Hello again!
I will not be delving deep into the detail of specific theoretical questions, but its quite possible that you may be asked a bunch. I will be taking you through all this in upcoming articles.
1. The famous question - Tell us a bit about yourself.
Have your pitch ready. This should be a concise description to market yourself in the best way possible.
What to say?
* Starting from your name, give your interviewer a very quick recap of your educational background (highlighting the most valued qualification you possess) and your past successes at your workplaces or any remarkable experiences.
Things to avoid:
* If your full name is more than 2 names long, don't dictate every word of it. Just your good name would work just fine.
* Avoid repeating the exact same words written in your CV or your cover letter. They have already gone through it.
2- Who is a Business Analyst?
A Business Analyst is an active team member that acts as the bridge between stakeholders and the rest of the team in an organization. The BA plays a very involved role from the beginning to the end of a project, by conducting workshops, facilitating communication, documenting requirements, helping in planning, designing, and validating outputs of the project. The rest of the team looks up to the BA to provide direction and clarify requirement related doubts.
The BA is often involved in business verification activities with clients and also works alongside the Quality Assurance (QA) team to ensure project success.
3 - Why do you want to become a business analyst?
This is something you should have thought about already and have an answer to. I suggest you read my article on Where To Start Your Career as a Business Analyst? if you haven't already.
4 - What is a requirement?
It is a value-added capability or a part of a solution - to achieve specific business goals and objectives.
A good quality requirement usually follows the SMART rule.
Specific: The requirement should be specific, has an observable outcome, and could be documented properly
Measurable: Different parameters can measure the success criteria of the requirement's outcome
Achievable: The requirement should be feasible to attain within any given constraints
Relevant: The requirement must be in line with the project’s business case, vision, and goals
Time-bound: A time frame that is consistent with the need should be set
5 - What is a constraint?
Constraints are restrictions. Some common constraints include the following when it comes to a tech project.
- Budgetary restrictions
- Time restrictions
- Infrastructure related restrictions
- Restrictions imposed by policies/laws/regulations
- Technology limitations
7 - What do you think are the top skills a BA should have?
Communication, attention to detail, documentation, teamwork, leadership, analytical ability, critical thinking - to name a few.
In addition to these fundamental skills, technical skills come in handy. This does not mean you need to know the nitty-gritty of coding. However, it is good to know the very basic concepts and have a good knowledge of the SDLC (software development life cycle).
8 - Scenario-based question
The interviewer is bound to test your practical knowledge and your critical thinking ability - by asking you a real-life scenario. They want to see how consciously you tackle it.
Some common questions could be:
"What if a client comes up with a change to a requirement that is already being developed by your team? "
"Imagine we have a legacy system that has been in continuous development and maintenance for 7 years. How will you study the system as a BA?"
"What would you say to a customer who wants to get a whole system done in 4 days (an unrealistic time period)?"
9 - Some different diagrams that you know of?
These are some things you need to do your research on and put some practice. The basics are flowcharts, use case diagrams, activity diagrams, mind maps. Also, there are more advanced ones that come in handy such as - ecosystem maps, data flow diagrams, sequence diagrams, Entity-Relationship Diagrams (ERD).
Also, there are plenty of other techniques employed by a BA at various stages of a project. There are techniques to find root causes, techniques such as collaborative gaming to facilitate collaboration - in order to build a common understanding of a problem or a solution.
10 - How would you prioritize requirements?
Now there are different techniques and approaches to prioritize requirements even whilst collaboratively involving the clients. If you are a starter, it will not be a must to specify these techniques in names. You will not be expected to.
However, the gist of it is - you need to prioritize based on a few factors such as - the benefits, effort, cost, risk.
Make sure the requirements you prioritize brings real value to the client's goals or any other strategic business plans.
Also, some requirements have an expiration date. If you may wonder, this is the date that it becomes obsolete or no longer relevant with little or no value addition at all.
11 - Apart from all these, don't be surprised if you are asked some aptitude testing questions.
Every organization simply wants to make sure they hire the best talent.
As a BA, qualities that they really look forward for includes presentability, personality, confidence, good verbal communication, ability to make conscious decisions, detail orientation, people skill, critical thinking.
Never say you know something that you don't. Trust me, I've seen people do this very common mistake and flunk countless times. Don't expect a question to be a 'yes' or 'no' answer. They WILL be followed up with more in the same context.
Try to get the job armed with tools, techniques, and knowledge as much as possible! This will not only boost your confidence at the interview but also on the job and helps you make informed decisions.
Wishing you the best of luck in your career! 😊
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