My first Business Analyst (BA) role was at HMRC. Working at one of the UK’s largest government departments gave me a solid foundation in the craft. I learned how complex organisations really work. And how to deliver meaningful change within them. I thrived there and progressed quickly to Senior Business Analyst. After three years, I was ready for a new challenge, and so I joined Triad. That was two years ago. I’ve not looked back since.
Business Analysis at Triad
It’s been a varied two years. I’ve been working closely with a range of government departments, including the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). Past projects include improving the operational processes behind the UK’s sanctions regime, designing and developing a CRM solution and leading the identification and implementation of an events management solution.
A day in my life
Day-to-day, my work as a BA follows a consistent thread: spend real time with end users, understand their processes and pain points, and let that understanding drive the solution. Currently, I’m working on one of the most ambitious projects I’ve been involved in: an enterprise-wide initiative to scale AI solutions for a single client.The most rewarding moments are when you receive feedback from end users that something you helped design has genuinely improved their working life. Helping an organisation hit its goals feels great, but knowing that the people doing the real work have a better experience because of something you contributed to… that’s a proper win.
Some of the harder moments are when senior stakeholders get excited about a new feature or prototype, and it falls to you to manage expectations. Peeling back the surface behind the polished concept and asking, ‘But how does this actually work?’ isn’t always a comfortable conversation. But it’s one of the most important things we do, and the projects that skip that step tend to feel it later.
I’m always looking for the next opportunity to develop
With my roots in a BCS Level 4 apprenticeship, I’ve always been an advocate for formal training. Over the years, I’ve completed a range of BCS practitioner certifications in requirements engineering, business process modelling, stakeholder management, and business analysis, to name a few. This has provided me with the theoretical toolkit to complement what I learn on the job. I’ve also studied for my Professional Scrum Master and APM Project Management qualifications to broaden my understanding of agile delivery and project governance.
More recently, I’ve started working through the BCS advanced certifications, including the Professional Certificate in Team Leadership, which covered leadership theory, emotional intelligence, and leading teams through change. I’m always looking for the next opportunity to develop and bring something new back to my work.
Sharing knowledge and learning
Triad has a Business Analyst Community of Practice that runs monthly sessions on a wide range of interesting topics. It’s a great space for sharing knowledge and learning from colleagues’ experiences across different assignments and clients. I’ve contributed to and facilitated my own session exploring how BAs add value throughout the agile software development lifecycle, mapping our role to each delivery phase. It sparked some great discussion.
Building genuine relationships with colleagues is one of the most valuable things you can do as a consultant. A conversation with a delivery manager from a project two years ago can turn out to be exactly what you need on a new assignment. As consultants, we’re fortunate to work alongside a huge range of talented and experienced professionals. My advice is to soak up as much knowledge as you can from each of them.
Getting comfortable asking questions
I remember sitting in rooms as an apprentice, remaining quiet because I was worried the questions I wanted to ask were too basic. Looking back, I wish I could shake that out of my younger self. It only held me back. Asking questions is the most important tool a BA has. The so-called basic question is often the one that reveals the most, and I can almost guarantee someone else in the room was thinking the same thing and didn’t ask it either.
So, I have learned to get comfortable asking questions. I am no longer worried about how they make me look. Questions are the key to information, and sometimes that information can make or break a project. That curiosity is at the heart of everything a good BA does.
If you have a question for Cameron or the Triad team, please get in touch.
