This article addresses the questions:

1. Misconceptions of the people.
2. So what, after all, does an IT analyst do?
3. secrets successful work(what qualities should an analyst have).
4. Analytics tools.
5. Where to go next?

Also in our blog there is an article "", which complements the current one.

Misconceptions of the townsfolk

Systems analyst is a profession that has appeared relatively recently on Russian market vacancies in the IT field. Understanding who a system analyst is, arises from candidates for this position either from the requirements described in the vacancy, or from their own conjectures. Let's take a look at some of the most common candidate misconceptions. This vacancy is not for everyone who was previously someone "systemic". Our company often receives responses to this vacancy, for example, from system administrators.

An analyst is one who analyzes

In principle, it is correct, but when you ask a candidate about what he analyzes, this is where fantasies and reflections on various topics begin. Some argue that the analyst should tell the project manager what it would be good to do this or that when developing the project, or generally monitor the developers and analyze whether they are doing the right thing or not. All these are erroneous opinions.

Analyst should not be able to program

This is a logical conclusion, assuming that the first conjectures are correct. In fact, the analyst does not need special knowledge in programming, but he needs to know the basics, or at least have experience in developing in any programming language that supports OOP.

Analyst is not responsible for anything

In fact, this is far from the case, and candidates who want to take the position of a systems analyst in an IT company think that they will not have to answer for the job. Analyst errors in a project are the most expensive and can even be fatal to a project.

So what does an analyst do anyway?

Requirement Identification

An analyst starts a project, participates in development, and completes it. Software development begins with the fact that the customer sets out to the contractor his vision of the future system. This presentation can be both oral and written. This presentation cannot be called requirements, since they are not systematic, but resemble a set of wishes of the client. At the initial stage of software design, the analyst is obliged to identify the goals of software development from the customer, that is, what main tasks the System should solve when it is introduced into the business process of the enterprise. This stage of the project is the initial stage and is called the requirements identification process. All identified requirements and business processes must be formalized in a certain way. Formalization of requirements is necessary for their coordination with the customer, as well as their equal perception by both the customer and the project developers. In addition to the identified requirements, at this stage of project development, project users with certain access rights are also determined. In the process of identifying requirements, the customer may not provide all the necessary information for the full functioning of the project. The analyst must be able to identify this information and agree with the customer on this functionality of the work. The result of the analyst's work at this design stage is the terms of reference for the development, agreed with the customer.

Requirements Management

At subsequent stages of development, situations are possible when the requirements formulated at the stage of identifying requirements become obsolete for one reason or another, and new requirements appear instead. The analyst must minimize changes in requirements, whether the new requirements come from the customer or developers. In the event of a change in requirements, the analyst should, keeping the project practically in his head, evaluate all changes in the project that will entail the introduction of new requirements into the project. Changes in requirements can be costly in project development, so changes should be kept to a minimum, but nonetheless modern world Requirements changes are almost inevitable on any project. The analyst must be able to anticipate such situations in order to manage changes in project requirements to minimize risks.

Project implementation

Upon completion of the development of any IT project, the stage of introducing the developed project into the customer's business process begins. This stage also lies on the shoulders of the analyst, he must prepare the documentation necessary for users, conduct a demonstration of the project, and train the customer's employees. In order for this stage to be completed at the proper level, the analyst must know the work of the entire project from "A" to "Z", and also be guided in possible mistakes, which will be fixed in future releases. Before the implementation phase, the analyst should take part in testing the project in order to make sure that all the functional requirements specified in the TOR are fulfilled correctly.

Secrets of successful work

I would like to touch on the topic of personal qualities ah analytics in the IT-sphere. Personal qualities of the analyst give 60% of his result. The work of an analyst is connected with direct communication with the customer, so the analyst must have a well-delivered speech so that the customer sees a competent specialist and a pleasant person in the interlocutor. The ability to communicate lies at the heart of great success at work. So, the first quality of an analyst is sociability. The next quality of an analyst, which allows him to perform his duties with high quality, is analytic mind. It allows you to "filter out" unnecessary information that the customer conveys to the contractor, and on the basis of the information received, analyze the customer's activities and formalize the requirements. Perhaps this is the main quality of an analyst, because it directly affects the quality of projects being developed. The analyst must be able to keep a large amount of information on the entire project, and sometimes more than one, in his head and be able to quickly calculate the impact of certain changes required by the customer or the development team on the system as a whole in order to timely coordinate these changes and their consequences with all stakeholders. To build business models of customer processes, an analyst needs to have a high learnability. This quality is necessary for a quick study of the subject area in which the customer works. The analyst must become a "specialist" in each of the subject areas, which change with work on each new project. At the stage of formation of requirements, the analyst draws up the terms of reference (TOR) for the development of the project, which must be agreed with the customer and which will be studied by the developers.

Based on this, the system analyst must state the requirements in the TOR in such a way that they are understandable to both the customer and the project executor. For this, it is necessary to have literacy in writing texts and make as few mistakes as possible. In the process of building business models, the analyst will need programming skills and understanding of OOP. Most often, the model of a process can be represented as a set of objects, and actions on them can be represented as methods. Model objects can also have properties. Objects in models can use all OOP principles. When building system models, as a rule, the project data model is also determined.

When designing large projects for large customers, analysts face many difficulties associated with the development of technical specifications. These difficulties can arise due to constantly changing requirements, a large number of users, and other factors. All this leads to frequent changes in the TOR. Analytics sometimes have to rewrite up to 30-40% terms of reference several times. Naturally, this affects his nervous system, so the analyst needs to have considerable patience and stress tolerance. Stress tolerance also useful in training users of new projects, since most users are forced to work in a new project by business organizers (customers), which they strongly resist. The analyst has to listen to a lot of unflattering words addressed to him, but he must calmly respond to criticism from users and complete his task.

Analytics tools

The main tools of a system analyst are pen, paper and pencil. For a good analyst, this is enough to formulate requirements and draw up a business model. In practice, analysts use various modeling tools that support IDEFx, UML, BPMN notations. Such tools allow you to reduce the time for building models and diagrams, as well as get the result in graphical form and in the form of text reports. Tools like these help keep project requirements under control and keep them up to date. An example of modeling tools are such applications as: Enterprise Architect (EA), Rational Rose, RUP, etc. Also, office packages such as MS Office, iWork, Open Office come to the aid of analytics.

Where to go next?

In conclusion, I would like to reflect on the development of a further career as a systems analyst. A system analyst is a versatile person who is able to negotiate with customers, set tasks and monitor their implementation by developers. His knowledge and ability to navigate in various subject areas of human life are able to assist in the implementation of duties, for example, a project manager, or manage a team of analysts on large projects. One way or another, the profession of a system analyst is promising in the IT market today.

Other blog materials on the topic "Analyst in IT".

Business analysts in IT help managers make the right and informed decisions. Thanks to business analysis, you can adjust the development strategy and work with the system based on clear arguments and specific data. That is why IT companies need good business analysts. Today we are talking about the specifics of the profession, tasks, areas of responsibility and how to become a business analyst with Evgenia Shpilnaya, a teacher of courses and trainings in business analysis.

Evgenia, why do IT companies need business analysis?

The most important task of business analysis- compare the state of existing processes with the needs of the customer and offer options for optimizing current processes and / or organizing new processes in accordance with business objectives. All proposed options are carefully worked out by the analyst, all the pros and cons are weighed, and, if possible, providedeconomic rationale for each decision.

Tell us how you got into the profession, where did you start?

I studied IT at the university (Software for computer technology and automated systems). Until the last course, I was sure that I would become a developer. During the training, we were told how the development process goes in general, which employees are involved. They also talked about the tasks of an analyst. This area interested me a lot. After receiving my diploma, I had to choose what to do next. By that time, it became clear that I would not go into development, there were analytics and testing. I chose analytics because the profession is partly creative. You need to come up with ideas, work out solutions, put everything on the shelves.

First I worked as an intern, then as a technical writer and systems analyst. So I reached the position of a business analyst, gradually developing the necessary competencies and skills

What is the difference between business analysis and systems analysis?

In fact, the difference between business analysis and system analysis is the level of elaboration of requirements for the product, for the automated system.The business analyst works with business requirements, while the system- in the field of system requirements.But where the border is between these two types of requirements, each company determines for itself. The tasks of a business analyst in one company may overlap with those of a systems analyst in another.

The diagram shows the levels of elaboration of requirements for an automated system. As a rule, the lower block of system requirements is in the competence of the system analyst, and the upper one, with business requirements,- business analytics. How to distribute the remaining requirements between system and business analysis is decided individually in each company.There is no clear boundary here.

Software Requirements Development, Carl I. Wiegers

Why then draw a line between business analysis and systems analysis, should it be drawn?

The line is drawn precisely because of the main area with which the analyst works. It can be a business (processes, people, goals, indicators) or a system. This refers to an automated system, i.e. some application that allows the user to achieve certain goals. At the same time, within the framework of the whole process, these can only be intermediate goals.If the project is small, it makes no sense to separate tasks and take two analysts to the company, in which case one specialist can handle it.The larger the project, the more likely it is to separate tasks.

What knowledge and skills do you need to have to become a business analyst?

Since we are talking about business analysis in IT, it is desirable to have some kind of IT background. At a minimum, know the main features of technologies and the differences between them. Analysis skills required- ability to collect data, analyze, draw conclusions.

Among business analysts there are those who have not worked in IT before, but already in the process got acquainted with development methodologies.

You also need attention to detail and a desire to understand the problem, the ability to clearly and clearly express your thoughts, good communication skills (the ability to actively listen, ask questions). What is important is the ability to work with a large amount of information, responsibility and, perhaps, a tendency to perfectionism. If you recognize yourself in this psychological portrait, business analysis suits you.

What are the requirements for business analysts employers?

This is usually higher education Information Technology or mathematics), because it is these areas that people with analytical, structural thinking tend to choose. But some companies require experience in their industry. For example, if a company operates in the medical field, a medical degree may be required. As for the skills of an analyst, an employer may be interested in the experience of collecting and describing requirements (Vision, Use-Cases, User Stories, SRS), identifying and documenting business processes, and modeling business processes. Experience in prototyping user interfaces will also come in handy. These are the points we will be talking about in this course. I will tell you in detail why each process is needed, where to start, what to pay attention to.

Also in job requirements you can find knowledge of modeling tools (MS Visio, ARIS, Enterprise architect, Bizagi, etc.), knowledge of interface prototyping tools (Balsamiq, Axura, etc.), knowledge of modeling notations (UML, IDEF, BPMN, etc.) . We will also talk about which tools to choose during the course, there will also be practical homework assignments. You can study the software in detail yourself,

Do not focus on specific programs. The higher the qualification of a specialist, the less he depends on the tools.

How long does it take to become a highly qualified specialist?

It depends on the person himself. You need to spend 10,000 hours of practice to become a professional in some area, and this is about 5-6 years of work. If all this time is devoted to an in-depth study of the chosen field, then 5 years is more than enough to become an expert. True, it is worth remembering that business analysis, like all areas in IT, does not stand still. You always need to follow trends, learn the news, constantly learn.

What career prospects await analysts?

It can be horizontal growth: deepening into specialization, transition to system analysis, data analysis. Or vertical growth: a shift in management, the work of a department head, project manager, product manager.

Where can you start to become a business analyst?

You can start as a technical writer, assistant business analyst, intern. Or you can start with testing, but the path may be longer. If you are going to become a business analyst, but it is not yet possible to apply for such vacancies, try to get a position where there is an opportunity to work with analysts.

On the we study what skills are needed for successful work, we look at how to succeed in each of the areas. The course provides a good vector for further development.

Why is it worth taking a course at the IT Academy, because you can study on your own, learn everything about the profession?

The course is not like university lectures. Classes are held in small groups, and it is always a dialogue, a two-way format. You can ask an expert teacher questions that really interest you, get an answer quickly, and communicate with colleagues. This is a valuable experience.

Start with Books: Carl I. Wiegers, Joy Beatty Software Requirements Engineering, Alistair Coburn Modern methods descriptions functional requirements to systems” and others. A lot of useful materials for website analystsanalyst.by , habrahabr.ru , uml2.ru .

What advice would you give to those who want to work as an IT analyst?

The profession of a business analyst is creative, but at the same time it involves a lot of responsibility. You don't have to be afraid of this. And, of course, always develop, look at what is happening around, learn new things.

We invite you to , where you can learn more about the profession and try your hand at real cases from the practice of a teacher. And you can get more complete knowledge on. Waiting for you!

The good news is that the main technologies of activity at random and at random, historically traditional in the vastness of our country, are gradually giving way to system analysis and accurate calculation.

This is confirmed by studies of the professions most in demand today: the demand for specialists in business analysis is progressing.

The business analyst examines the business processes used in the company and finds bottlenecks where there is a loss of working time and unjustified expenses.

And most importantly, he develops and implements changes that will allow the business to achieve maximum efficiency, competitiveness and profitability.

A specialist of such a high level requires a higher education, and often even more than one, a huge accumulated management experience and numerous additional training courses.

So, more about the profession of a business analyst, duties and functions, the necessary qualities and skills, the specifics of employment.

Business Analyst Profession: Responsibilities

Business analyst (Business Analyst) - a specialist whose task is to study in detail the structure of the company, identify problems and find ways to successfully resolve them.

For example, the functions of a business analyst may include financial analysis of the organization's activities, automation economic activity or the development of a new, more efficient business model, which includes the optimization of processes and work of personnel, cost reduction, profit increase, etc.

