Thank you, I am 55+ and transitioning into a new career. Your videos are very helpful. Please create more videos for people that are trying to get into the field.
Excel is very underrated and underutilized for sure. Once you learn how to use Solver, Crystal Ball, and code in VBA you can perform some very powerful functions with ease.
I have a question, the workforce development that I go to want me to get a PMP. They think that it will help me get a job with a PMP. What do you think? Should I focus on the PMP or learn BA skills? I appreciate your feedback!
PMP is a project management certificate. It's as simple as do you want to be a project manager or business analyst. It won't hurt, but if I'm looking for a business analyst and two people apply, one with BA training and one with PM training. Pretty straightforward decision. Ideally get all the training that's available, but you have to prioritize based on the jobs you want.
Thanks for this helpful video. Can you make videos about analytical models examples? Like AB testing, linear regression I did Bachelor of MIS but I was not taught in detailed about these.
These topics are not specifically BA tools. A/B testing is typically used for market research of some kind and Linear regression is a statistical analysis method also likely used by researchers (marketing or non business related). Are these topics that have come up in your work?
This is so exhaustive for a junior BA. I really don't know where to start. You are saying that I need to learn all these tools but you don't need data analysis for all BA jobs. These are special skills for those who want to go that direction. I think the most important would be wireframing, use cases and BPN modeling. Tell me out of these 3 which one should I focus to get that entry level job?
All businesses are composed of people, processes, and data. So as a business analyst, there is a huge likelihood that understanding data will be critical to executing your job. Wireframes far less likely because many large organizations are moving towards Saas & Cloud solutions which require more data and process analysis and those tools determine their own UI. In terms of resume marketability, I would focus on the skills that analyze people (use cases), process (process modeling), and data (data analysis) to be most marketable. Wireframing is more of a specialty in this case and if the team has designers or UX specialists, they would be responsible for wireframing (I for example am a UX specialist, most of my BA peers are not).
@@AngeloTheBA I am confused about all these modeling tools and don't know which ones I should learn at this point. So Visio is for process modeling then what is BPMN for? Are they same or different? If different do I have to learn that too? What about UML? Is UML a different tool and warrant separate training in that? Can I just use MS Visio (or lucid chart etc) for Process Modeling and Use cases. For Data analysis, you need to know SQL and Statistics and then Tableau or Excel. So this skill will take a long time to master. I took one Udacity course in statistics but it did not make sense to me because too many things were covered in short time. I had to drop out. I just want my study load to be manageable so that I can focus on one tool and not get overwhelmed by all these choices which has lead me to indecision (and I wasted a lot of my time because of that). I have worked as a BA for a year and a half. I did not even use SQL directly. There was a tool that we used which would create SQL select statement at the backend for you. What I needed for that job was my understanding of business in general, process modeling, requirement engineering knowledge, Gap Analysis skills, ability to understand process maps. These are the core BA skills. It is sad that companies don't value the core BA skills (analysis, communication, asking questions) instead focus is heavy on the tool side. I think most companies also need a Business Analyst for job descriptions (including the hiring manager). Since it seems to me they don't know what they really want for that job. Most of the BA jobs on Indeed, Glassdoor, ziprecruiter.com, have merged BA Level I, II and III into one role. They are asking for wayyyyyy too much. This has lead to frustrations, disappointment sand feeling not worthy. And has left me in a unique position where I just don't know how to get back to "Employability". I have experience in QA but I can't do that job because now all QA jobs require automation (coding skills). I have PMP certification but no PM experience (hence never got even a project coordinator job). I have CS degree but no development experience. Out of this frustration, I have decided to just focus on two career paths: 1) Front-end dev (HTML, CSS, JAVASCRIPT) or Business Analysis. I am currently doing my due diligence. So far Business Analysis seem to require longer training time than Front-end dev. With front-end skills, I can work freelance after creating some personal projects but for Business Analysis, I don't see how you can create a personal project. You can create a BRD based on a hypothetical application (but it is no fun). I do enjoy business analysis. May be I do that later once I find employment as a front-end Dev. Your feedback will be appreciated by me and many people who are in the same shoes as me. Thanks in advance
