What are the important tools that you should be focusing on as a new BA
These are the ones you can target first, no doubt the list is endless
When I completed my training, I was quite confident with the theoretical knowledge that I got, but what I left with was this huge list of tools that a business analyst can use.
I had no clue what to learn first and what companies usually ask for. I didn’t want to waste my time and effort.
Today, I chose this topic to speak about because once you’re done with learning BA concepts and skills, you’ll be required to have hands-on experience with software that BAs use for managing their stuff.
Ask Google and you’ll see a bunch of it, but not everything is used in the workplace.
Most of the time, companies go ahead with easy-to-use and common tools.
But which one will the companies you’re interested in work in? We don’t know. How can we solve this situation?
Well, for starters, you can look at the tools that companies prefer on top of anything else. And as I always say, keep learning if new ones are required.
Here is a list of common tools with a few course links that I personally took.
Microsoft Office
Never underestimate the power of MS Office in the era where you’ve got a lot to explore.
Even when it comes to preparing your business documents, companies still prefer to utilize Word or Excel.
P.S. I’ve used a single tool to prepare my BRD document, Product Roadmap and Sprint Planning document. This is Microsoft Excel.
You can learn even the advanced level of Excel with a huge number of videos available on youtube.
JIRA
I know you’ve heard this name a lot in BA circles, as this is the most common project management tool companies use in Agile projects.
You can track your issues and sprint progress, create user stories and whatnot.
It is a very simple tool to learn with easy functionalities to understand.
In addition to that, Confluence is a tool that is becoming quite famous these days for better team collaboration, maintaining your business documents, etc.
JIRA and Confluence are both Atlassian products.
You can start learning about them here:
I learnt Confluence by actually working on it in my current organization.
MS Visio
Visio is another Microsoft product, used mainly for business modelling, drawing flow charts, process modelling, etc.
This is one of the techniques that BAs use to understand the business process thoroughly for better improvement.
Lucidchart is yet another one in the race.
You can start learning about them here:
- Udemy Course by Tom Owsiak.
- Youtube videos
Balsamiq
Another very common name you’ll hear when it comes to designing wireframes, mockups, or low-fidelity prototypes for a BA.
Not to forget, Figma is winning the race currently. It is an all-rounder when it comes to designing everything on the same platform.
You can start learning about both of them here:
Google Analytics
If you are into business analytics, or your project demands working around analytics or data, this can be your go-to solution.
Although I haven’t personally taken any course to learn this, you can go ahead and opt for any Udemy course or even Youtube videos to get started.
Conclusion
The above tools are for starters.
As market demand changes and industries adapt to something easier to use and understand, you’ll need to upskill yourself.
But when it comes to a new BA in town and the confusion of where to start, this can be the answer to your question.
The best way to learn a tool is to start using it. By this, you can learn the tool in a more extensive way, something a course might not help you with.
Once you’re ready, I can help you:
- Prepare entirely for a career transition into a BA role with the practical tips and tricks that I personally followed during my journey.
- Understand the career path of a BA as a Product Owner and how you can go ahead with a PO role.
- Prepare for any of the upcoming interview sessions and revamp your CV.
Get your hands on my FREE booklet to understand how you can explain your projects in a more effective way for your upcoming interviews — Click the link
You can always follow Bhavini Sapra and subscribe to stay updated on every week’s question that an aspiring BA has with a practical solution to it.
High five!
