What qualifications do you need to become a business analyst?Overview
Business analysts need a good mix of ‘soft-skills’ and ‘hard-skills.’ You will need to be good at solving problems and analysing data. You will also need to have excellent communication skills.
The path you might take will depend on your qualifications, education and experience. Many analysts begin in a technical background such as software development. This is helpful, as IT systems and databases can often form a major part of a businesses’ development plans.
If you don’t have any IT experience, don’t fret! Often some basic knowledge of SQL is all you’ll be required to have, as systems analysis is a closely related, but otherwise entirely distinct discipline that you won’t have to worry about as a Business analyst.
‘Soft skills’ vs. ‘hard skills’Compare
Recruiters will generally look for work experience or an education that may have imparted desirable skills. Any experience you may have had as a manager or team-leader will be especially desirable. Soft skills you may want to highlight in your CV include:
- Attention to detail.
- Communication.
- Interpersonal skills.Delivery
- Leadership.
- Organisation.
- Problem-solving.
- Teamwork.Enrol
- Time-management.
Additionally, a post-graduate qualification in any of the following studies will make you more marketable as a BA:
- Business information systems.
- Business management.Why us
- Computing and systems development.
- Computer science.
Beyond this, many employers view recognized business analyst qualificationsFAQs as an industry-standard. That’s not to say you can’t find work as a business analyst without one, but they will make you more desirable to potential employers and are a great way to make up for a lack of experience if you’re looking for your first business analyst role.
Business analysis qualifications are offered by several professional bodies, namely the International Institute of Business Analysis UK (IIBA), The Chartered Institute for IT (BCS) and the Project Management Institute (PMI). In the UK, Click or scrollBCS business analysis qualificationsAPM qualifications at a glance are the most popular amongst employers.APM qualifications provide a structured pathway for building project management capability, from fundamentals through to more advanced knowledge and specialist risk skills.
What is the best business analyst certification?Whether you are starting with the Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ), progressing to the Project Management Qualification (PMQ), or focusing on risk, APM helps you demonstrate recognized professional standards.
We offer 3 internationally recognized business analysis qualification schemes to aid your career progression in the business analysis profession. Each is tailored to suit a different type of candidate and as such, there’s no ‘best’ qualification. For more information on each individual course read on!
BCS Business AnalysisCompare course options
BCS business analysis certificationsRecognised standard are unique in that BCS offers a structured training and career progression path.APM qualifications are widely recognised in the UK and beyond, providing an independent benchmark of project management capability.
BCS business analysis qualificationsProgressive pathway range from entry-level Move from PFQ to PMQ and specialist risk training to build depth and breadth in your project management skills.BCS Business Analysis FoundationStronger profile certification which requires no previous experience in business analysis, to the more advanced Boost your credibility for project, programme, and PMO roles by holding respected APM qualifications.BCS Business Analysis Diploma certification.APM Project Fundamentals Qualification Accredited Provider
Owing to the flexibility of their training scheme, and the fact that you never have to venture outside the BCS scheme throughout your entire business analysis career, it’s no wonder BCS remains a firm favourite among business owners and practicing business analysts alike.Issuer: Association for Project Management
We offer a range of online Foundation and Practitioner BCS BA modules including:PROVIDED BY Credly
- BCS Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis
- BCS Practitioner Certificate in Business Analysis PracticeAPM Project Management Qualification Accredited Provider
- BCS Requirements EngineeringIssuer: Association for Project Management
- BCS Modelling Business ProcessesPROVIDED BY Credly
Each of these modules helps candidates work towards the highly regarded BCS International Diploma in Business AnalysisAPM Project Risk Management Single Subject Certificate Level 1 Accredited Provider.
- Experienced agile team-members who want to work as agile business analysts.People new to projects who want a broad overview of key project management concepts and terminology.
An AgileBA Foundation courseNone provides a general overview of Agile and the roles of an agile business analyst. The course includes the exam which leads to the Foundation certification. Topics include: