3 RECRUITING AND RETAINING BUSINESS ANALYSTS
INTRODUCTION
All organisations need to take the time to consider their recruitment and retention approach for business analysts. The demand for business analysis skills and experienced business analysts continues to increase and the market is often competitive and fast moving, with good candidates having a range of options available. Public, private and third sector organisations, across many business domains and industries, are looking to business analysis to improve project delivery, business efficiency and strategic clarity.
Attracting and retaining the right business analysts for an organisation takes planning and continued effort from the BA Service leadership. This needs to sit within an overall strategy for building and developing the BA Service, so it cannot be handed over to the HR or recruitment specialists. Figure 3.1 sets out the different activities within the recruitment and retention cycle that need to be considered when taking a strategic approach to building the members of the BA Service.
Figure 3.1 Business analyst recruitment and retention cycle
Recruitment decisions have a major impact on the delivery of the BA Service. Therefore, all elements of the business analyst recruitment and retention cycle, shown in Figure 3.1, need to be considered carefully. This chapter discusses the elements of this cycle in turn and presents various options and approaches that may apply to the different situations encountered within a BA Service.
RECRUITMENT STRATEGY
Many organisations will have an overarching recruitment strategy to guide managers. However, the BA Service has unique constraints and challenges that need to be considered and understood if the recruitment process is to be successful. Factors such as the local candidate market, competing employers, the need for particular business analysis skills and level of experience required, will all contribute to the approach to business analyst recruitment (see Appendix 2). The factors that will influence a business analyst recruitment strategy are represented in Figure 3.2.
Figure 3.2 Factors influencing the business analyst recruitment strategy
It is important to understand the context within which the BA Service is operating, and the business needs of customers, to determine a recruitment strategy that will best address the requirements for the specific BA Service. For example, if the Service needs to deploy business analysts very quickly and cost is not a barrier, employing contractors is likely to be the most appropriate option; if domain knowledge is critical to a particular project, internal recruitment within the organisation will be necessary; if the BA Service is struggling to keep pace with market salaries but is able to invest in development, an organic growth (pipeline) approach should be considered.
The needs of both the organisation and the BA Service will change over time, so they should be reviewed at regular and relevant intervals. A new BA Service may wish to invest initially in more senior business analysts to establish the Service quickly and deploy business analysts that require less training or support. Once the Service is established, it may be possible to recruit additional business analysts who are less experienced but can work alongside and be supported in their development by senior colleagues; this is discussed in Chapter 5.
Changes to organisational needs, the growth of the BA Service and the natural attrition of individual business analysts will cause vacancies to arise. It is possible that the make-up of the BA Service may be changed under such situations, which provides an opportunity to consider or re-consider the roles that are required to deliver the business analysis service portfolio. For example, are like-for-like roles required to replace departing business analysts or are new business analyst roles required to enhance the BA Service portfolio?
PESTLE analysis is a technique that is familiar to many business analysts when considering the external factors that will impact upon an organisation. The technique may also be used to consider a business area or function such as the BA Service within the context of a recruitment exercise. The PESTLE analysis in Table 3.1 identifies possible influences that may impact upon business analyst recruitment, which would need to be considered when developing a recruitment strategy. The PESTLE factors are outside the control of the organisation or business function under consideration.
Identifying the required business analyst skills
Business analysis is a broad discipline, with most practitioners having strengths and preferences in some areas and gaps in experience or knowledge in other areas. For example, many business analysts have process analysis experience, but far fewer have data analysis experience. Job descriptions may require ‘all round’ strengths, but the recruitment process needs to emphasise the skills and relevant experience most needed by the BA Service and its customers, given the current situation.
The BASF described in Chapter 2 sets out a portfolio of services that may be delivered by the BA Service. This portfolio is elaborated to identify the activities performed and techniques applied when delivering each business analysis service. Therefore, the BASF offers a basis for considering the skills required of business analysts within a particular BA Service. In addition to these analytical skills – the ‘professional’ skills of a business analyst – it is also important to identify other areas of skill – the ‘personal’ and ‘business’ skills. These three areas represent the holistic skill set required of a business analyst and are defined in detail in Chapter 4. They are described in overview in Table 3.2.
Table 3.1 PESTLE analysis to identify influences on business analyst recruitment
External factor |
Considerations |
Political |
These may be external factors, such as political issues that are causing uncertainty for the BA Service, or they may be political factors within the organisation, but outside the BA Service, such as organisational policies or structures |
Economic |
These may be external factors, such as market salaries and industry trends, or may be factors such as recruitment budgets imposed on the BA Service by the organisation |
Socio-cultural |
These may be external factors, such as the availability of business analysis work in the local area, or internal factors such as the staff profile requirements defined for the organisation |
Technological |
These may be external factors, such as technological developments relevant to the business domain, or internal factors such as the technology that is available to support recruitment |
Legal |
These factors are likely to be external, such as employment, immigration/sponsorship and equality and diversity legislation |
Environmental |
These may be external factors, such as transport links and desirability of location and internal factors such as organisational policy on employee travelling distances |
Table 3.2 The three skill areas required of business analysts
The business analyst skill set can be broken down into three areas of competency, each of which needs to be assessed by the selection process. The importance placed on each area of business analysis competency will vary from one organisation to another and between business analyst roles and grades.
Research carried out by the UK Business Analysis Manager Forum (BAMF, 2012) found broad agreement that all three skill areas are required of business analysts but, for more senior business analysts, at least half of the skill set is attributed to personal qualities. The breakdown defined by the BAMF for the senior analysts is represented in Figure 3.3.
However, the breakdown will vary between organisations and will also depend upon the nature of the role conducted by a business analyst. For example, when working within a change deployment service, the likelihood is that the personal qualities will be at the forefront, irrespective of the grade of the analyst. The key is that all three skill areas are given due consideration when developing a recruitment strategy for the BA Service and planning a specific recruitment exercise.
The BA Service can also prioritise skills in terms of what is essential at the outset, and what can be developed in individuals over time. It is far easier to support and train analysts in professional techniques such as process modelling than to develop personal qualities such as stakeholder management and facilitation skills.
