Digital transformation isn't just about technology. It is about understanding processes and involving people. A business analyst plays a key role here, as the link between business and IT.
By bringing structure, clarity and direction, the business analyst helps change succeed. To give you a better picture of the value a business analyst adds, in this article I share my essential building blocks for strong business analysis in digital transformation projects.
From "What do you want?" to "Where is the real problem?"
It all starts with listening. A good business analyst doesn't ask five questions, they ask hundreds. In my experience, the answer to the question "What do you want?" is only the tip of the iceberg. You need to dig deeper: "Where is the real problem?" That means listening, asking follow-up questions and sometimes challenging people. Not to be difficult, but to get to the heart of the matter. The better you understand the problem, the more efficiently the solution can be set up.
A bridge between business and IT
A digital transformation only succeeds when business and IT understand each other. In practice I have noticed that these two worlds often speak different languages. The business analyst builds the bridge: they know what IT needs to get started, and at the same time they understand what the business is struggling with and needs to move forward. That bridging role calls for listening, translating and connecting. It is how you avoid misunderstandings and build a digital solution that fits the organisation's needs, ways of working and ambitions seamlessly.
What does a business analyst actually do?
- Mapping processes: how does it work today (AS IS) and how could it work better (TO BE)? This analysis exposes bottlenecks and helps streamline and improve current operations.
- Defining business requirements: determining what needs to change, why, and with what priority.
- Supporting tool selection: gathering requirements, guiding RFPs, evaluating vendors and helping decide on the right fit.
- Documenting, aligning and adjusting: a business analyst keeps the overview but also dives into the details. You need to spot patterns, understand dependencies and assess impact.
Working with diverse stakeholders
I have found that a business analyst does more than map processes. Switching between very different stakeholders makes my work varied and calls for a strong ability to adapt. One day you are talking to a team lead who is focused entirely on their operational processes, the next you are aligning with developers on API integrations or business rules, and that same day you are discussing the interactions between systems and processes with the business architect.
Success depends on your ability to adapt your communication to your audience: knowing who you are talking to, at what moment, and in what language. Good preparation helps you choose the right way of working together for the right audience. It comes down to sensing when technical depth is needed and when a visual representation will have more effect.
The power of soft skills
Business analysis isn't only about knowledge and content. It is also about bringing people along, and that is where strong soft skills make the difference. Which soft skills matter most to me as a business analyst?
- Active listening is how you find out how the business works. By asking open questions and summarising regularly, you build trust and get the information that really matters.
- Critical thinking means not simply accepting everything. I have learned to ask follow-up questions, make connections and dare to say what isn't working. That is how you safeguard the quality of solutions and avoid blind spots.
- Empathy lets you see things from the perspectives of different stakeholders. It helps me build more support and makes it easier to turn resistance around.
- Acting pragmatically helps me look for workable solutions, even when the ideal scenario isn't feasible. I always think in steps, stay realistic and keep the organisation's context in mind.
- Flexibility helps me move with changing circumstances, priorities and insights. No project runs exactly as planned, so as a business analyst I find being able to change course crucial too.
So these soft skills are essential. You can learn technical skills, but you only win trust through the way you work, communicate and collaborate.
Trust as the foundation for change
In my view, building trust is the most underrated skill of a business analyst. From day one you need to work in a professional, well-prepared and empathetic way. By involving people, making small successes visible, understanding their language and then speaking it yourself, you create the support that lasting change needs.
My key lesson
My experience shows that business analysis is not a supporting role. It is the foundation of every successful digital transformation. With the right combination of analytical insight, communication skills and trust, you can move from insight to action and from strategy to execution. Our role connects IT and business and in doing so shapes the best way of working, in any organisation. It is a challenging job, in which you see every day that organisations need clear insights to keep building future (digital) solutions.
In practice: business analysts in our projects
Our business analysts play a key role in a wide range of digital transformation projects. For example:
- Banking: digitising the 'Close Account' journey, including analysis and redesign, an inventory of all touchpoints, drawing up a roadmap and delivering a scalable MVP.
- Maritime sector: implementing a resource planning tool, with analysis of AS IS/TO BE processes, documentation of integrations, close collaboration with engineers and support with data migration.
- Insurance: developing a new broker portal in Salesforce, which streamlined processes and improved collaboration with intermediaries.
- Automotive: the move to a new Salesforce platform for car repair management, identifying and optimising all relevant business processes.
These projects show how our business analysts bridge business and IT, and so make digital transformations actually succeed.
Would you like to find out how we can support your organisation with similar challenges?
Feel free to get in touch for an exploratory conversation.
Are you a business analyst yourself, and would you like to make an impact on challenging projects? We'd love to meet you!
