I’m stuck in my role as a BA — where do I go next?
Feeling stuck in your role as a BA? Here are some tips & tricks to get out of that feeling and find direction.
Many of us business analysts might have been through this feeling in our lives. Everyone who came unstuck and soared high would remember the “been there, done that” moment. This article is for you if you are going through the “I’m stuck in my BA role" feeling.
Here are some statements and thoughts from that moment…
- I’m just a scribe and all I do is write down a lot of notes which sound like requirements.
- I write long business requirements documents (popular by the acronym BRD), which are quite boring, and no one actually wants to read.
- Even by luck or chance, if the document gets done and is out for review, the reviews are never ending.
- Even if they are reviewed and closed, when the documents are reopened after a couple of months, nothing makes sense to anyone. Probably everyone just moved on, ignoring the requirements.
- I have done this so many times now, there is nothing more creative and innovative about it. How do I get out of this vicious cycle and get to the next level?
- No one actually understands and respects my role here.
- If I had only learnt to code, I would probably get more respect.
- Look at the tech leads and solution architects, the way they navigate those meetings is amazing. When would I see that day?
Good news!
If you have landed on this thought, and you have finally realised that you are stuck, you are actually in a good place.
Realising that you are stuck, and your willingness to do something about it, means that you actually care for yourself. You are now thinking of an escape out of it. That’s a great start! Congratulations on your first step to a great future!
Some questions you can ask yourself
What else can I do? What are my skills and talents? What is it that I need to do differently? How can I pivot?
Asking these questions will help you catch the next bus. A few ideas…
- Coffee catch-ups — gather ideas and feedback about how you are doing now, what else you can do and how you can do things differently.
- Find a mentor — see this article by Nicola Heath https://intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au/careers-and-workplace/how-to-approach-a-prospective-mentor. Your mentor should help you see things in you that you cannot see for yourself. A right mentor will do it elegantly and gracefully, without killing your spirit.
- Get trained in new things that can allow you to pivot easily. Agile methodologies, scrum master, product ownership, project management, design thinking and UX design are some areas that you should be able to try and succeed as a BA. If you are not feeling confident, discuss work with your mentor.
- Discover the new you! Know what else you can do. Think about what value you can add to the equation. Convince yourself of what added value you can bring to the table. Once you have validated that for yourself, tell your team what else you can do and your plans for them.
Design thinking is your new mantra
Have you innovatively thought about how to make a boring document more interesting, by trying a new technique, approach, format or a different design thinking approach?
LUMA Institute offers a unique, flexible and easy-to-use system of collaboration design thinking methods that help you creatively solve problems. You can be a champion 🏆 Business Analyst if you have the LUMA recipes in your kit.
Never ever make this mistake
What you should NOT do when you are stuck — is to quit and move on to another role, job or project. Many people find this an easy escape.
Seldom do they know that the vicious cycle of repetitive patterns lead them to the same “quit the job" point. The idea is to break the pattern, unlearn things that were not useful on the job, learn new things that will get you to the next level and pivot.
Be courageous
Be courageous and talk about the change that you would like to see — in yourself, and in the stakeholders around you, and their processes that are not working anymore.
Believe that your role can add value. This is the change that you need to come unstuck, out of your current situation that we started this whole conversation about. Be prepared with ideas for change. Be prepared to be the agent of change when you propose the idea. Do not throw in the problem and expect a change agent to emerge and resolve the issue. If you do so, you make your situation more miserable, and you will be stuck forever.
Find your niche
“It is all about finding your niche, being the expert analyst in a certain field, product or piece of software”— as my expert BA friend, Sarah Godfrey says.
Create tiny goals for yourself and achieve them to feel fulfilled. This goal could be writing an article, improvising a process flow, touching up a document, clearing a certification exam, etc. Even one small achievement can give you the wings to fly.
Are you still stuck in the feeling?
What is your strongest emotion as a BA? What is bothering you? Feel free to share it in your comments below. I will reach out to you to talk through it, help you find a mentor or get you in touch with other magical business analyst gurus in my network.