The recruitment pipeline
Organisations are competing to recruit experienced business analysts, so it is important to expand the pool of business analysts, particularly those with sufficient talent and potential. This can be achieved by implementing a ‘grow your own’ (Lovelock and Wilford, 2014) or ‘pipeline’ approach, whereby individuals are recruited based on their aptitude and attitude rather than their knowledge and experience. This approach requires BA leaders to make a commitment to develop and support individuals with the required personal qualities that will enable them to become good business analysts.
Figure 3.3 The three business analysis skill areas
If business analysis is to be a widely recognised career option, there needs to be more clearly defined entry routes (or ‘pipelines’) into the profession, with an increased number of opportunities to start a coherent career in business analysis. Figure 3.4 highlights several potential entry points.
Figure 3.4 Pipeline options for entry into business analyst roles
Each pipeline option focuses on a different target market of candidates. This offers a number of options to BA leaders when recruiting business analysts into the BA Service. These options are described in Table 3.3.
Recruiting younger workers
The adoption of a pipeline approach may introduce younger workers into the BA Service. Younger workers are people who are entering employment for the first time or entering their chosen profession for the first time. Typically, this means a younger worker may be anyone up to the age of 24 years old (ACAS Guidance, 2016).
Table 3.3 Pipeline options for business analyst recruitment
Pipeline option |
Description |
Apprenticeships |
The Information Systems Business Analysis Apprentice standard is an industry-wide apprenticeship that is available in England under a UK Government scheme with BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, providing the end-point assessment. The content of the scheme was devised by business analysis practitioners and, as a result, is extensive and rigorous. The scheme provides the opportunity to re-train existing staff or attract and develop new candidates. Taking this approach can lead to long-term commitment from apprentice business analysts, as they are provided with a wide-ranging entry into business analysis. The scheme may also offer benefits to more senior business analysts, as it provides opportunities to offer mentoring and support the development of apprentices. Organisational benefits include demonstrating corporate social responsibility and providing a cost-effective workforce (CIPD, 2017) |
Graduate Scheme |
Specific business analyst graduate entrant schemes or organisation-wide graduate schemes that feature business analysis as a rotation or placement. There will be initial costs associated with the creation of a scheme, then the ongoing cost of recruitment and training (usually on an annual cohort cycle). Business analyst graduate schemes often attract motivated individuals who are quick learners. With the appropriate direction and development, they can produce quality business analysis outputs. However, not all graduates finishing the scheme will stay with the organisation on completion. While the attrition rate is likely to be higher than for apprentices, graduate schemes offer benefits as they allow graduates at an early point to decide if business analysis is a career they wish to follow. Such schemes can also contribute to the provision of a cost-effective BA Service |
Some organisations provide recruitment, training and support for recent graduates, ex-forces personnel or people who have been out of the job market for various reasons. Individuals are placed on a client site using a consultancy model, with the opportunity to transfer from a successful engagement to a permanent role. This allows organisations without the requisite internal infrastructure to access a talent pipeline approach and gain benefits quite quickly. This approach is more expensive than direct graduate salaries but avoids many of the internal cost overheads. Contractual obligations relating to individuals who take up long-term roles with the organisation once the initial contract term is completed, need to be clearly articulated and agreed by both parties |
|
Entry-level roles |
Some organisations recruit individuals who have experience of work, possibly indirectly related to business analysis and with appropriate transferable skills, but who do not have any significant experience of business analysis work Advertised entry-level roles in business analysis may be attractive to internal and external candidates. They can provide a development route from areas of the organisation that are outside IT and business change. This may include support desk analysts, call centre operators or individuals from business teams who have encountered business analysts and wish to move into this discipline. This approach has the potential to extend the market of potential candidates and requires the recruitment approach to be targeted to those with the necessary interpersonal skills or specific business knowledge who can then learn the professional business analysis techniques |
Placement scheme |
Placement schemes provide the opportunity to host university students within the workplace, either as an internship (three months) or a year in industry (9–12 months). Having a rolling programme of placements ensures that there will always be capacity at this level, but the individual will change. Placements work best where there is a backlog of projects or work packages that can be assigned and completed without complex dependencies, as this ensures that work can be delivered effectively within the time frame. In some cases, a placement may lead to a permanent post, so it provides a post-graduate recruitment opportunity |
Additional considerations may be needed when recruiting younger workers, such as:
• the use of different recruitment channels;
• the application of a ‘new to work’ induction process that provides information and guidance in addition to a standard induction;
• clear articulation of the workplace conventions and unwritten rules;
• clear articulation of workplace expectations (for younger workers and those supporting them);
• particular attention to workplace health and safety, which may be unfamiliar to younger workers;
• an emphasis that learning is two-way, and that they have skills and knowledge to share, even though they are relatively inexperienced workers.
Contract types
The market for business analysts is an important factor to be considered when an organisation is developing its strategy for delivering the BA Service. Typically, a BA Service hires both employed and contracted staff and will operate using one or more of the following models:
• Permanent employee: business analysts who are employed by the organisation on an ongoing (permanent) basis.
• Fixed-term contract: business analysts whose terms and conditions are typically the same as permanent staff, but with a specified end date.
• Contractor: usually business analysts engaged on an agreed ‘day-rate’ for a specific purpose or length of time.
• Consultant: business analysts employed by an external organisation that is engaged to provide a team or individuals to work on a specific work package, project, business deliverable or period of time.
The combination of contracts used to deliver the BA Service varies from organisation to organisation and there are no fixed ratios that will work in every situation. Some organisations use all permanent staff, some supplement the permanent staff with fixed-term or contractor business analysts, some rely mainly on contractor business analysts, and so on. The appropriate use and split of these arrangements will be influenced by several factors such as:
• cost;
• timescales for recruitment and deployment;
• certainty and clarity of ongoing funding streams;
• flexibility to scale-up or shrink the BA Service team at short notice;
• level of availability or scarcity of business analysis skills in local market;
• level of seniority or experience required of individual business analysts;
• need for specific or specialised experience or skill set.
Table 3.4 highlights some of the advantages and disadvantages of different employment models.