The business analyst profession is highly paid, prestigious and promising. Such professionals are in demand large enterprises various industries - mainly in the banking sector, in construction, trade and mining, as well as in IT companies and consulting.

History of the profession

The need to optimize and automate business processes arose about twenty years ago in Western Europe and USA. Globalization and active distribution digital technologies began to dictate new business opportunities and created a shortage of qualified professionals capable of finding new ways to develop companies.

Job Responsibilities

Business Analyst responsibilities include:

• collection, formalization and coordination of requirements with customers;
• collection of information, description and modeling of business processes;
• analysis of efficiency and development of proposals for optimizing processes;
• development of documentation;
• preparation of a comparative analysis of the company's activities;
• Preparing presentations for management and clients.

Requirements

The most common business analyst requirements are:

1. higher education (preferably in finance, economics, accounting);
2. experience with CRM, analytical data processing systems or banking information systems;
3. experience in business analytics;
4. experience in writing technical specifications;
5. experience in the development of regulatory documentation;
6. PC knowledge;
7. analytical thinking and the ability to systematize information;
8. Correct oral and written language.

How to become a business analyst

Graduates of economic, financial, technical or mathematical faculties with theoretical knowledge in the field of analysis and modeling of business processes can apply for the position of a business analyst (Business Analyst). You may also need to know information systems, accounting, financial and management accounting.

What is the salary

Wage business analytics depends on the level of professional skills and work experience of a specialist. Today it fluctuates between 45-150 thousand rubles a month. The average salary of a business analyst is in the region of 80 thousand rubles per month.

Source: "enjoy-job.ru"

Career in IT: Position Business Analyst

A business analyst is a specialist who investigates a customer's problem, looks for a solution and draws up its concept in the form of requirements that developers will be guided by when creating a product.

According to an anonymous salary survey, the average business analyst is 28 years old, has a salary of $1300-2500 and has 3 years of work experience.

Tasks and responsibilities

The main task of a business analyst is to identify the problems of the customer's business and find the most effective solution. To do this, he must have knowledge in the subject area.

The business analyst works with requirements at all stages of the software development life cycle and constantly acts as an intermediary between the customer and the programming team.

The work of a business analyst includes the following steps:

• Identify the needs of the customer, understand the problem that he wants to solve.
• Formulate a solution concept independently or with the help of a team.
• Turn the concept into a technical task with specific requirements for the future product. For this, various business analysis techniques are used - building models of processes and structures, user interface prototypes, use cases. At the same time, an accurate assessment of labor costs and duration of work is made.
• Detail each requirement in the form of specifications.
• Advise programmers and testers during product development, discuss controversial issues with the customer.

The range of tasks can be described in simple words: work with requirements.

This involves both interaction with stakeholders on the customer side and with team members who are responsible for the solution development process.

In world practice, the career map of analysts looks like this. There is also a reverse situation, when the analyst additionally performs the duties of a project manager, quality specialist or technical writer.

In large projects, the roles of Business Analyst and System Analyst are sometimes separated:

1. The responsibilities of the Business Analyst include identifying the customer's business goals, thinking through solution concepts, and generating requirements.
2. The duties of the System Analyst are formalization and specification of requirements, writing technical specifications at the level of functional requirements and software implementation.

The responsibilities of a business analyst include:

• Analysis of the customer's business needs;
• Drawing up requirements for the future product (communication with interested parties - developers, customers, end users);
• Requirements analysis (application of various methodologies and notations - prototyping, questioning, polling, brainstorming, analysis of existing documentation, competitors);
• Analysis of problem areas and suggestions for improvement;
• Formalization of requirements (separation of requirements into business, functional, non-functional, writing requirements specifications);
• Requirements management (processing of change requests, analysis and description of the impact on existing requirements);
• Translation of requirements between developers and the client.

An analyst can have good English, fluent language and write perfect documentation. But if he does not understand the subject area, cannot understand the customer and convey this to the developer, then his projects will fail.

A typical business analyst day is:

1. Meetings with the project team and with the customer;
2. Development of conceptual solutions;
3. Working with analysis tools: diagrams, diagrams, models, prototypes;
4. Working with requirements: collecting, writing technical specifications and specifications;
5. Consulting developers and testers;
6. The study of standards.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantage of the profession of a business analyst is the ability to penetrate the essence: to understand what works, what parts it consists of, how they are connected and interact with each other, and then describe complex things using simple but useful models. Business analysts help different parties understand each other, and the result is an implementation that satisfies everyone.

Another plus is the importance and significance of the activity, since it is the results of the business analyst's work that determine the progress of the project.

Among the shortcomings, there are difficulties in communicating with the customer when it is not possible to convey good ideas or are hindered by time and budget constraints.

Another complaint is the need to learn large amounts of information in a short amount of time. In addition to studying directly his project, a business analyst must constantly keep abreast of new methodologies, approaches, and study the basic principles of new platforms.

Qualities and career development

There are 2 ways to become:

• An IT specialist who is closer to communication than writing code. Such an analyst will understand the development process, know the capabilities of the software, and understand what a developer needs to know for quality work. However, he needs to separately acquire business knowledge in the area that is being automated.
• A specialist without an IT education who is a professional in a particular subject area. Such an analyst understands all the nuances of the business and speaks the same language with the customer. But he will have to figure out what exactly is subject to automation and what data developers need to work with.

Analysts often grow out of testers. Those who have come this way know the “inner workings” of IT and have the material to distinguish well-written requirements from poorly written ones.

For the work of a business analyst, it is important:

1. know the methodology of collection, analysis and formalization;
2. know the subject area to be analyzed;
3. understand the software life cycle in accordance with various methodologies;
4. know the basics of programming, testing, algorithms, economics.

An analyst must get rid of the narrow-mindedness of an IT specialist, be able to see the whole picture, notice shortcomings. The better he manages to go “beyond”, the more successful the work will be.

As for personal qualities, it is necessary:

• have analytical thinking;
• easy to understand in an unknown area;
• be able to analyze current situation in comparison with the previous one;
• be able to make decisions;
• love and be able to learn;
• have excellent communication skills;
• be attentive to details;
• express your thoughts clearly and concisely.

You need to be able to decompose what you want to explain into simple components, so that it is clear to everyone and everything what the idea is.

The future analyst is required to understand software development processes, study the theory of business analysis and software requirements, have a good level of English, be able and willing to think, look from different angles and heights. A general technical background is also desirable - either experience in IT, or technical university.

Business Analyst Career Opportunities:

1. To improve as an analyst, to master a growing range of analytical tasks.
2. Delve into the system component and become a Business or Enterprise Architect
3. Develop along the managerial ladder, project (Project manager -> Program Manager -> CTO) or business (Product manager).

