My thoughts about the career path of the Business Analyst
may be considered a bit extreme by some, and on the other hand may be embraced
immediately by others. I believe the career path for the Business Analyst is
the Executive Suite. After a career in
various levels of business analysis, playing various roles, applying the
inherent skills of business analysis, the natural next step from the position
of business analyst is at the strategic and leadership levels of the
organization. Why?
The current crop of CEOs, as has been the case for decades,
come from sales or marketing for the most part.
The kind of outgoing charismatic person usually associated with the
sales and marketing position is the kind of person that is noticed and elevated
as CEOs and Presidents. The charisma that helps a person be a great
salesperson is the same as that which is typically possessed by those considered as leaders. However, in
today's world it is necessary to only know the organization's product and
customers and market position and competition. Those evolving the strategy for
the organization need to know technology (computer and otherwise), systems,
business processes, and how all the various parts of the organization fit
together. It will not be enough to be a
figurehead, plot a direction to increase sales or add new products or buy
companies and make speeches at college commencements.
And who in the organization has the experience with both the
technical and business sides of the organization? Who is trained with the
skills of facilitation, negotiation, mediation, investigation, elicitation,
applying influence, and resolving conflict? Who spends their time defining
business problems, applying critical thinking to situations, coming up with
solutions to business problems, viewing the situation from a systems thinking
perspective? Who is the organization's
Chief Problem Solver?
It is of course the Business Analyst.