Table 3.4 Employment models
RECRUITMENT PLANNING
The plan for the recruitment campaign needs to reflect the perspective of the recruiting organisation such as policies and processes to be adhered to, activities required, timescales, dependencies and who will be involved. The plan must also consider the following questions regarding potential candidates: Who are they? What will attract them to the role? What are the best routes to reach them?
Timescales
There are two main options for timescales relating to the search stage: setting a specific deadline or ‘closing date’ and reviewing all applications after that date; or, looking at applications as and when they are received and moving to the next stage when sufficient applications (by quality or quantity) have been received. Job advertisements are typically published for about two weeks. This duration could be longer if using a bespoke application form and shorter if using CVs as a first stage assessment tool.
With both approaches it is important to have planned interview dates and time slots, as panel member availability and room availability often provide logistical challenges and cause delays.
Urgency
BA leaders often find themselves in a position of reactive recruitment to address an urgent business need. When planning ‘urgent’ recruitment, it may be necessary to consider the following questions:
• Is it really urgent? How do we know? Are there alternatives?
• Do we have other ways to address the need than via recruitment? (see Chapter 9, Prioritising demand).
• How might we compromise our business analyst recruitment strategy to meet urgent timescales? (For example, accept a less-experienced candidate, offer a higher salary, use a contract business analyst, use recruitment agencies and incur higher recruiting costs.)
• What shortcuts might we take in the recruitment process? (For example, use of CVs rather than an application form, allow shorter advert/search time, only consider candidates who are immediately available.)
• Who wants to be involved in recruitment versus who needs to be involved? Who will prioritise the time to shortlist candidates and interview at the earliest opportunity?
Beware of making poor recruiting decisions due to perceived urgency and pressure. When the heat of the urgent situation has subsided, customers of the BA Service and the business analyst recruiting lead tend to agree that it is better to experience a short wait for the right candidate than to address the impact of an inappropriate appointment.
Approvals
Financial and managerial approvals may need to be secured before the search stage can be initiated. This will be much easier to obtain if a recruitment strategy is in place and has agreement in principle from those who can allow the recruitment activity to start. Approvals may be needed in relation to:
• increasing the budget or headcount of the BA Service;
• acceptable pay scales and salaries;
• job descriptions and person specifications to ensure organisational alignment;
• format, wording and publication of advertisements;
• use of recruitment specialists.
As approval processes could introduce delay to the process, the BA Service needs to be proactive in these areas.
Recruitment information pack
There are a number of pieces of information that are required to support the recruitment process. The pack is likely to include:
• the advertisement;
• the job description;
• the person specification;
• a set of interview questions.
In most cases it is possible to have a generic information pack that can be tailored for a specific business analyst recruitment. It is useful to review these documents and keep them up to date on a regular basis so that a reactive or urgent recruitment is not delayed unnecessarily.
Re-use of the recruitment pack also promotes consistency across recruitment campaigns and, as this means each campaign does not have to start from scratch, offers an efficient approach for each business analyst recruitment exercise. It is useful to consider the candidate experience at this stage by assessing the quality, quantity and format of information made available.
Efficient recruitment
The recruitment process can be made more effective and efficient, but this can only be achieved if a baseline is established and ongoing measurements are taken. During the planning stage it is useful to set the metrics that will be tracked. Key metrics concern the number of applications, conversion rates and timescales (see Chapter 13, Recruitment metrics).
Recruitment attraction factors
Business analyst candidates who are considering a new role will evaluate two aspects:
• the push (things they do not like about their current role and organisation);
• the pull (attraction factors about a new role or organisation).
Table 3.5 shows the general considerations that apply to the attraction of any role and also a number of considerations that relate specifically to the BA Service. These specific factors are almost always the questions business analysts ask at interview.
Table 3.5 Attraction factors for business analyst roles
General considerations |
Remuneration (pay, bonus, pension) Flexibility Culture Reputation Location Working environment Organisation stability |
BA-specific considerations |
BA Service maturity BA Service culture BA career path Training and development Types of projects and opportunities Position of the BA Service within the organisation BA working practices (e.g. development methodologies, notation standards and support tools) |
Approach to attracting business analysts
An effective business analyst recruitment campaign can be achieved through the investment of the appropriate time and effort by the BA Service and does not always come down to a question of money spent on the campaign. There are a number of key questions business analyst recruiting leads can consider and address to increase the likelihood of a successful recruitment campaign. These are listed in Table 3.6.
SEARCH
This stage of the recruitment process relates to ensuring that appropriate candidates are aware of the role within the organisation.
Recruitment channels
BA recruiting leads need to think creatively about how to reach the best candidates and they should not expect that using one channel will provide consistently good candidates. It may be necessary to have a coordinated recruitment campaign that utilises several channels simultaneously to signpost potential candidates to the organisation and role. The range of recruitment channels is described in Table 3.7.