Perspectives are different. Become the head of the analytics department, become a qualified specialist, provide consulting services. Even opening your own business, you need to analyze the profitability of the business. And in an already established business, it is necessary to analyze and predict the results of work.

Source: dou.ua

Business Analyst Pros and Cons

Large companies have many departments in their structure. In order to improve the exchange of information between them and optimize business processes, enterprises organize information computer networks(ERP-systems) a set of applications that allows you to create a single automated system management of an enterprise or its key business processes. They are developed by a systems analyst.

He either upgrades an existing system in the enterprise, or models a new one. His responsibilities include collecting requirements for the product being created through questionnaires and user interviews.

The system analyst develops the terms of reference for the creation software, designs documenting system and software architecture of the IT system, sets tasks for development and testing. And at the end of the project, he explains the rules of work to users and solves the problems of functioning at all stages of the life cycle of the information system.

The specifics of the profession

Pros of the profession:

• it is a well-paid job;
• creative work each project is unique and requires its own development approach;
• the tangible benefits of activity are visible when the workflow in the company has a clear style and sequence;
• acquiring communication skills, as well as expanding the circle of useful acquaintances through projects in various organizations.

Disadvantages of the profession:

1. the work of a system analyst is not always limited to one city, and therefore people in this profession have to spend a lot of time on business trips;
2. the client is not always able to understand the difference between one system and another, hence disagreements, disputes, misunderstanding;
3. high working rhythm;
4. often users have a negative attitude towards the introduction of a new information system;
5. often the customer cannot formulate the task.

Place of work:

• in large companies:
• banks,
• financial corporations,
• fuel and energy complexes, etc.
• in integrator companies,
• at enterprises where there are departments of system analysis.

Personal qualities

Patience, patience and more patience. You will need a lot of it: both when discussing project details with customers and when communicating with users, and when solving technical problems. You need to be able to find a common language with everyone with whom you have to communicate, and you will have to communicate a lot. During the discussion, quickly get up to speed, capture the essence and optimize the scope of work (sometimes the task is much easier than the customer suggests).

Education

It is impossible to work in the IT field as a system analyst without knowledge of information systems. However, there are times when people who have received a variety of education, both technical and humanitarian, become system analysts. So, for example, techies experience fewer problems with technical issues, and it is easier for humanitarians to negotiate with customers.

And one more nuance. It is difficult to become a systems analyst right after graduation. Although there are many vacancies, professionals with experience are required everywhere. In this case, you can start your career as an assistant analyst, trainee.

Source: "education.ua"

Young BA course

Recently, the profession of an analyst in the field of software development (in the future we will write software so that the abbreviation does not cause you bewilderment when you stumble upon it on specialized sites) is rapidly gaining popularity among representatives of not only the IT sector, but also "non-IT" specialties.

Students, young professionals, long-term employees, many have a passionate interest in the enigmatic and intriguing phrase "business analyst". And on everyone's mind main question: how to become one? We are launching a series of articles for beginner analysts, the purpose of which is to tell you about business analysis, help you make a choice and suggest in which direction to move on.

The simplest and closest to IT definition: an analyst is an intermediate link between a customer software product(as well as its future users) and its developers.

Imagine that you decided to build a house and hired a team of guest workers from nearby sunny countries for this. What is the probability that, by explaining to them the essence of your wishes, you will not waste your nerves trying to convey to them the idea that what they are doing is not “beautiful and convenient”?

And how will you react to their statements like “you need a convector in the floor”? Undoubtedly, you will eventually find a common language with them.

But now imagine that in the software development industry, specialized slang / concepts / principles of building systems are many times more complicated and voluminous, and programmers often show much more unwillingness to understand you and communicate with you in ordinary human language (sorry, programmers who read us; you are not all like that ). This is where this very analyst comes to the rescue.

The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) defines a business analyst as a professional who “understands business problems and opportunities in the context of requirements and recommends solutions to enable an organization to achieve its goals.

In practice, the essence of the work of an analyst may vary depending on the role of the analyst on the project.

Varieties of analysts

The most common types of IT analysts are:

1. Business Analyst (BA) - as a rule, this is a specialist engaged in the study and modeling of a specific subject area.

In other words, he must find out the wishes of the customer, analyze them, supplement them if necessary, arrange them in a certain way (build models, document at least the general wishes of the client) and transfer them to the development team.

The business analyst is the face of the team, sociable, tactful, easily finding a common language with the customer.

Technical knowledge (or, using the fashionable word now, background) is not at all necessary for a business analyst, much more important is knowledge of the customer's language and the characteristics of his culture.

2. System Analyst (SA) - an analyst much closer to the development team than a BA; a specialist who must translate to the team the high-level software requirements received from the business analyst in the form of detailed functional requirements for the system, naturally, in the language of the development team.

Often he also has to propose a specific technical solution and design the system architecture.

3. Requirements Analyst (RA) is a cross between BA and SA.

In the official classification of the EKSD RB, this position is absent, however, in many Western theories, RA is present as a specialist who is responsible for extracting, analyzing, documenting and modeling requirements, i.e., in a simplified way, for writing requirements specifications for their further transfer to developers.

Unlike a BA, it is not enough for a requirements analyst to simply figure out high-level requirements - he is also responsible for developing detailed description the designed system. At the same time, it is not necessary for an RA to have deep knowledge in IT and develop a system architecture, since there are dedicated architects and system designers among programmers for this.

Most analysts in any outsourcing company in our country (that is, a company engaged in custom software development) are requirements analysts.

A rare company in our conditions can afford to keep a "pure" business analyst who is well versed in any one subject area, plus keep him on constant business trips, closer to the "customer's body". In addition, loading such an analyst with at least 80% of work will be very problematic, while the cost of maintaining it is quite significant. Although, it is worth noting that we have such companies and such analysts.

As for system analysts, without having a BA on staff, they make little sense, except when you come across a customer with business analysts on their part, or a professional customer who knows and knows how to convey his “Wishlist” to the team (yes - Yes, not all customers know exactly what they want).

Essential Qualities and Skills of an Ideal Analyst

So, the main qualities / skills of an ideal analyst (note that some qualities are innate, while others are developed, some quickly, and some quite long):

• Analytic mind. This is the ability to analyze or, in other words, the ability to put information on the shelves and build logical chains. This is one of the characteristic styles of human thinking. An analytical mindset is not inherent in everyone from birth, but any of us can develop analytical abilities in ourselves, so do not despair.
  
• The ability to notice details, attentiveness and systems thinking. On the one hand, these qualities are characteristic of a person with analytical warehouse mind, but still these are separate skills, or even habits that can and should be developed in oneself.
• Sociability and communication skills, namely:
  1. the ability to listen and hear.
  2. the ability to express one's thoughts clearly and concisely.
  3. the ability to establish and establish contacts and relationships with other people.
• Knowledge of IT and the basics of software development (the so-called technical background).
• Knowledge foreign language(most often English) in terms of written and oral application.
  Domestic outsourcing is mainly aimed at foreign countries.