@@ShowBizJunkie You've said a lot here so I'll try to address what I can as briefly and simply as possible. BPMN stands for business process modeling notation. It is a common notation style of business process modeling. You can learn BPMN by using a pencil and paper. Visio, LucidChart, Draw.IO, are just tools to easily create these models. If you know BPMN, then the tool doesn't matter. (BPMN using Draw.IO th-cam.com/video/e9wANApZXL8/w-d-xo.html ) UML is just another type of modeling language. Other models include entity relationships models, data flow diagrams, use case diagrams, concept models, sequence diagrams, and more. All of which can be accomplished in Visio, LucidChart, Draw.IO, and even Powerpoint if you are in a pinch. Data analysis has many levels, but at a base level, you should be good at excel. If I gave you a file with 1000 rows of data, you should know how to use excel to manipulate that data into meaningful information. Charts, Pivot tables, Vlookups, etc. In other words, being able to use data to answer questions. Companies usually pay for specific data visualization tools, so it's more important to understand how to use data to answer questions. Tableau is mentioned because it is free for some basic usages so you can play with it without having an enterprise license of some sort. The job of a business analyst is to be able to analyze a business to determine how to make improvements & reach objectives. Businesses are composed of people, processes, and data and these techniques are simply ways to analyze those three areas. There are many techniques and not all business analysts use all the techniques all the time. Instead, you use the technique that best suits gathering the information you need to find the right solution. (All the techniques th-cam.com/video/CJL2k5ZOjno/w-d-xo.html ) Finally, please try no to ask so many questions in one comment. Separate distinct questions into different comments so others can easily participate in answering your questions. For longer questions, use the mechanisms in the description of most of my videos. Good Luck!
@@AngeloTheBA i was not aware of your long question form. I just saw that and will surely contact you there. Short question: So which modeling language you recommend? BPMN or UML? I want to specialize in use case writing and process modeling Secondly, If BPMN and UML are just notation, then how can I learn the subject of process modeling and use cases. You recommend any books or course. Thanks
Hey Angelo, I'm a Business Analyst Apprentice, I've currently been furloughed due to the Pandemic. Could you make a video on things I should be doing to keep productive while I am away from work?
It's hard to recommend anything specific because I have no idea what training you have already done, and what you may have available to you. I would recommend doing some reading (My recommended BA reading list th-cam.com/video/qMndSy4bPwg/w-d-xo.html) or taking some training in BA related fields like process modeling, design thinking, SCRUM, SQL, etc (ideas on training th-cam.com/video/aqDOSKmH8Xg/w-d-xo.html) . If you have access to Linkedin learning, that's a great place to take courses.
Could you just create an update to this video explaining a possible route an entry-level BA can take. You can choose certain topics from Babok that are relavant at that stage, also explain a little more what BPMN, UML are. Just suggest one path or so making sure they are focused path eg BPMN, use cases, requirement engineering. Or Business Intelligence BA route or Data Analysis BA route and so forth
BA Career Paths - th-cam.com/video/q6es2SY-ilA/w-d-xo.html What a BA Does - th-cam.com/video/VZ2cfvpkMjY/w-d-xo.html BPMN - th-cam.com/video/e9wANApZXL8/w-d-xo.html Finally, so some reading - www.metabusinessanalyst.com/big-list-of-business-analysis-training-materials/ You are basically asking me to explain the BABOK and all its parts to you. I think you may need to consider a full-on BA fundamentals course. From LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, or whatever you might have access to.
@@AngeloTheBA Thanks for the links. I actually wanted you to give us pointers (not necessarily explain things) as to which module out of the whole Babok is used the most (in your experience). Nonetheless, Babok is one thing that I will read first factoring in your tools and techniques video. Thanks a million.