Table 3.6 Planning effective business analyst recruitment
Key questions |
Detail |
Are the job descriptions clear and informative? |
Lengthy job descriptions with pages of candidate criteria can be counter-productive. It is important to focus on the core expectations, outcomes and relationships for the role. The criteria should be streamlined by grouping and reducing where possible |
Are job titles in keeping with the market? |
Ensure that job titles reflect market trends. Candidates may have automated alerts for specific key words or job titles. It is helpful to consider whether a job title is too specific or too generic |
Is the salary appropriate for the level of skills and experience required? |
Ensure that salaries are in step with the market and that additional benefits are clearly highlighted If the salary cannot be changed, it may be necessary to consider reviewing the expectations of candidates for the role |
What channels can be used to reach potential candidates? |
The recruitment channel may need to be tailored to the particular skills or experience being sought There may be the potential to incentivise existing employees to make referrals and recommendations (see ‘Recruitment channels’) |
Are the benefits of the role and the organisation highlighted explicitly? |
This is a two-way selection process; candidates need reasons to decide to submit an application and accept a role (see ‘Recruitment attraction factors’) |
Is the language used appropriate and inclusive? |
Ensure that the language used in advertisements and job descriptions is professional, balanced and inviting This is the opportunity to sell the role to attract the best candidates. It can be very useful to seek input from recruitment experts |
Is the recruitment process clear? |
Ensure that the process for recruitment and selection is conveyed clearly to candidates, especially those candidates who are from outside the organisation or sector |
Is communication working well? |
Consider making the process as engaging as possible by reviewing the tone of written communications and offering a personal contact point for any queries regarding the role Review the use of standard and automated emails; they may not be suitable, sufficiently informative or provide a good impression of the organisation |
Avoid lengthy waiting periods between the recruitment stages, as they provide an opportunity for a candidate to receive further job offers Consider whether the process is supporting candidate needs as well as organisation needs. For example, the use of lengthy bespoke application forms versus use of CVs; or, the use of fixed interview dates versus flexibility to accommodate candidates’ commitments |
|
How can existing business analysts be involved in the recruitment process? |
Business analysts currently employed by the organisation can help by making referrals and recommendations via professional networks and social media. These may include quotes or testimonials about the role and the working environment. If appropriate, videos or photos can help to present a positive image of the role and the environment. They may also play a role in the business analyst selection process |
Table 3.7 Business analyst recruitment channels
Channel |
Description |
Organisation job site |
Most organisations have a jobs-listing or careers section on their own website. Using this as the only recruitment channel assumes that candidates are aware of the organisation as a potential employer of business analysts and are actively looking for roles. Therefore, this channel may yield limited results if it is the sole approach used. The organisation’s site may be used in conjunction with other channels as the focal point candidates are directed to Unlikely to incur cost |
Industry- and sector-specific sites, profession-specific sites, general CV/job sites |
Sites relevant to business analysis will have an audience of current professionals considering a new role Sites relevant to an industry or sector will have an audience with relevant domain knowledge who may be interested in becoming a business analyst General job-listing sites will have a wide audience with varying levels of experience May incur cost |
This is a way of reaching ‘passive’ candidates who are not necessarily looking for a role but may consider the right opportunity Timing and timescales need to be considered for these channels, as there may be time delays (such as restrictions on when advertisements can be posted) or time restrictions (including minimum and maximum lengths of time for advertisements) Likely to incur cost |
|
Organisation newsletters, email updates |
Using both internal and external communications channels is a way to reach individuals who already know something about the organisation and may be interested in joining it Likely to incur little cost |
Social media |
Can be promoted by organisations (corporate social media accounts) or by individuals to raise awareness of the roles and benefits of working for an organisation May incur cost |
Existing staff and their professional networks |
Encourage existing business analysts to share links to the advert or social media posts with their professional networks Many people find roles through people they know and may appreciate the opportunity to find out about an organisation before submitting an application to work there Some organisations have an employee referral scheme (using bonuses, extra holiday or other incentives) for referring someone who is subsequently appointed May incur cost |
Job fairs |
Attending local and national job fairs aimed at different audiences (school leavers, graduates, experienced professionals) can raise awareness of an organisation and the roles that are available. This channel also provides a direct means of communicating with potential candidates Job fairs are likely to have set dates with long lead-in times, so recruitment timescales need to be designed around each event May incur cost |
Networking events encourage existing business analysts and professionals from related disciplines to see the organisation in a positive light and may prompt them into applying to work there May incur cost if sponsoring or hosting an event |
|
Open days |
Open days offer an opportunity for recruitment by showcasing the work of the organisation to all potential candidates. While this may attract some unsuitable candidates, some candidates may perform better in person than on paper, so an open day would enable them to engage with the BA Service team and potentially progress within the recruitment process. This channel is particularly attractive if the organisation is looking to recruit a number of different roles at the same time Likely to incur cost |
Local university links |
It is possible to work with university careers teams to participate in events and advertise via careers websites. This channel is likely to require an investment of time, and university term times and activity cycles will need to be considered May incur cost |
Recruiters |
See the discussion below regarding the use of recruitment specialists Will incur cost |
Use of recruitment specialists
The use of recruitment specialists is a source of ongoing debate amongst BA leaders and is generally driven by positive or poor experiences of individuals – sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t. There are number of factors that contribute to each of these outcomes.
Recruitment or Talent Acquisition (TA) specialists sometimes have a specialist business analysis division, or particular individuals who focus on recruiting business analysts. These specialists should have a good understanding of the role and the qualities of a good business analyst, although this will need to be tailored to the specific needs of the recruiting organisation. They should provide insight to the local market, access to a range of candidates – including those who may not be actively looking for roles – as well as communication channels to a large number of active candidates. The relationship with one or more specialist business analyst recruiters can become a strategic partnership for a BA Service that faces a high volume of recruitment.
Recruiters who do not specialise in business analysis may struggle to understand what is needed, so may put forward candidates who are unsuitable. Agreements with recruiters that are open to broad interpretation sometimes drive unhelpful behaviour, such as, ‘might as well put this CV forward’, where the suitability of candidates is open to compromise. This causes the recruiting lead to spend unnecessary time and effort reviewing unacceptable CVs or interviewing inappropriate candidates.
Tracking of appointable candidates put forward by recruitment partners, keeping regular contact with recruiters and agreeing the requirements and expectations will provide a means of evaluating the service they provide. This will also help to ensure that the benefits from using recruitment agencies continue to outweigh the costs incurred, which may be significant.
Asking the questions posed in Table 3.6 will help to obtain the most benefit from the specialist advice offered. It is also a good idea to ask recruiters what else the BA Service might do to attract suitable candidates.
Larger organisations may have internal recruitment specialists, and it is equally important for the BA Service to cultivate this working relationship. Both internal and external recruitment specialists should advocate the use of a recruitment strategy meeting before initiating a business analyst recruitment campaign to understand what is really required and to agree the relevant channels, approach and time frame.
SELECTION APPROACH
The business analyst recruitment and selection approach must allow the recruiting lead to:
• provide the opportunity for the organisation to select the candidate, and the candidate to select the organisation;
• identify candidates who really are business analysts, regardless of previous job titles or stated knowledge and experience;
• assess whether there is a shared understanding of what constitutes business analysis;
• understand both the breadth and depth of the candidate’s previous business analysis experience;
• look for the specific skills and experience that the BA Service needs;
• look for the skills and qualities that differentiate a competent business analyst from a great business analyst.
