In the next few years I think we are going to see more and more Business Analysts move into executive level positions in both business and IT organizations. Many individuals holding these positions currently have strong business analysis backgrounds (whether or not they ever had that job title). The progression of a Business Analyst into executive management is very logical and smart from a CEO's perspective. BAs understand the core business and understand how to solve business problems. We are very good at looking at business areas from a strategic perspective and recommending forward thinking solutions. Because we understand what technology can do, we can see possibilities for future growth in our organizations and can see a path to get there.
My confidence in our ability to move up the ranks was reinforced when I was reviewing the results of a new survey of CIOs. The survey was conducted by Ziff Davis CIO Insight magazine entitled The Role of the CIO. http://www.cioinsight.com/ One of the questions was Top IT Exec's Most Important Personal Attributes. The top answers were leadership ability (50%), strategic thinking (39.9%), business understanding (39.5%), and communication skills (31.6%).
While most of the CIOs prior responsibilities were IT management (82.3%), many have consulting backgrounds (51.2%) and business management (38.1%). When asked what prior tasks/experiences were most helpful in their current positions they consistently listed work like strategic planning, negotiation, consulting experience, along with financial experience.
Technical work was further down the list indicating that even though CIOs are responsible for the technology group, they report that their current most important responsibilities are working with other executives on contributing to their company's strategic direction. So if you are interested in moving up the corporate ladder, becoming an excellent BA is a great step.
May 11th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
One of the skills that a good BA definitely has is the ability to find the gist of things and be able to look through the mess and understand the problems, and also to look at the big picture. This requires excellent communication and problem analysis skills that over time get honed. I don't see how they would not be useful eventually to run businesses.
May 15th, 2007 at 1:18 am
[…] The Business Analyst role is a good one - if you’re interested in climbing the rungs of the organizational ladder. At least that’s the tack that Barbara over at the Business Analyst Blog has taken: In the next few years I think we are going to see more and more Business Analysts move into executive level positions in both business and IT organizations. Many individuals holding these positions currently have strong business analysis backgrounds (whether or not they ever had that job title). The progression of a Business Analyst into executive management is very logical and smart from a CEO’s perspective. BAs understand the core business and understand how to solve business problems. We are very good at looking at business areas from a strategic perspective and recommending forward thinking solutions. Because we understand what technology can do, we can see possibilities for future growth in our organizations and can see a path to get there. […]
May 27th, 2007 at 3:38 am
BAs are definitely capable of taking highest responsibilities given the experince they gain as BAs. I’ve just mentioned this in my latest blog
http://yasasva.blogspot.com/2007/05/business-analysis-career-path.html
May 31st, 2007 at 8:44 pm
I think the BA is an excellent growth position whether you want to stay in IT or more into a line position. One of the great advantages of IT is that it gets to see all sides of the business. The BA has the added advantage of seeing it from both the technical side and the business side which is great experience. My personal experience in IT is that more companies want CIOs with more than just technical expertise. The want someone with actual business experience that knows how to best utilize the technology. I've seen this slowly changing over the past few years and I'd say at this point more companies than not want something more than just a technician in the top IT spot. Mike
July 30th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
[…] The Business Analyst role is a good one - if you’re interested in climbing the rungs of the organizational ladder. At least that’s the tack that Barbara over at the Business Analyst Blog has taken: In the next few years I think we are going to see more and more Business Analysts move into executive level positions in both business and IT organizations. Many individuals holding these positions currently have strong business analysis backgrounds (whether or not they ever had that job title). The progression of a Business Analyst into executive management is very logical and smart from a CEO’s perspective. BAs understand the core business and understand how to solve business problems. We are very good at looking at business areas from a strategic perspective and recommending forward thinking solutions. Because we understand what technology can do, we can see possibilities for future growth in our organizations and can see a path to get there. […]
May 11th, 2008 at 7:39 am
[…] By Business Analyst Blog - Is Business Analysis the road to the Top of Your Organization? In the next few years I think we are going to see more and more Business Analysts move into executive level positions in both business and IT organizations. Many individuals holding these positions currently have strong business analysis backgrounds (whether or not they ever had that job title). The progression of a Business Analyst into executive management is very logical and smart from a CEO’s perspective. BAs understand the core business and understand how to solve business problems. We are very good at looking at business areas from a strategic perspective and recommending forward thinking solutions. Because we understand what technology can do, we can see possibilities for future growth in our organizations and can see a path to get there. […]