  Naturally, in unique situations, when you know that you will build your entire professional career exclusively on interaction with Russian-speaking customers, you can safely ignore this item.

• Learnability. Moreover, learning is not only at the stage of learning. In principle, it is important for analytics and it is necessary to constantly improve, “pump” in one area or another, follow new technologies, tools and approaches, filter information flows.
• Creativity. We have not in vain noted that these are the qualities of an ideal analyst.

In life, you are unlikely to meet a person who has these qualities / skills from birth or who received them in full at school or university. They will have to be developed and developed. Let's say more: as you move up the career ladder (and we will write about this later), you will have to develop and acquire additional skills, no less complex and interesting.

We must not forget that every profession has both advantages and disadvantages. And if you, most likely, have heard a lot about the merits, because it was not in vain that you were drawn into business analysis, then you may not know about the shortcomings. But for the sake of completeness of the picture, we will present both.

Why you might like the job of a business analyst:

1. this is interesting (of course, not always, of course, depending on the company and the project, but still ...)
2. work involves constant communication (unlike developers and testers, an analyst will not be able to sit in front of a monitor all day, and this, in our opinion, is great)
3. a variety of activities (here you have communication, and information analysis, and documentation, and design, and problem solving, and team management, and lecturing - and that's not all)
4. the possibility of growth in breadth and upwards (if there is a desire, of course)
5. the material side of the issue
6. the opportunity to visit other countries and all the benefits that follow from this.

Why you might not like the job of a business analyst:

• it’s boring (again, it depends on the specifics of the project and the company – sometimes you will have to do monotonous and routine work, or work that you don’t like)
• the need to communicate (more precisely, you willy-nilly have to communicate, and, in most cases, not only in Russian, plus periodically make public speeches)
• need to switch between various types activities and, as progress progresses, between several projects that are completely different in nature
• the need to make decisions and take responsibility for their decisions.

Everything here is purely individual, plus a lot depends on where you will work (in which company / with which customers / with which team / on which project / in which subject area).

Source: "analyst.by"

Career Business Intelligence

Business analyst is a relatively new profession for modern market labor. Initially, many of the functions of a business analyst were carried out by a project manager (gathering high-level requirements) and a systems analyst (developing functional requirements).

Moreover, at present, in some companies, there is still no clear delineation of the duties of a project manager and a business analyst, and in some places the functions of a project manager and a business analyst are carried out by one person.

If you are inquisitive, have well-developed communication skills and analytical skills, then this promising direction may interest you. By acting as an intermediary between the client and the IT team, the business analyst translates business needs into software and organizational solutions.

Functions

1. Gathering information by conducting surveys, market research, interviewing the customer and other interested parties in order to identify their current and future needs.
2. Development of proposals and recommendations that can meet the real needs of the customer.
3. Presentation of the solution to the client.
4. Advising the customer on the optimization of his business processes.
5. Writing necessary documentation alone or under the guidance of a senior business analyst.
6. Effective interaction with the development team and the customer throughout the entire project cycle.

Tasks

Junior Business Analyst competency model:

Threshold competencies:

• customer orientation,
• collection of information,
• persuasive communication
• analytical skills.

Differentiating competencies:

1. teamwork,
2. a responsibility,
3. quality orientation.

Career Path:

Salary

• The salary of a business analyst varies from 500 to 3500 USD per month, depending on work experience and place of work.
• The salary of a junior business analyst without work experience varies from 500 to 600 USD per month.

Source: "it-academy.by"

What does a business analyst do

Business analysts must be able and know much more than ordinary employees. Their scope of work:

1. region strategic planning,
2. budgeting,
3. analysis and development of business processes.

People in this profession lead the business to the peak of maximum efficiency, making it competitive and potentially profitable. The main task of a business analyst is to propose and implement changes that will benefit the organization.

A business analyst is a principal researcher who, based on the analysis of specific indicators of business processes, must calculate areas where changes will have a positive potential impact on the overall result. A person of this profession plans effective strategies, ways and schemes for their implementation and predicts the effect of their implementation.

Business analysts are in demand in the government, corporate sectors, as well as in the areas of financial and corporate services.

The profession appeared not so long ago. For a long time, the function of analyzing all processes in the company was shifted to the heads of areas and departments. Very often they did not have for this necessary knowledge and relied solely on their practical skills. With the active development of business technologies, representatives of companies and state corporations have a need to hire highly qualified specialists.

So, a business analyst is engaged in the analysis of internal corporate processes, he especially studies the work of the company, seeks to minimize costs and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization.

He evaluates the applied business model, finds "breakdowns" - unprofitable actions and solutions, suggests other optimal approaches to work. This process is called "reengineering", or business engineering (it was singled out as a separate branch of doing business recently - at the end of the last century). In fact, it is a process of getting rid of non-working mechanisms and introducing new ones.

A specialist of this profile often has more than one higher education, a colossal managerial experience, as well as certificates from many special training courses. Traditionally, people with higher education in mathematics, cybernetics or economics are taken to the position. Often, these specialists additionally go to universities for knowledge in that narrow area, which becomes the main area of ​​their analysis.

Thus, the business analyst is easily oriented in related industries. For example, if a specialist has a degree in IT, and in order to take the position of a business analyst, he should receive education (take courses) in the field of financial management or economics.

It is almost impossible to predict what a business analyst needs to know to perform tasks in a particular corporation. In the process of immersion in work, already at the initial stage it will become clear where the specialist has gaps and how to close them. A "generalist" business analyst usually has in his list of official duties items such as automation of accounting, marketing and storage of commodity items.

If he gets an additional specialization, he will be able to research and improve manufacturing process. Experts believe that the optimization of specific areas of business and reengineering should be entrusted to a narrow-profile analyst who focuses on a specific manufacturing industry. This reduces risks and potential costs. General analysts should be engaged in drawing up a strategy as a whole for the entire company.

What does a business analyst do? In the figure inside the figure outlined by the red dotted line, standard tasks are indicated, and the shaded area is the actual duties:

General Analyst deals with:

• collection and systematization of analysis results;
• creation of business process models;
• analysis of efficiency and preparation of proposals for optimizing work;
• development of regulations, documentation, reporting systems;
• comparative analysis with competitors of the organization's activities;
• making presentations for managers or customers.

What should a BA be able to do?

Most importantly, a business analyst must be able to understand, analyze, predict and formulate strategic plans for business development. In addition to knowledge of economics and basic management, the course of study for this profession includes lectures on logistics, project management, logic and psychology.