The selection process
Having an assessment process with multiple phases increases the likelihood of selecting the right candidate for the role. Figure 3.5 represents a typical selection process.
Each stage of the process is described in more detail in Table 3.8.
Figure 3.5 Business analyst selection process
Table 3.8 Stages of the selection process
The first three stages may be conducted internally or by a recruitment agency; this will vary according to the channel chosen for attracting candidates. Depending on the level of standardisation set by the organisation for the recruitment process, one or more of these phases may be dropped. For example, an informal visit may be too time-intensive for the business analyst recruiting lead and candidates, so it may be decided to progress to an offer without this stage.
The recruitment process adopted should demonstrate that the same level of rigour and financial control is in place as with other types of expenditure; the financial commitment associated with recruitment is often far more significant than other types of expenditure, plus the impact of a poor process leading to a poor decision can be extremely costly.
Organisations that need to be more responsive or are struggling to recruit business analysts may need to adopt a more flexible, less formal approach. More proactive organisations may use an ‘always recruiting’ model, where they do not place advertisements when specific vacancies arise but are always willing to accept or make initial approaches. Clarity needs to be provided to potential candidates on the reasoning behind ongoing recruitment. For example, this may be due to the growth of the BA Service and increasing volume of work or may result from the expansion of the organisation itself. However, organisations who are in constant recruitment mode can cause concern with candidates, as this may suggest cultural issues resulting in a high turnover of staff.
Whatever the selection process adopted by an organisation, there are a variety of selection tools available to the recruiting lead. Table 3.9 describes the advantages and disadvantages of the available selection tools.
Table 3.9 Selection tool evaluation
The assessment approaches available to business analyst recruiting leads are described in further detail in Table 3.10.
Table 3.10 Assessment approaches for recruiting business analysts
Assessment approach |
Description |
Presentation |
Candidates may be asked to pre-prepare a presentation for the interview panel. This is a useful way to assess a business analyst, as both the format and content of the candidate’s prepared presentation gives a good insight into their style and approach. It is important to set limits regarding the use of technology, time available and number of slides. Candidates can sometimes prepare the presentation at the expense of preparing for the interview as a whole |
Task |
Setting the candidate a previously unseen task to complete within a set time frame. This might include creating a process diagram for a given scenario, role-playing a requirements elicitation session, analysing a written scenario, or preparing a short presentation on a given topic. Candidates can be fearful of an invitation to undertake an unknown task they cannot prepare for, but flexibility and the ability to adapt and respond to a situation are pivotal for a business analyst role. A task provides a good opportunity to see a demonstration of a candidate’s business analysis skills |
Test |
There is a growing use of online assessments prior to interview that reveal additional information about a candidate. These can focus on different areas, such as knowledge of business analysis or psychometric tests |
Many organisations now incorporate attainment of professional certification into their assessment process; in particular, for roles above a certain level of seniority. Professional certification demonstrates a specific level of business analysis competence as well as a commitment to personal development and professional direction. It provides a degree of certainty that candidates and recruiting managers have a mutual understanding of standard business analysis services, language and practices. This is discussed further in Chapter 4. Where good candidates have not attained desired certifications, it is still possible to assess their knowledge of the topics encompassed by the certifications and to evaluate their willingness to undertake the requisite study and examinations |
|
Interview questions |
The breadth of interview questions should cover all three elements of the business analyst role: personal qualities, professional techniques and business knowledge. Part of the recruitment planning process aims to ensure that the appropriate weighting in terms of number of questions and time is allocated to the elements that are most critical for the role. The questions selected should trace back to the business analysis recruitment strategy (see Appendix 2), so that specific skills and knowledge that have been prioritised by the BA Service are being examined Many organisations use ‘competency-based’ interview questions that focus on real examples from the candidate’s past experience and relate to specific areas of skill or knowledge that are needed to be successful in the advertised role. ‘Values-based’ interview questions can use a similar format (‘tell me about a time when...’) but concentrate on the candidate’s approach, outlook and motivations, and can help to identify if the candidate shares the same values as the organisation Possible follow-ups to the main questions should be identified, as they can help to achieve more of a conversational style of interview. Additional follow-up questions may also arise from the information provided by the candidate It is important to think about how answers to questions will be evaluated, in terms of both content and delivery format. For example, what would be the elements of a good answer in relation to this role? What negative indicators would cause concern and point to the need for further questioning? |
Table 3.11 sets out an example interview question plus the following:
• possible follow-up questions;
• questions to be considered when evaluating the format of the answer;
• questions to be considered when evaluating the content of the answer;
• positive indicators regarding the candidate’s performance;
• negative indicators regarding the candidate’s performance.
Table 3.11 Example of competency-based questions and evaluation
Example question: Can you tell me about a time when you had to gain agreement from a group of senior stakeholders? Follow-up questions: How did you approach the situation? What did you have to produce? Who else was involved? What was the outcome? What would you do differently in hindsight/what did you learn from this situation? |
|
Format evaluation |
Content evaluation |
Was the question answered? Was the answer clear and concise? Was a specific situation described or a general/hypothetical answer given? Was the situation easy to follow? Was the length of answer sufficiently detailed/too detailed? |
Were the person’s own role and actions clearly described? What was the level of ‘seniority’ involved? What was the significance of the agreement? Was anything produced (presentations, papers, etc.) or driven by conversations? What was the person’s attitude towards others involved? Did the approach suit the situation? |
Positive indicators |
Situation sufficiently complex that it cannot be resolved in a single conversation Proactive, prepared Tailoring of approach for different stakeholders Collaborative approach Understanding of different perspectives |
Situation very simple/easily resolved Stakeholders not sufficiently senior Other people actually gained the agreement; candidate is a bystander Poor attitude towards stakeholders No tailoring of communication and influencing styles No learning/reflections from the experience |
|
There is no single right answer to a question of the type shown in Table 3.11, but there are elements that make the answer stronger or weaker. Business analysts with different levels of experience would answer this question very differently, and each answer could be assessed as ‘meets’, ‘above’ or ‘below’ the level expected for this role. It is also common to use a numerical scoring approach to differentiate answers with greater precision.