If you're interested, sure... But your job is to analyze the business to define effective solutions. Not to implement them. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are more data analyst or business intelligence. However, if you find the subject interesting, learn it... All knowledge is a potential tool
Hai Angelo, I have completed graduation in b.tech (Mechanical) and had a work experience as a BPO agent from past 6years. But, I want to switch my carrier as a Business Analyst by doing masters in UK. Could you please let me know on my decision and can I make it with a correct decision?
I'm not sure it is necessary to go to the UK unless you specifically want to go to the UK. Here is my video on degree programs th-cam.com/video/UCK7G9HpSiQ/w-d-xo.html (just substitute bachelors or masters)
Heyy angelo...actually I have don3 my mba in information technology and currently working as a buisness analyst...but I want to explore internationally and work as a BA abroad...So is Pursuing MIS degree after mba a right decision for career in BA internationally ?
No. That would be a waste. You already have all the business and information technology knowledge. If anything it would be more valuable to pursue BA certifications
That really depends on your bachelors. If you have a bachelors in MIS or an equivalent, getting a masters in the same isn't super valuable. If you aren't in the field, but want to enter the profession (IT analysts, Business Analyst, Enterprise Architect... etc) then a masters would be valuable.
Bizagi is a business process automation suite that offers their modeler for free. It's great for process modeling, but not for any other model. The tools I mentioned are capable basically all types of models (data models, concept middle, decision trees, wireframes, etc)
Thank you, I am 55+ and transitioning into a new career. Your videos are very helpful. Please create more videos for people that are trying to get into the field.
Hello. Good luck! What was your previous job area?
You got it.
Angelo, that's is on point put together powerful tools for both BA and anybody working in a Business World. Thank you.
Excel is very underrated and underutilized for sure. Once you learn how to use Solver, Crystal Ball, and code in VBA you can perform some very powerful functions with ease.
Thank you, Angelo! I'm starting my career as a BA and your videos are extremely helpful! Really appreciate it, my friend!
That's awesome to hear. Good luck!
@@AngeloTheBA Thank you!
I have a question, the workforce development that I go to want me to get a PMP. They think that it will help me get a job with a PMP. What do you think? Should I focus on the PMP or learn BA skills? I appreciate your feedback!
PMP is a project management certificate. It's as simple as do you want to be a project manager or business analyst. It won't hurt, but if I'm looking for a business analyst and two people apply, one with BA training and one with PM training. Pretty straightforward decision. Ideally get all the training that's available, but you have to prioritize based on the jobs you want.
Thanks for this helpful video.
Can you make videos about analytical models examples? Like AB testing, linear regression
I did Bachelor of MIS but I was not taught in detailed about these.
These topics are not specifically BA tools. A/B testing is typically used for market research of some kind and Linear regression is a statistical analysis method also likely used by researchers (marketing or non business related). Are these topics that have come up in your work?
Hey Angelo nice vid
I was curious is it possible for you to do a tutorial of sorts for how to use Visio or create a wireframe within Visio?
Are you interested in Visio specifically or wireframing?
@@AngeloTheBA would love some some wireframing with live examples and solutions.
Angelo do you have questions related to what to do in particular situation asked by interviewer from BA
Can you give an example? I think this is something that would interest many future BAs and I want to make sure I address the right topics.
Angelo Kalevela This is an example: “Tell me how you handle difficult stakeholders.”
This is so exhaustive for a junior BA. I really don't know where to start. You are saying that I need to learn all these tools but you don't need data analysis for all BA jobs. These are special skills for those who want to go that direction.
I think the most important would be wireframing, use cases and BPN modeling.
Tell me out of these 3 which one should I focus to get that entry level job?
All businesses are composed of people, processes, and data. So as a business analyst, there is a huge likelihood that understanding data will be critical to executing your job. Wireframes far less likely because many large organizations are moving towards Saas & Cloud solutions which require more data and process analysis and those tools determine their own UI. In terms of resume marketability, I would focus on the skills that analyze people (use cases), process (process modeling), and data (data analysis) to be most marketable. Wireframing is more of a specialty in this case and if the team has designers or UX specialists, they would be responsible for wireframing (I for example am a UX specialist, most of my BA peers are not).