What should a business analyst know? Table based on the results of the analysis of vacancies of companies. List of competencies required from candidates for the position of a business analyst:

Also, a business analyst must have special knowledge, for example, in the field of design in a special modeling language (UML). That is, among the skills of a specialist, not just the ability to provide a report in the form of numbers, tables and diagrams in PowerPoint, but to work out business models in detail is welcome. The latter is carried out in the following programs: BPWin, RRose, ARIS and others.

Having built graphical models, at the end, the specialist formulates detailed recommendations for modernizing business processes. Most often, business analysts are expected to have competencies in the field of CRM, data processing systems, data analysis.

Also, a specialist in this profession must have experience in:

1. writing technical specifications
2. development of regulations,
3. computer skills, especially in modeling programs.

A good business analyst is:

• analytical thinking,
• systematic approach and the ability to systematize and work with any amount of information,
• the ability to speak correctly and the ability to write thoughts.

Salary

This profession refers to highly paid and is considered very prestigious. Business analysts are director-level specialists. Where do business analysts work and get decent pay?

A promising profession in the banking and trade sectors, the construction industry. And the most profitable in the mining industry and the IT sector.

The salary of an analyst depends on his professional skills and experience. Today, the level of salaries, depending on the region of Russia, ranges from 40 to 140 thousand rubles a month. The average salary of a business analyst per month is about 60 thousand rubles. The given figures are typical for the Moscow region, in the provinces the level of wages is somewhat lower.

Where to begin

From education. Graduates of universities in the specialties of economics, finance and mathematics can apply for the position of analyst. It is important that the applicant has excellent theoretical knowledge in the field of business process analysis.

In Russia today it is difficult to find suitable learning programs, immersion in which will allow you to become a generalist in business analysis. But there are programs professional retraining.

So, at the School of IT Management at the Academy National economy under the Government of the Russian Federation, a program for project managers and business analysis is offered. Candidates for the position financial analyst issued by the Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics.

MIPT offers a program for students wishing to become a systems analyst. The HSE Faculty of Business Informatics also trains business analysts, but only in the field of information technology. And specifically, the program of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow is devoted to the direction of analytics.

For an analyst, practice in the financial sector is no less important, albeit small at the initial stage. It is worth paying attention to the development of communication skills in order to get along with colleagues and build close working contact with subordinates. The future analyst should develop coaching and recruiting skills.

This will come in handy during work meetings with employees when they have to communicate changes in the business process and do it in a way that motivates people to continue productive work.

A business analyst career can start at the junior staff level: as an assistant, manager, deputy, etc. You will have to work under the supervision of others for some time in order to gain experience and practical knowledge.

A career in business analysis will develop more rapidly if you successfully pass the certification in optional ACCA (Association of Finance and Accounting Professionals) courses. You should choose specialties for exams - advanced level: financial management and performance management.

Summarizing

According to Cio.com's survey of the most in-demand professions today, more and more companies are looking for a specialist in business analysis. It is becoming more and more difficult to approve the expenses of companies for the implementation of new projects, so they must be absolutely justified in terms of achieving business goals. And the collection of the evidence base can only be entrusted to a professional analyst.

According to Forrester.com, today, generalists are becoming more and more in demand, capable of a global approach to the analysis of business processes, and not of its individual areas of activity, such as human resources management, marketing department, development department, etc.

At the same time, they must be competent not only in the field of IT (which is already a template in relation to the business analyst profession), but also in general in doing business. If a business analyst is able to assess the situation from the outside, while deeply understanding the features of the proposed solutions, he becomes a valuable asset in the company.

Reengineering has been used in Russia quite recently, and with the growth of business requirements for the pace of development, the need for specialists is constantly growing. Today, the demand for such specialists is so high that the market for proposals cannot yet satisfy it. HR executives and corporate directors are publishing forecasts that the need for systems analysts will increase markedly in the future.

A business analyst is a communicative and attentive techie/economist with a high level of responsibility, who has solid experience in describing and analyzing business processes, demonstrating excellent knowledge in accounting and business communications. Such requirements, according to the results of our study, are imposed by employers on business analysts and other business process management specialists.

General overview – all you need is a business analyst

Looking ahead, I would like to note that companies, so far, do not understand very well who business process management specialists are. This gives rise to different requirements and vision of responsibilities. And, of course, positions are called differently.
The most popular position is Business Analyst. This is not surprising - after all, in Russia the opinion still prevails that business process management is from the field of information technology, and the term has IT roots. Although, this is far from the case and we have talked about it more than once.
However, there are 3.5 times more searches for business analysts than the next most popular job - quality specialist.

TOP-5 demanded specialists in business process management:

1. Business analyst
2. Quality Specialist
3. business process analyst
4. Business Process Specialist
5. Business process manager

On the leading employment resource in Russia, we found about 4,000 vacancies, in one way or another related to business process management.
But only 1357 vacancies are directly related to business process management according to the job title.

Geography

Half of the vacancies reviewed, and this is not surprising, are located in Moscow. 12% of business analysts and other business process management specialists are in demand in the northern capital. The remaining 38% are distributed among other regions.

Professional area

More than others, specialists from the field of information technology, the financial sector, retail, including food trade, and B2B services.

And if the demand for specialists from the IT sector (almost a quarter) is due to the opinion that it is in this area that the business analyst profession originates, then the need for specialists from the financial sector indicates a shift in management focus - from technology to finance. Indeed, last year, the demand for business process management specialists from financial sphere did not exceed 4%.

The other 19% include specialists from the following professional fields of activity:

• Electronics, instrumentation, Appliances, computers and office equipment
• Media, marketing, advertising, BTL, PR, design
• Industrial equipment, machinery, machine tools and components
• Oil and gas
• Car business
• Educational institutions
• Services for the public
• Hotels, restaurants, catering, catering
• Agriculture
• Metallurgy, metalworking
• heavy engineering
• State organizations
• Energy
• Chemical production, fertilizers
• Extractive industry
• Multi-asset management
• Timber industry, woodworking
• Social activities, parties, charity, NGOs
• Art, culture

Industry

From the presented list of vacancies, 100% of IT companies are looking for business analysts. However, some companies indicate not their industry, but the functional direction of activity within the company to which the vacancy belongs. For example, a retail company may indicate the IT industry, implying that the business process specialist will belong to the information technology block. Due to this, the error in statistics for the IT industry is about 20%

In second place, after the IT industry, the need for business process management specialists is experienced by companies that provide consulting services in one way or another. And this is completely natural. Finally, consultants come to understand that the most effective way to analyze the effectiveness of operations is to analyze through the prism of business processes.

2% of vacancies belong to leadership positions, which is significantly lower than other functional areas.

It is worth noting the readiness of companies to hire specialists without experience - about 2% of vacancies. Otherwise, the distribution of requirements for the experience of business process management specialists is within the standard.

Employment and work schedule

5% of employers are ready to offer part-time employment, 40% of which involve project work.

