Business Analyst

What they do

• Interview stakeholders to understand business problems and goals
• Document and analyse business processes and requirements
• Create user stories, specifications, and acceptance criteria
• Facilitate workshops and present findings to teams
• Support testing and ensure solutions meet business needs

Entry pathways

Ways to get into this role in the UK:

• Degree in Business, Management, Economics, or IT
• Business Analyst apprenticeship (Level 4/6)
• Starting in a related role (project support, admin) and progressing
• Professional qualifications (BCS Business Analysis, IIBA)
• Graduate schemes at consulting firms or tech companies

A day in the life

Your day starts with a meeting with stakeholders from the finance team—they want a new reporting feature, and your job is to understand exactly what they need. You ask probing questions, take detailed notes, and come away with a clear picture. Back at your desk, you turn those notes into user stories and acceptance criteria the development team can work from. After lunch you run a workshop with developers and designers, answering questions and refining details. By end of day you've mapped out the current business process and spotted three areas where the new system could save the team hours every week.