@@AngeloTheBA Thank You!
@@AngeloTheBA I am confused about all these modeling tools and don't know which ones I should learn at this point. So Visio is for process modeling then what is BPMN for? Are they same or different? If different do I have to learn that too? What about UML? Is UML a different tool and warrant separate training in that? Can I just use MS Visio (or lucid chart etc) for Process Modeling and Use cases.
For Data analysis, you need to know SQL and Statistics and then Tableau or Excel. So this skill will take a long time to master. I took one Udacity course in statistics but it did not make sense to me because too many things were covered in short time. I had to drop out.
I just want my study load to be manageable so that I can focus on one tool and not get overwhelmed by all these choices which has lead me to indecision (and I wasted a lot of my time because of that). I have worked as a BA for a year and a half. I did not even use SQL directly. There was a tool that we used which would create SQL select statement at the backend for you. What I needed for that job was my understanding of business in general, process modeling, requirement engineering knowledge, Gap Analysis skills, ability to understand process maps. These are the core BA skills. It is sad that companies don't value the core BA skills (analysis, communication, asking questions) instead focus is heavy on the tool side. I think most companies also need a Business Analyst for job descriptions (including the hiring manager). Since it seems to me they don't know what they really want for that job. Most of the BA jobs on Indeed, Glassdoor, ziprecruiter.com, have merged BA Level I, II and III into one role. They are asking for wayyyyyy too much. This has lead to frustrations, disappointment sand feeling not worthy. And has left me in a unique position where I just don't know how to get back to "Employability". I have experience in QA but I can't do that job because now all QA jobs require automation (coding skills). I have PMP certification but no PM experience (hence never got even a project coordinator job). I have CS degree but no development experience.
Out of this frustration, I have decided to just focus on two career paths: 1) Front-end dev (HTML, CSS, JAVASCRIPT) or Business Analysis.
I am currently doing my due diligence. So far Business Analysis seem to require longer training time than Front-end dev. With front-end skills, I can work freelance after creating some personal projects but for Business Analysis, I don't see how you can create a personal project. You can create a BRD based on a hypothetical application (but it is no fun). I do enjoy business analysis. May be I do that later once I find employment as a front-end Dev.
Your feedback will be appreciated by me and many people who are in the same shoes as me. Thanks in advance
@@ShowBizJunkie You've said a lot here so I'll try to address what I can as briefly and simply as possible.
BPMN stands for business process modeling notation. It is a common notation style of business process modeling. You can learn BPMN by using a pencil and paper. Visio, LucidChart, Draw.IO, are just tools to easily create these models. If you know BPMN, then the tool doesn't matter. (BPMN using Draw.IO th-cam.com/video/e9wANApZXL8/w-d-xo.html )
UML is just another type of modeling language. Other models include entity relationships models, data flow diagrams, use case diagrams, concept models, sequence diagrams, and more. All of which can be accomplished in Visio, LucidChart, Draw.IO, and even Powerpoint if you are in a pinch.
Data analysis has many levels, but at a base level, you should be good at excel. If I gave you a file with 1000 rows of data, you should know how to use excel to manipulate that data into meaningful information. Charts, Pivot tables, Vlookups, etc. In other words, being able to use data to answer questions. Companies usually pay for specific data visualization tools, so it's more important to understand how to use data to answer questions. Tableau is mentioned because it is free for some basic usages so you can play with it without having an enterprise license of some sort.
The job of a business analyst is to be able to analyze a business to determine how to make improvements & reach objectives. Businesses are composed of people, processes, and data and these techniques are simply ways to analyze those three areas. There are many techniques and not all business analysts use all the techniques all the time. Instead, you use the technique that best suits gathering the information you need to find the right solution. (All the techniques th-cam.com/video/CJL2k5ZOjno/w-d-xo.html )
Finally, please try no to ask so many questions in one comment. Separate distinct questions into different comments so others can easily participate in answering your questions. For longer questions, use the mechanisms in the description of most of my videos.
