I could speculate about meanings, but you know what they say. "When you assume, you make an ass out of u and me." I lack the experience to know what these things would mean in an alien context. I've had enough experiences in not being able to do the job I've been hired to do, to want to make sure.
Take for instance "custom development and/or packaged implementation". The first thing that came to mind was what you describe. But then it occurred to me, why would they list this? Is there some third type of software which is neither? I knew that unless there's something I don't understand, it's like saying "applicants must have experience working with things that are dead and/or alive." Everything is either dead or alive. To my knowledge, all software is "custom development and/or packaged implementation" if I interpret this in the obvious way. So I have to check to make sure my experience is not limited to some unidentified third form of software. That is probably not what they mean.
This is about confidence. I know from experience that when given a well-defined task with a manageable set of choices and clear victory conditions, I do it.
When handed an open-ended problem in an unfamiliar environment and asked to figure out a solution within time constraints, I have consistently failed.
This is why I linger around the edges watching carefully and accepting as little responsibility as possible until after I have familiarized myself. This is why I was so excited to get a job in the tech industry-- pretty much any job that gives me access to watch my coworkers.
thefile on May. 21, 2007 9:29 PM
I knew that unless there's something I don't understand, it's like saying "applicants must have experience working with things that are dead and/or alive." Everything is either dead or alive.
Zombies? :)
phecda on May. 21, 2007 6:10 PM
It's a game -- as you play you figure out the rules...
Perhaps if I translated IT as Information Technology it would help? Supervisor, Manager, Director -- The chain of command btw you and the CIO or other C level executive (CEO, CFO, CTO, CSO). Google is your friend for defining those.
Business Process -- how the business functions.
Business terminology -- what this is written in.
IT Standards -- specific to the company, but how the company manages it's IT infrastructure.
Data Collection -- interviewing people in the company specific to project requirements
Logistics -- the ability to execute on the details of a project
und so weiter...
Matt -- I begin to understand why employment ads drive you nuts -- you don't understand the language. If someone else doesn't go through this in detail with you, give me a call later this evening. But I think part of the overall issue is that business, while having some very crisp funcitons, is a very fuzzy endeavor, and the language has evolved around that. What I might suggest is getting a textbook for an intro to business course and reading it.
Perhaps because I've been immersed in the business process aspect of IT for so long (you have to make a business case to sell product), that I've picked all this up by osmosis. So, take off your logban hat, and come back to the idea that English is a very sloppy language.
All these things are indefinites and abstracts precisely because that is the job of the business analyst -- to take imprecise non-quantified globs and turn them into workflow diagrams and process documents. Out of chaos, into order.
Now the underlying concept is that if you have knowledge of how one system works (and preferably many systems), you can apply and adapt those rules and processes to the current situation.
Hope that helps.
renniekins on May. 21, 2007 6:12 PM
Why do people (users) use computers at work? Well to get things done. What kind of things? Things that make money. What makes money? Business. Whether that business is video games or insurance or whatever isn't necessarily as important as getting it done for whatever company you're working for.
I think that's why the requirements look vague, because it's more about "figure out what a user needs to do, and figure out what application changes will do it."
To analyze what a user needs to make his/her job easier, you need to analyze the job as well. What is she trying to accomplish, and how can you make it better?
My current users adjust insurance claims. My previous users were police officers. Very different, but the process of analyzing their needs remained fairly similar.
stormgren on May. 21, 2007 9:52 PM
It's for a Business Analyst position. I'm still concerned about the word Business in there. It sounds like they need me to understand businesses, not users.
More than likely, they do.
From a enterprise standpoint, the important thing overall is the processes by which the business operates. This is not to say that human factors are insignificant (indeed, they're often quite important), but the business itself needs to provide its process or product, get it to the customer, bill for it, and receive payment. All of these steps and sub-steps are able to be captured and documented, generally speaking.
As for the rest of it...It is no different from understanding fen. It's mostly in the lingo.
Reports to IT Supervisor, IT Manager, or IT Director.
IT Supervisor, IT Manager, or IT Director? More meaningless words.
Not really, it identifies the chain of command, more than likely. You could be expected to deal with assignments from any of them. Not optimal, but always more than likely in today's business climate.
Interacts with business partners and has an excellent understanding of business functions and current systems process
Which business? Which process?
More than likely it depends on their requirements, but usually is a sign that it could be variable in scope.
Assists in the preparation of project documents, occasionally working directly with Project Manager or Director Compiles and summarizes organizational and process information from the business partner, including a good understanding of business terminology
What is business terminology?
Seriously? Well, it's the internal jargon, lingo and whatnot associated with the project and business unit in question. In my experience, it's a lexicon that gets generated as part of the project documentation.
Adheres to IT standards and processes
What are IT standards and processes?
The standards and processes of the IT department at that organization. (Matt, this is one of those questions that really feels like you're trying to be obtuse. I know it's not the case, but it's really not something that's totally abstract.)
Performs data collection tasks and leads/participates in requirement gathering/collection
Every human being who is not in a coma does this several dozen times a day. So, they must mean something more specific than they're saying.
They are. The position in question would be charged with getting business process requirements for a given IT project. Requirements gathering is for understanding what things need to be accomplished in order for it to be a success. (I do a lot of this, most of my work at the start of a project is requirements and specifications)
May work on multiple projects as subject matter expert
Why does this not say which subject matter the candidate should be an expert in?
That's sort of a red flag. It could be that they're wanting the ideal candidate to learn as much about the project from a business perspective as much as possible and then be the IT department's resource to go to when they need understanding of how things are supposed to work for a given set of requirements.
May perform some of the duties of an IT Software Engineer and/or IT Quality Assurance Analyst
What is that?
That's a Just Bloody Google Those Phrases sort of question so that you might know what those two types of jobs do. Other than that, it'd be something I'd ask at the interview.
Strong skills in logistics
How can you have skills in logistics in the abstract?
Easy. You have skills in logistics gained by running Penguicon. Generally speaking, that is. Fancy way of saying "Person who knows how to get stuff done and getting people to get stuff done."
Anyways, I do need to head home, so I'll have to cut this a mite short.
It really does feel like you're coming at this very orthagonally, but I'm not sure if that says more about me and my immersion in the business world, or about you. I am trying to help you understand however, so if some of my comments are overly blunt, it's not with the intent to harm.
matt-arnold on May. 21, 2007 10:37 PM
When I seem to be obtuse, what I really mean is that business terminology is not a set of terminology I know, and IT standards and processes are not a set of standards and processes I know, and so forth.
One way to cut it short is to say "You're reading it right. You aren't qualified for this job." That's all I need to get at.
Leave a Comment