An experienced business analyst recruiting lead may be applying this recruitment assessment process automatically. Articulating the elements of the process explicitly enables other members of the BA Service to become involved in, and potentially lead, recruitment campaigns as this provides a means of applying consistent evaluation across candidates and across different recruitment campaigns.
Panels
Panel interviews usually make up some part of the interview process, even where one-to-one interviews also feature. Selecting the right panel is an important part of the interview process to ensure that a number of different perspectives are represented and that a fair process is applied. Panels of two or three members typically provide a balance of different viewpoints without intimidating candidates. A possible composition for an interview panel is shown in Table 3.12.
Table 3.12 Constitution of an interview panel for a business analyst role
It is useful to agree the roles of each panel member, remind all members of interview etiquette and agree that it is the responsibility of the panel to:
• get the best from candidates;
• keep to time;
• be fair to all candidates;
• conduct themselves in a manner that reflects well on the organisation and leaves a good impression, even if a candidate is not appointable.
It is also important to discuss beforehand that if there are no appointable candidates, then no one should be offered the role and to agree that this is an acceptable outcome. This helps to avoid ‘best of a bad bunch’ syndrome, where the panel feels inclined to appoint the best candidate, even if the standard is low, in order to avoid a ‘failed recruitment’.
Bias in recruitment
Unconscious bias refers to the process of forming quick opinions about a situation or person without being consciously aware of it. Biases are essentially mental shortcuts that use knowledge about social situations, attitudes, cultures, emotional reactions and many more aspects of daily life.
In recruitment, unconscious bias can significantly affect decision making. While it is important to be able to use experience and professional judgement to assess applicants, problems can arise when decisions are influenced too heavily by biases in the form of assumptions, expectations, preferences and stereotypes.
Organisations now generally accept that conscious and unconscious bias are almost always present in their employees and therefore in the recruitment process. Raising awareness of unconscious bias is the first step to helping people to address bias. Other steps that may be taken are:
• using an anonymised application form or CV process;
• creating diverse interview panels;
• using structured interviews and standard questions for all candidates.
Recruiting leads should challenge their own preconceptions of ‘organisational/team fit’, the ‘ideal candidate’ and the first impressions gained. They should also guard against ‘recruiting in their own image’ and where possible, seek views from trusted colleagues who may be able to offer a different perspective.
Feedback to candidates
Candidates are likely to have invested a significant amount of time in the recruitment process and if they are unsuccessful, they should be given the opportunity to obtain honest and constructive feedback. It is important to ensure that providing constructive feedback is built into the recruitment process. One way to approach to this is for the panel to agree a few points of feedback on each candidate during the interview process. These points should be captured on a separate sheet so that the feedback can be discussed easily with candidates at a later stage.
Appointable candidates also value feedback on their interview technique and any concerns or outstanding queries the panel may have. Therefore, the interview feedback approach may also be relevant to them as they start their new role.
Feedback on the recruitment process
Business analysts who have been recently appointed, or who have turned down an offer, are a great source of feedback on the attraction and selection approach adopted. To collect feedback on the process, the business analyst recruiting lead needs to:
• design and embed a process to seek feedback;
• consider the most appropriate mechanism (for example, a telephone call or short online survey);
• be prepared to act on any feedback received.
Questions used to explore the candidate experience of the recruitment process can be both qualitative and quantitative. For example:
• What attracted to you apply?
• What factors influenced your decision?
• How would you rate the experience of going through this process (1–5)?
• What could have made a difference for you?
• How can the experience be improved for future candidates?
Improving the candidate experience of recruitment may not necessarily require significant changes to the process (which are often set at an organisational level). Making minor adjustments to how the process is applied can lead to a much better, more engaging, experience.
INDUCTION
An effective employee induction process improves both retention and performance, and will help new employees to become familiar with their role. The induction (or on-boarding) process should give new business analysts the information and tools they need to do their job from the outset, so that they are contributing to delivering the BA Service as soon as possible. This is beneficial to the new business analyst, existing business analysts and customers.
The BA Service should develop specific induction materials in addition to any organisation-wide information. The additional materials should include a business analyst welcome pack and a business analysis induction checklist. For more information on this subject, see Appendix 3.
Business analyst welcome pack
The welcome pack provides an opportunity to introduce the person to the business analyst role, the BA Service and the organisation, and to begin with positive messages and clear direction in order to foster a sense of belonging.
The pack should contain information such as:
• the mission and strategy for the BA Service;
• the BA service portfolio (see Chapter 2) and key projects and assignments;
• BA Service Improvement Plan (see Chapter 12);
• information on business analysis standards and templates (see Chapter 6);
• information about the use of and support for the business analysis tools and technology (see Chapter 7);
• the business analysis dashboard (see Chapter 13);
• key contacts within the organisation and the BA Service;
• organisation charts;
• the business analyst job description for the role.
The welcome pack could be made available as a virtual or physical pack and should be provided on the first day. There are benefits to a physical pack, such as the person feels that effort has been made for them, the pack can support conversations in an informal environment away from desks and it can be used as a reference point if waiting for IT equipment to be made available and accessible. It is also useful to share the pack electronically for future reference and to provide access to any links provided.
Some organisations also provide new employees with branded items such as mugs, stationery, lanyards, bags or water bottles as part of the welcome pack, which can be a positive way to greet new members of staff.
Business analyst induction checklist
Creating a checklist is a useful way to ensure that the induction process is applied consistently and nothing is missed inadvertently (see Table 3.13 and Appendix 3).
People and process
The amount of information involved in starting in a new role or joining a new organisation can be overwhelming and, to new joiners, it may seem that they are on a treadmill working their way through a standard process. Given this, it is helpful to consider people as individuals, as well as ensuring that the process is applied. This ‘human approach’ will help those joining the organisation to build relationships, and feel a part of the team, from the outset.
