"Bridging the gap - How softskills strengthen Business Analysts"

In today's rapidly changing Business Environment , Business Analyst role is far beyond understanding data, documenting, creating diagrams. While technical skills are important , but softskills have become equally important for Business Analysts to perform more effectively. A Business Analyst with strong technical skills will also may fail to deliver the outcome with lacking soft skills. Analytical Thinking, Empathy and self-awareness, Problem Solving are include in softskills. Among all "Communication" is the crucial softskill for Business Analyst. Because, Business Analyst bridge the gap between the stakeholders and technical team. BA should be able to understand the technical ideas and explain it to the stakeholders in a simple way. In the same way , BA should be able to explain the business needs to the development team. If there is a miscommunication by BA , it may lead to Project Delay, misunderstanding the needs and the mistakes that may effect the budget. Another essential soft skill is "Active Listening" .Listening with an aim to understand what the other person is saying, asking questions in a way and trying to empathise with them. It is very important , because stakeholders will share their needs / expectations which r not in the official document. when a BA listen carefully, can ask questions and know the hidden requirements. "Analytical Thinking " is very crucial to Business Analyst. Many problems in Business are not immediately visible. Analytical thinking will help the BA to look beyond the surface and find the root cause of the issue to resolve. Creativity is very important in analytical thinking. Words can be not effective at times, taking notes may be little boring. For some people, visuals work the best fit. Illustration with diagrams can deliver the same ideas and better understanding is more efficiently and gives better interest in the similar concept. These skills also encourage the BA to analyze the situation in different angles, allowing them to think innovative and exploring creative approaches that helps the organisation. Another important softskill is "Empathy and Self-awareness" , is the ability to understand & managing our own emotions and other's emotions. BA often deal with stakeholders, they might be stresses or not giving consent for the changes. By showing empathy, patience BA can handle conflicts more effectively and build strong professional relationships. In addition, "Adaptability" is very important for Business Analyst. Technology is upgrading day by day. In this modern business world BA should be flexible by learning new tools & being updated with the new technologies, this makes the BA unique and stand out. So, There is no exceptional for softskills , because we use this in our day to day activities. For BA it is very crucial. Technical knowledge is important to understand the system, project. But it is equally to important to convey the information in clear. These skills will help BA to tackle any situation easily, to resolve any issue by innovative ideas. Softskills are not like an added value, it is essentially equal like technical skills. BA with strong technical and softskills will help to be in the competitive business world. Business Analyst with strong softskills will contribute to the organization success.