When I worked as a Business Analysis team manager for the first time, I was surprised at the challenges I faced with my team. Whilst every person had many unique talents, not everyone had the same approach to business analysis, stakeholder engagement or problem solving.

The reason I became a Business Analysis Manager is because I liked the idea of leading a team and wanted to make the team a great performing team that serves the business well.

I am a bit of an idealist and when I took on my first managerial role, I had grand plans for my team. I kicked off my career as a Business Analysis Manager by making a basic mistake. I assumed everyone on the team is ‘on the same page’ when it came to Business Analysis and the competencies that goes with that….

But first, let me tell you a bit more about how this all started.

First day as a Business Analysis Manager

When I arrived for my first day as Business Analysis Manager, wide eyed and bushy tailed I was welcomed by my new boss. He offered me a coffee and told where I could sit. Everyone around me was very friendly, and I thought to myself, this is going to be just perfect!

Within the first hour of arriving, one of the Project Managers pulled me into a side room for a “chat”. She started quite informally and friendly but soon the conversation turned. She now started to discuss the challenges she was experiencing with two Business Analysts on her team. OMG! I walked out of that meeting room with my head spinning…

“Mmmm, this is an interesting start to the day.” I thought. So, I jumped into action and started by setting up a 1:1 meeting with everyone in my team. Let’s start to get to know each other….

Real world team insights as a Business Analysis Manager

To cut a long story short, I quickly learned that every team has a unique combination of strengths and challenges. I also learned that not everyone has the same approach or understanding of what Business Analysis is or should be. We all paint our work with our own-coloured brushes. Sometimes this works well and sometimes it hinders us to progress effectively.

I believe that every team member can improve or exceed as a Business Analyst despite where they are starting from. It takes an open mind and a willingness to be coached and mentored to get to a career of excellence as a Business Analyst.

Conclusion

Whilst my initial grand plans and idealism might have been somewhat misplaced at the start of this journey, I believe every Business Analysis team finds their perfection within their own imperfections.