7% of employers are willing to offer part-time work. 78% of them offer flexible hours or remote work.

income level

Despite the rather large spread, the average level of the proposed salary is almost 74 thousand rubles. The averaging was carried out for the five most popular job titles - business analyst, quality specialist, business process analyst, business process specialist and business process manager.

As you probably remember, a business analyst is the most demanded position in terms of the number of vacancies. And here a surprise awaited us - a business analyst turned out to be not the highest paid position.

The average income level of a business analyst was 80 thousand rubles. But a business process manager is ready to pay an average of 120 thousand rubles, which is 50% more than average salary business analytics.

Moreover, the business process manager is the highest paid specialist - the highest income morning belongs to the managers.

They are ready to pay up to 230 thousand rubles a month to a business process manager.

This suggests that there is an understanding of the difference between analysts and managers. Especially between business analysts and business process managers, because that's exactly what business process managers are.

The second discovery was the extremely low assessment of quality specialists - one of the lowest paid positions. The situation clearly requires further study.

Education requirements

The two most popular areas in education are technical and economic. And if the first is due to the large number of vacancies for business analysts, for whom technical and IT education is extremely important, then knowledge of the economy is necessary for business process management specialists. This is generally correct, as it expresses the desire of employers to understand the economics of business processes. So, the conclusion about the need for specialists in business process management is correct.

17% of vacancies simply require higher education. But, as a rule, this requirement is typical for companies that do not yet understand very well what such specialists should do and what requirements they must meet.

It is worth noting that there are requirements for higher education in the field of direct business process management, management, project management and quality management.

Mathematical education is a standard requirement for all kinds of analysts.

Other requirements are determined by the specific needs, objectives and understanding of employers.

Need in higher education in the field of business process management is becoming increasingly clear.

Requirements for the knowledge of business process management specialists

What knowledge should a specialist in the field of business process management have? First of all, knowledge in the field of business process management (ha ha).

Employers want specialists to know the approaches and techniques for auditing, analyzing, modeling, describing and optimizing business processes. The current needs and the state of maturity of companies, from the point of view of business process life cycle management, can be judged by the fact that, first of all, knowledge in the field of research, analysis and modeling / description of business processes is in demand. In other words, companies want to first understand what they have, and only then proceed with optimization. Everything is natural.

The second most important for employers is knowledge in the field accounting. This situation arose because a lot of business analysts are required, and with an emphasis on knowledge of 1C and, accordingly, knowledge of accounting to the extent that will allow analysis of accounting through the prism of application software.

Of course, a business analyst and other specialists in the field of business process management must have knowledge of data collection and analysis techniques, have an understanding of the principles lean manufacturing, project management, know the standards and principles of documentation.

Knowledge of budgeting, financial management and financial analysis, as well as management accounting is essential for all business process management professionals.

Managers, who are primarily needed to implement changes in business processes, must have project management skills according to the classical methodology and know how to build relationships within the company.

The rest of the knowledge is related to the specifics of the activities of employers.

None of the business process management specialists can do without knowledge of business process modeling notations.

26% of employers want their employees to know and use the latest notation - BPMN 2.0

Employers who want their employees to know the eEPC notation usually attribute this to the choice of software that is used in the company for process modeling.

The requirement for knowledge of the IDEF series notation is put forward by companies that are only at the beginning of the path of business process management and simply do not understand what it is and what it is eaten with.

Skill Requirements

Absolutely all employers understand the primacy of communication skills. These include general business communication skills, business letter, presentation and negotiation. This is due to the fact that the existing representatives of business process management in general, and business analysts in particular, have mostly come out of the IT sphere and are not famous for rich communication skills.

The next group of skills, in terms of demand, is the group associated with the ability to structure and prepare correct, and therefore working, in terms of ease of use, documents. These skills include the direct structuring of information and the skills of preparing various kinds of documentation - from terms of reference to project documentation.

Skill requirements are largely consistent with the PMBOK project life cycle.

Software Knowledge Requirements

Strange, but apparently, knowledge of the MS Office software package is not yet a standard, hygienic requirement, so every employer specifies it.

A successful business analyst should know 3 programs perfectly: 1C, in different configurations, MS Visio and MS Project. Moreover, Project should be known even to those who are not required to possess project management skills.

Knowledge of business process modeling tools cannot be attributed to strictly mandatory skills. This requirement occurs only in 5% of cases. And knowledge of a specific tool - Business Studio, is due to the fact that this software occupies one of the leading positions in the domestic market.

Functional responsibilities

Why do companies need business process specialists? As I said earlier, at present, the main task of business process specialists is also business processes - 1st and 2nd place in the ranking functional duties, respectively.

On the 3rd and 4th place, the function of preparing process and technical documentation is surely located.

In 5th place, there is a duty and. At the same time, companies expect but what the specialist will perform this function along with the analysis and description of business processes. Thus, employers understand that description, analysis and optimization are components of one cycle.

Requirements - personal qualities

Employers have become attentive to personal qualities. And it's not just business analysts. This is a sustainable trend. As for specialists in the field of business process management, the set of personal qualities, at least the TOP-5, is predictable. The only thing I would like to note is position number 1 - attentiveness. I agree - attentiveness in principle and attention to detail is one of the key properties in our profession.

I will also note the requirements related to the ability to formulate and convey thoughts, as well as the obligatory literate speech. The absence of these qualities critically affects the efficiency of work. If an employee cannot correctly formulate and convey his thoughts, conclusions and understanding, then he will not be able not only to implement the process, but even to justify the optimization option. Not to mention the preparation of effective process documentation.

Who thinks clearly - he can clearly convey the thought. Orally or in writing.

TOP 15 Skills of Business Process Management Specialists

Above are the results of our study. But the Association of Business Process Management Professionals has its own vision of what skills business process management professionals should have. I provide this list so that you understand the near future of the development of business process professionals. In addition, it is very interesting to compare the skills that are valued in the world and in our labor market.

Change Implementation Skills

• Building BPM business cases and visions
• Project management
• Knowledge organizational structures and culture
• Communications
• Organizational Change Techniques

Operational Skills

• Definition of business processes
• , analysis and design of business processes
• Business process administration and process policy management
• Business Process Improvement Management
• Building a methodology for business process management tools

technical skills

• Architecture and design solutions
• Knowledge of business process product management methodologies
• Flexible and simulation-based application development
• Optimization and simulation of business processes
• User Experience Design

Summary

Despite the fact that the need for specialists in the field of business process management is growing every year, this segment of the labor market is just beginning to develop. Employers, for the most part, still have little understanding of what qualities, knowledge and skills business process specialists should have. The reason for this is not a mature understanding of the functions and capabilities of the business process management approach.

