I am fortunate to have spent over 20 years working in the IT industry. During this time, I have worked across several sectors, including Government, commerce and telecoms, and have contributed towards many challenging and diverse ventures.
The OPSS and I!
I began working with the Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) in 2022 as a Senior Business Analyst (BA), where I helped develop a new case management system for them.
The system is designed to be extensible, and since its inception 4 years ago, the feature set has grown to support a wide community of users.
Although I’ve been on the same client project for a long time, the need to onboard new areas of the business regularly has provided variety. Each time this happens, my focus changes. So, I’ve never felt the work was getting stale.
I’ve also had the opportunity to mentor other BAs on the team. It is always a privilege to serve in this role; witnessing a mentee’s growth and success is deeply fulfilling. One piece of advice that I try to pass on is to never stop asking questions. As a BA, it is important to identify the key stakeholders from the outset and work hard to establish and maintain those relationships.
There is a lot I enjoy about being a Business Analyst!
It’s a role that is packed with variety. Every experience is different and a great learning opportunity.
I enjoy building strong relationships with stakeholders, working together to uncover business requirements, identify pain points, and model improved processes. It is also good to work closely with the technical team, being the bridge between them and the business.
Being present to witness the results of our work and the real difference we make for users is rewarding. Particularly in today’s Agile world, compared to the past when I worked on waterfall projects.
It is also rewarding to know that the outcome of the work we do makes a difference to society. For example, the case management system enables OPSS to become more proactive in removing harmful products from the market.
Starting new projects
I always experience nervousness when embarking on a new project or working with a new set of users. It can feel like a steep learning curve. Starting with a blank page, wondering where to begin? So, it is important to establish who’s who from the start, ask lots of questions and gain an understanding of the importance of the task ahead.
Never stop learning
I have had continuous ‘on-the-job’ learning opportunities through the work undertaken at OPSS. For example, understanding how to do business analysis for an MS Dynamics Customer Service solution and, more recently, the Resource Scheduling solution.
At Triad, the Business Analyst Community of Practice (CoP) has been a great way for me to get to know my fellow BAs and learn from their experiences. The BA CoP is a space where the Triad Business Analysts meet, share ideas and learn from each other. Colleagues within the BA team are always on hand to offer support and advice.
Triad is very supportive of continuous personal development. Consultants have access to an online learning platform that offers thousands of courses across a wide variety of topics and has been a good resource for me when I need to get up to speed on a new technology or develop a deeper understanding of a technology or analysis technique.
If you have a question for Emma or the Triad team, please get in touch.