Table 3.13 New business analyst induction checklist
Human factors to consider as part of induction are:
• keep in touch at periodic intervals if the new joiner has to work through a long notice period, and perhaps send an invitation to any suitable business analysis meetings or events;
• send a new job card before they start;
• make customers and other business analysts aware of the new joiner’s name and start date before they begin working at the organisation;
• send information to explain logistics such as parking, entry, desk arrangements, kitchens, lunch and drinks;
• arrange who will have lunch with them on the first day;
• assign a buddy for them (see Chapter 5).
The induction process is not just for a new business analyst to learn about the organisation and the role; it should be a two-way process. It allows BA leaders get to know the person and understand their preferences, strengths and areas for development. It provides a mechanism to check that things are progressing as expected, address any concerns and set the tone for a successful ongoing relationship.
The induction process also provides the opportunity to get a fresh perspective, as new business analysts may be invited to share any thoughts and observations on the BA Service – in particular, its processes and ways of working.
RETENTION
In a competitive market and having previously put a great deal of effort into recruitment, organisations need to continually review the reasons why their most effective business analysts would want to stay. Retention factors are generally in line with the recruitment attraction factors listed in Table 3.5, but also include:
•the level of communication and openness within the BA Service and organisation;
• how business analysts feel about their manager and the organisation more widely;
• the extent to which business analysts feel engaged with the organisation and have the ability to shape and influence the BA Service and the work they do;
• the social aspects;
• the level of clarity about the business analyst role and recognition of their work;
• the fairness of opportunity, evaluation and reward within the organisation and the BA Service;
• career development and progression opportunities available to business analysts.
Different perspectives on business analyst career development are discussed in the rest of this section.
BA career pathway
There is no standard business analysis career pathway (Reed, 2018). People enter business analysis from a range of backgrounds and progress in different ways both within and outside the profession. There is also a wide range of job titles in use across different organisations. Despite this variety, a pattern has emerged in recent years that reflects a generic career path within a BA Service of sufficient size and maturity to have a range of business analyst grades. This pathway is shown in Figure 3.6.
Figure 3.6 Career path trajectory for business analysts
This career pathway facilitates an ‘expert leader’ approach (Goodall, 2012), where the person is an experienced practitioner of the discipline they are leading. This is especially important for roles with high levels of ambiguity, such as business analysis (see Chapter 1), as there is a need to advocate for and exemplify the role in order to help bring clarity for those doing the role and the customers of the service. Where a BA Service has the benefit of an expert leader, the level of maturity of the BA Service is increased (Artz, Goodall and Oswald, 2016).
The Level 5 leadership model was developed by Jim Collins (2001). This is a useful model to refer to in relation to the business analysis career path and is shown in Figure 3.7. There are a number of comparisons that can be made between the two models:
• The first step for any business analyst role is to be able to demonstrate and evidence being a highly capable individual.
• Practising business analysts (that is entry level, business analysts and senior business analysts from Figure 3.6) can be considered Highly Capable Individuals, Contributing Team Members or neither of these depending on their attitude, behaviours and performance.
• Highly capable business analysts who operate independently and autonomously may feel ready for a management role; this model highlights the need to become a Contributing Team Member (Level 2) before aiming to progress to a management role.
• Expectations of a senior business analyst may lie at either Level 2 or 3 depending on the organisation and structure of the BA Service; this needs to be clear when recruiting new business analysts to the team and for existing post holders.
• Both head of business analysis and BA manager roles may allow people to operate in the Effective Leader (Level 4) space. However, there is no consistent Level 5 Executive role that offers a clear progression route for business analysts.
Figure 3.7 Five levels of leadership (adapted from Collins, 2001)
Generalist versus specialist analysts
Business analysts can move into a general business analyst role from a range of specialist analyst roles. Equally, business analysts with general experience in the role can find an analysis specialism they enjoy and wish to focus on. Three possible specialisms and the range of roles within them are listed in Table 3.14.
Table 3.14 Analysis specialisms
When planning recruitment into the BA Service, it may be necessary to consider whether specialist roles and job titles are needed, or whether targeted recruitment can ensure that individuals with the right skills are attracted without the need to reduce the scope of the role.
If specialist roles are introduced, consideration must be given to how they fit with the business analyst career path shown in Figure 3.6. The introduction of multiple job descriptions at multiple levels requires a significant management overhead and may result in other disadvantages such as reduced flexibility of the workforce and confusion amongst customers. Chapter 1 discussed the issues that arise from role ambiguity, including a lack of certainty regarding what the role can offer and how the work will be performed.
Where legacy specialist roles and job titles exist, it may be appropriate to undertake a rationalisation exercise to standardise job descriptions and titles as far as possible.
Business analyst career options
All business analysts have the option to change both their role and their organisation. This means that there are four positive options for BA leaders to discuss with their business analysts, and they are shown in Figure 3.8. It is key to the success of the business analysis profession that individual analysts are choosing to be part of the profession and do not simply remain in a business analyst role because they feel they have no other options. Even with the appropriate training and support, not all practitioners will enjoy or excel at business analysis. Further, not all business analyst roles are the same and moving to a business analyst role in a different organisation may make better use of an individual’s skills and experience.
The BA Career Options model (Lovelock, 2018), shown in Figure 3.8, indicates that, at any point in time, there are four possible career paths for business analysts. These paths involve changing or committing to the role and changing or committing to the organisation.
Figure 3.8 BA Career Options model
The four options identified in this model are:
• BA role/current organisation: commit to learn and develop from the existing business analysis work and exploit the opportunities provided.
• BA role/new organisation: continue business analysis career and identify a new organisation that demonstrates the appropriate attraction factors. This could include becoming a contract business analyst working on a freelance basis.
• New role/current organisation: discuss and pursue new roles within the organisation that match existing skill set and aspirations.
• New role/new organisation: identify roles or organisations that demonstrate the appropriate attraction factors. These may utilise and build on the business analysis skill set.
Where business analysts look to progress outside the business analysis profession, there are several roles and disciplines that they commonly pursue. These are shown in Table 3.15.
