Business Analysts work within an organisation, helping to manage change and plan for the future in line with company goals.

While skills and knowledge are crucial to being a Business Analyst, there are some traits that they need to perform well in their role.

Good communicator

Being a skilled communicator is one of the most important skills to have as a business analyst. Part of the job involves interfacing with stakeholders and communicating with technical and non-technical people, therefore being articulate and having thorough communication is necessary. Being a great collaborator is also crucial. They have to unite and engage with teams in short amounts of time.

Diligent

Detail orientated focus- assisting project managers, working closely with other teams to define, create and document accurate project requirements is a big part of the role. Good BAs will also help track and resolve issues throughout the engagement. Paying attention to detail will help in foreseeing problems within a project and being able to resolve them.

Adaptable 

A good business analyst realises that their methods need to be adapted to the specific situation and environment that they are in. They can find new ways to deliver value to a project with their wide range of knowledge.

Business analysts that are versatile and multi-disciplined can identify opportunities if they have worked in other industries and they can take knowledge from their other disciplines and use it on their current projects.

Diplomatic

A great BA should be diplomatic and skilled peacemakers. They may find themselves dealing with difficult/disagreeing stakeholders and they will need to be a savvy negotiator and work with both sides to come to a mutual agreement. If there are changes in timeline, budgets, goals etc, they should be able to accommodate everyone.

What other traits do you think would make a good Business Analyst?