Good Luck!
@@AngeloTheBA i was not aware of your long question form. I just saw that and will surely contact you there.
Short question: So which modeling language you recommend? BPMN or UML? I want to specialize in use case writing and process modeling
Secondly, If BPMN and UML are just notation, then how can I learn the subject of process modeling and use cases. You recommend any books or course. Thanks
Hey Angelo, I'm a Business Analyst Apprentice, I've currently been furloughed due to the Pandemic. Could you make a video on things I should be doing to keep productive while I am away from work?
It's hard to recommend anything specific because I have no idea what training you have already done, and what you may have available to you. I would recommend doing some reading (My recommended BA reading list th-cam.com/video/qMndSy4bPwg/w-d-xo.html) or taking some training in BA related fields like process modeling, design thinking, SCRUM, SQL, etc (ideas on training th-cam.com/video/aqDOSKmH8Xg/w-d-xo.html) . If you have access to Linkedin learning, that's a great place to take courses.
Could you just create an update to this video explaining a possible route an entry-level BA can take. You can choose certain topics from Babok that are relavant at that stage, also explain a little more what BPMN, UML are. Just suggest one path or so making sure they are focused path eg BPMN, use cases, requirement engineering. Or Business Intelligence BA route or Data Analysis BA route and so forth
BA Career Paths - th-cam.com/video/q6es2SY-ilA/w-d-xo.html
What a BA Does - th-cam.com/video/VZ2cfvpkMjY/w-d-xo.html
BPMN - th-cam.com/video/e9wANApZXL8/w-d-xo.html
Finally, so some reading - www.metabusinessanalyst.com/big-list-of-business-analysis-training-materials/
You are basically asking me to explain the BABOK and all its parts to you. I think you may need to consider a full-on BA fundamentals course. From LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, or whatever you might have access to.
@@AngeloTheBA Thanks for the links. I actually wanted you to give us pointers (not necessarily explain things) as to which module out of the whole Babok is used the most (in your experience). Nonetheless, Babok is one thing that I will read first factoring in your tools and techniques video. Thanks a million.
Hey, which city you in
wat about coding knowledge for BA? ML and AI skills?
If you're interested, sure... But your job is to analyze the business to define effective solutions. Not to implement them. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are more data analyst or business intelligence. However, if you find the subject interesting, learn it... All knowledge is a potential tool
Hai Angelo,
I have completed graduation in b.tech (Mechanical) and had a work experience as a BPO agent from past 6years. But, I want to switch my carrier as a Business Analyst by doing masters in UK.
Could you please let me know on my decision and can I make it with a correct decision?
I'm not sure it is necessary to go to the UK unless you specifically want to go to the UK. Here is my video on degree programs th-cam.com/video/UCK7G9HpSiQ/w-d-xo.html (just substitute bachelors or masters)
Heyy angelo...actually I have don3 my mba in information technology and currently working as a buisness analyst...but I want to explore internationally and work as a BA abroad...So is Pursuing MIS degree after mba a right decision for career in
BA internationally ?
No. That would be a waste. You already have all the business and information technology knowledge. If anything it would be more valuable to pursue BA certifications
Hey
Is masters in this field worth it?
That really depends on your bachelors. If you have a bachelors in MIS or an equivalent, getting a masters in the same isn't super valuable. If you aren't in the field, but want to enter the profession (IT analysts, Business Analyst, Enterprise Architect... etc) then a masters would be valuable.
@@AngeloTheBA I have a B.Tech degree in IT
It would be great if I could connect you on LinkedIn
BIZAGI
Bizagi is a business process automation suite that offers their modeler for free. It's great for process modeling, but not for any other model. The tools I mentioned are capable basically all types of models (data models, concept middle, decision trees, wireframes, etc)