Table 3.15 Business analyst career development into related disciplines
Discipline |
Relevance |
Business change |
Allows the business analyst to build on existing relationships, experience of change management and the business analysis skill set |
Business architecture |
Allows the business analyst to build on existing analytical skills and toolkit |
Programme management |
Allows the business analyst to build on project and programme experience and shape and steer programme delivery |
Product ownership/management |
Allows the business analyst to build on specific product knowledge to steer and champion the ongoing development of that product |
SUCCESSION PLANNING
The BA Service must acknowledge that the business analysis skill set is often in high demand, both for other roles within the organisation and by other organisations. It is likely that high-performing business analysts will want to progress either internally or by moving to a role elsewhere. Consideration of the following questions helps to build succession planning into recruitment and development decisions, thereby reducing the impact of change:
• Which roles/individuals have the biggest impact on service delivery?
• Do we have individuals who could lead the BA Service if the current leader moves on?
• How are we supporting new business analysts to be able to move into more senior roles?
• How is knowledge shared so we avoid single points of dependency?
• Do we have appropriate roles that provide a business analyst career path within the organisation?
• Do we have appropriate links and routes outside the BA Service to help retain good people within the organisation?
Addressing these questions allows the BA Service to minimise the impact of individuals moving on and maximise the likelihood that good business analysts will be able to stay. A succession planning process is shown in Figure 3.9.
There may not be set time frames for the succession planning process, but it is important to be alert to the need to replace business analyst posts and pursue succession planning on an ongoing basis.
Figure 3.9 Business analysis succession planning process
The succession planning process may be applied in a number of different situations. Key roles which may need to be replaced must to be identified. Typically, there will be business analysts at various stages of professional development so that more senior roles may be filled internally. However, succession planning is equally applicable when replacing business analysts on key projects and assignments, so it does not necessarily imply progression in terms of grade or pay scale. Potential candidates need to be identified so that their professional development can be supported and managed. This may be with reference to the T-shaped professional skills and the skills development framework discussed in Chapter 4.
The concept of transition for business analysts covers ensuring the following areas:
• that business analysts are ready and helped to progress to new roles;
• that appropriate handover and knowledge transfer occurs when a business analyst is leaving the BA Service or organisation;
• that transition activities occur when a business analyst is moving to a new piece of work or project.
Transition plans and activities exist to minimise the risk and impact of change for the business analyst and the customer, and to minimise the impact on the operation and reputation of the BA Service. Table 3.16 presents a set of transition scenarios that are likely to occur frequently once a BA Service reaches a certain size. Transition processes need to be smooth and repeatable if these different scenarios are to be handled successfully.
Table 3.16 Business analysis transition scenarios
CONCLUSION
Recruitment and retention are a huge factor in the successful delivery of the BA Service. BA leaders need to understand the internal and external influences on the candidate market and design a business analyst recruitment strategy that takes these factors into account. Understanding the pipeline for new recruits is a key element of the recruitment strategy.
Planning the recruitment approach helps to ensure that the recruitment process is undertaken efficiently and adheres to the required timescales and selection criteria. However, recruitment is a two-way process, and the needs and expectations of the candidate, and the organisation, must be aligned to achieve the best possible recruitment outcome.
A well-defined and thoughtful induction process that provides the information specific to the BA Service will enable new recruits to engage with their business analyst roles quickly. A welcome pack and induction checklist will help to ensure a smooth induction of new business analysts.
Recruitment can be expensive, so retention of staff should be a key concern for the BA leader. It is particularly important that retention factors are considered where there is a shortage of business analysts or a competitive market for business analysis skills.
There are various career options available to business analysts and exploring development pathways can help to retain and motivate them. Business analysis skills can offer a wide range of opportunities both for career progression within the BA Service and to other roles. Therefore, succession planning needs to take place to minimise the risk of losing key business analysis skills and to lessen any impact on the reputation of the BA Service.
CASE STUDY 1: RECRUITING IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET
Ian Richards, Capita
The BA skill set is highly in demand by employers, with a buoyant market for both contract and permanent BAs. Ian Richards is Head of Business Analysis for Capita People Solutions, was the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) UK BA of the year in 2016 and has been recruiting BAs for many years. He notes: ‘It’s not an employer’s market. Good candidates have options and you have to move quickly.’
Recruitment can be time-consuming, and Ian was able to use a recruitment agency successfully to do initial sourcing and shortlisting of candidates. Ian said, ‘This worked because we had built up a relationship over a number of years, and they really knew the skills and experience we were looking for.’
The interview process typically has two stages. It starts with a technical interview, which focuses on demonstrating the skills and competencies for the role. This is followed by a further opportunity to meet, to learn more about the candidate and discuss the organisation and role in more detail. Existing members of the team are involved in panels, which allows them to feel invested in the new BAs from the start.
Ian stresses the point that the interview is a two-way process, where the candidate is also making a decision about whether the role and organisation are right for them: ‘We want to make sure that people have a good experience of our recruiting process. If they don’t, they will share the experience with others!’ Ian also includes discussion of different types of assignments, clients and development approaches, to ensure that the candidates have clear expectations of the role.
Attitude and professionalism are key, and a significant element of this is the BA’s approach to professional development. Ian said, 'I want to understand if this is just a job for them, or if they have a passion for business analysis. I want to see a commitment to professional development – how are you making yourself the best BA you can be?' The best candidates are able to demonstrate self-awareness; they know where they need to develop, and they are keen to learn and improve.
Salary is always going to be a key factor in recruitment, and Capita are careful to benchmark against market salaries, but also highlight other aspects they know are important to candidates. Factors such as a vibrant BA community, meaningful and interesting work, a focus on professional development and organisational commitments such as diversity, inclusion and personal wellbeing all help to attract BAs.
The size of the team allows Capita to have a clear BA career structure in place, starting with a graduate scheme. This is a core element of their recruitment strategy, as it provides people with the opportunity to develop and progress internally.
Ian sees recruitment as fundamental to the type of team you want to build and the service you provide, particularly for a professional services organisation. BA leaders should try to ‘enjoy recruiting, as meeting people and asking questions is part of the BA skill set!’.