Business process management is still a young and not very clear feature - which you seem to want to attract to your business, but it is not clear how to use it correctly. This is a quite normal stage in the development of the methodology on the market, so over time, the methodology will be clear and the requirements for specialists will be specifically defined.

There are several reasons for the popularity of business analysts, but the main one is the idea that business process management and process automation are one and the same. . Business process management is first and foremost about management, and only then, about processes. Not to mention that information technology is just a tool and a small part of the business processes themselves. The system of processes, first of all, is built not on technologies, but on participants in business processes.

• Defining business processes is not as easy as it might seem at first glance.
• Modeling business processes - in this case, it is necessary to perform modeling in such a way as to get rid of the need for additional description. Be sure to delve into the notations and master special software.
• Business process analysis - learn different methods of analysis. Quantitative and qualitative. The simplest functional cost analysis should become the norm in your work.
• – learn and practice approaches from Lean, Six Sigma, TOC, etc.
• Project management and change management are vital to successful implementation and process optimization projects.
• And also constantly study all the auxiliary functions of the business: financial management, personnel management, accounting, etc.

For employers who are looking for business process management specialists on staff, we offer the following services:

• Development of requirements for a specialist in the field of business process management - profile and description of the position, job descriptions etc.
• Testing candidates for the position of a business process specialist - developing tests for your specifics, conducting professional testing.
• Planning the activities of business process specialists - preparation of work plans for a trial period, methodology and criteria for assessing the passage of a trial period, development of long-term work plans.
• Preparation of control documentation for setting up the correct work of business process specialists in the company - regulation on business process management, regulation on modeling, samples and procedure for developing / approving control documentation, etc.
• Training of specialists who will perform the functions of business process management in the company.

For getting additional information and sending requests, use .

From the author: Do you want to learn a fascinating profession called a web analyst? Then welcome on board. In this article, I will analyze in detail the concept of web analytics (basics, secrets, tricks), talk about the features, tools and principles of this Internet profession. And all this in an accessible, human language.

Suppose, after reading articles about web analysts, your mind was lit up with a fireball of motivation, as a result of which you wanted to act and earn thousands of dollars in this business.

Okay, but where to start learning web analytics? How to perform a comprehensive study of the site? How to increase attendance with weak performance? These and more questions will be discussed below. I will try not to load you with heavy terms, but to put everything on the shelves in an understandable language.

Web analytics basics

The basics of web analytics can be understood as the study of a set of elementary programs and tools that allow you to collect statistical data regarding a specific Internet project in order to further interpret them depending on the goals of the analysis.

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First of all, it is necessary to understand the main tasks that the representative of this profession faces. They consist in drawing up certain recommendations based on the analysis of the Internet resource, allowing to achieve a specific measurable result.

The latter can mean the tasks of increasing the relevance of the site, increasing the number of visitors, optimizing the project, finalizing or abandoning certain functionality. That is, in other words, web analytics is a technique for generating decisions to improve performance based on the statistical shortcomings found.

Once again, I am focusing on the basics because I want you to fundamentally understand the meaning of your work. In our time, a huge number of pseudo-specialists have divorced, who catch Pokemon in the office during the day, and after a working day, with a smart look, go out into the street and say that they are 80-level web analysts.

Although the e-commerce market is undergoing changes in better side for consumers and entrepreneurs, the process of Internet monitoring with each innovation only becomes more complicated. This can be explained by a significant increase in competition in any of the niches, as well as constant updates of the principle of operation of statistics collection systems.

You must understand that web analytics for beginners takes the same serious approach to business as professional specialists. The deeper you dig into the statistics, the more facts and effective insights you can get.

Web analytics principles

The fundamental principles of web analytics include the following three points:

it is better to prevent the problem than to wait until it comes, and then deal with it;

continuous development, study of new developments, methods, tools, as well as their application in practice;

management flexibility - to achieve maximum efficiency decisions taken based on analytics, it is necessary to organize well-coordinated intra-project work.

Key web analytics tools

If you are a beginner, then do not rush to grab at once all the first words you heard like metrics, webalizer, direct, traffic. The basics of web analytics are what you need to focus on at the start of the journey. We learned an interesting tool - study it thoroughly, learn how to squeeze the most valuable information out of it. Believe me, sometimes it is much more effective to dig deeper due to a good level of knowledge in a particular system of Internet statistics, rather than spread out on all sorts of options for collecting information and, as a result, remove only the cream of data.

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Key web analytics tools are classified into two types:

Online statistics systems.

This category includes external programs, the work of which involves the installation of a small piece of code on the site. It allows you to enter data on visits and behavior of people in the database, which is hosted on the site-server of the service provider. Examples of such systems: Google Analytics, Liveinternet, Yandex.Metrika, etc.

Log analyzers.

These are programs that are installed on the user's computer. Collection and processing of data from the log file occurs with a certain frequency. Information is stored in an internal archive. Mastering such tools is somewhat more difficult than in the case of online statistics systems. Examples of log analyzers include: AWStats and Webalizer.

How to quickly move from beginner to pro status?

To quickly move up the career ladder, you need to accumulate a baggage of results. Program in your head that you need to conduct web analytics not to earn your money, but to find problems in the customer’s project, on the basis of which you will need to form a method for solving them in the future.

You find a gap in the system and tell how to fix it. Having learned to think with the result, over time you yourself will not even notice how you begin to become better, smarter and more efficient.

Dilute practical activities in a percentage ratio of approximately 70 to 30 gaining new knowledge, taking various web analytics courses, studying text articles, photo and video materials aimed at analyzing some specific techniques or tools in this field of activity.

Where to study web analytics, and how much will it cost?

You will be surprised, but even free education web analytics. The main thing is to choose a reliable information resource, the purpose of which is to help novice representatives of this profession, and not the desire for subsequent profit from them.

Don't let yourself be fooled

Finally, I reveal the secret on which all web analytics rests. Let's say your door hardware site has 200 people coming in for "buy door locks" and 200 people coming in for "door lock reviews".

A general Google Analytics report might show that there were 400 people on the site, on average they viewed two pages, and the time spent on the site was 3 minutes. If we divide this information by two visitors, then the picture is not very pleasant. The most profitable traffic just did not “shoot”.

Conclusion: visitors and traffic need to be segmented. Google Analytics already has a ready-made set of segments, in addition, you can create your own segments or download them from the Internet.

Another secret is to not analyze static data. They need to be compared all the time. What does this weekly statistic tell you?

Yes, almost nothing! Another thing - in comparison with the previous week.

Well, students? Is everything clear in general? Then go ahead and practice on the open battlefield. Work as a hired employee or receive freelance orders - the choice is yours. If you want rapid development, then I recommend giving preference to the first option. In the company, you will find customers, and they will teach you basic knowledge, and point out shortcomings. If you want maximum freedom and independence, then choose freelancing. Good luck in your new endeavors. All the best, see you soon!

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