Business analysis is a rapidly growing market. If you’re an analytical thinker, problem-solver, and effective communicator, then a career in this expanding field may be a great fit for you.

As a Business Analyst in software development, you’ll use technology-focused data analysis to improve the business operations and productivity of your company. You’ll work with both technical and non-technical teams and focus on how to encourage business growth.

If you just recently learned about the field of business analysis, you’re not alone. As a relatively new field, the need for Business Analysts has seen a spike in recent years. This is because companies and organizations are producing and storing more data than ever before.

But, recent studies have shown that up to 55% of this data is unused, resulting in a new term — “dark data.” Dark data is information that’s collected by organizations but unused for analytics, business relationships, or monetization. This seems like a job for Data Analysts or Data Scientists, right?

Maybe in the past, but not anymore. Leveraging the data to improve its viability for businesses involves more than just data analysis. And this is where Business Analysts come in. In this article, we take a closer look at what Business Analysts do, what skills you’ll need to succeed in this role, and how to get started in the field of business analysis.

What does a Business Analyst do?

Put simply, a Business Analyst (BA) evaluates business data to improve decision-making within the organization. They essentially act as a bridge between management or stakeholders (the decision-makers) and production (the decision implementers).

Their goals are to maximize profits, streamline production, and increase efficiency. Business Analysts are proficient in four primary kinds of analysis:

1. Strategic planning. This type of analysis reveals the needs of an organization.
2. Business model analysis. The BA uses this analysis to define policies and market strategies.
3. Process design. Process design analysis is used to standardize workflows.
4. Systems analysis. This type of analysis involves determining the requirements of the IT team.

Roles

While analyzing data is a huge part of a Business Analyst’s job, there are other roles and responsibilities that BAs take on. Here are a few of them.

Identifying business goals

Besides analyzing the actual development project, a BA identifies business goals and milestones like product benchmarks, key performance indicators (KPIs), and sales strategies. The BA communicates the business growth and expansion rates expected by management and stakeholders to members of the production team, including IT.

Development planning

Once business strategies are in place, the BA can outline the development’s direction and assign the various areas of responsibility. This is basically the translation of the business plan into a production strategy.

Here, the BA will help both management and production share a clear vision of the path forward. As a result, decision-making now becomes cohesive on both sides of the table.

Compliance and follow-through

As a project advances, the BA will continue analyzing the data to ensure the project meets the overall business expectations. This involves maintaining communication with both the project team and stakeholders whose feedback helps ensure things stay on course and that improvements are made to fulfill the business model.

Responsibilities

Along with serving as a mediator between decision-makers and the IT team, BAs also use financial reports to establish business goals and strategies, optimize spending, and maximize profit. Generally, a BA’s responsibilities include:

• Identifying technical requirements and then prioritizing them
• Creating detailed reports, making data analysis “visual”
• Outlining problems and their respective solutions
• Identifying business opportunities
• Budgeting and financial forecasting
• Project planning and management
• Variance analysis
• Product pricing
• Defining business requirements and goals
• Facilitating communication between management and production
• Ensuring follow-through progress reporting

The extent to which a BA assumes these various responsibilities depends on the phase of the project they’re involved in. There are four basic phases to any project:

1. Elaboration. This is the creative phase of a project. Here, the BA may work closely with the creators of the concept to determine its feasibility from a development point of view. They also might evaluate the market potential of the product and the cost benefits of the methods of production.
2. Solution/Design. Much of the initial research has been done by this phase, and primary decisions have been made. The BA would ensure that business requirements are set and can be met, choose the best tech stack for the project, and prioritize any backlog to bring the project up to date before production. Solutions are sought for any foreseen problems, usually before development begins.
3. Development. At this point, active software development begins. Roles have been assigned, and the BA monitors progress and ensures that development meets or exceeds business and technological milestones.
4. Maintenance. During this final stage, consumer feedback provides data for necessary changes and improvements to be implemented. The outcome should meet or exceed the expectations of stakeholders, and the business should begin to realize profits.

What skills does a Business Analyst need?

A BA can’t afford to limit their skills since their role quickly evolves along with the tools and methods used by businesses today. Their skill sets can be divided into four major areas:

Communication

1. Oral and written communication
2. Consultation and interpersonal communication
3. Facilitating interdepartmental communication

Analysis

1. Data analysis and visualization
2. Analytical thinking coupled with problem-solving
3. Accurate and clear reporting and a detail-oriented mindset
4. Business analysis

Familiarity with business structure

1. Cost-benefits analysis
2. Process modeling
3. Stakeholder analysis
4. Organizational skills

Technology

1. Understanding of networks
2. Knowledge of databases and how data is gathered and stored
3. Basic coding and other IT skills

A Business Analyst primarily uses tools for gathering and analyzing data, preparing reports and visualizations and fostering communication. Some of the tools they’d commonly use include:

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Access
• Google Analytics
• Tableau

Analysts increasingly need at least some knowledge of coding or programming skills to fulfill their evolving job description. Some popular programming languages for Business Analysts to know are

How can you become a Business Analyst?

If you’re interested in exploring a career as a Business Analyst, we recommend looking over our courses on programming languages — including Learn Python, Learn SQL, and Learn R. We also recommend checking out our analysis courses, including:

Start your journey to a fulfilling career in business analysis with us and sign up for free today.

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Mobile phones, tablets, PCs, TVs, and gaming consoles — because of these, gaming has never before been so accessible. With almost 3 billion gamers worldwide, the gaming industry is projected to bring in over $250 billion by 2025. Such a lucrative industry is bound to attract scores of new Game Developers intent on getting a piece of this rapidly expanding market.

If you’re considering a career in game development, there’s good news. As the industry grows, reports show that openings for Game Developers have increased by over 5%, and demand is expected to rise by over 2% annually, representing over 30,000 new jobs within a decade.

To help you decide if game development is right for you, we’ll explore a Game Developer’s role, responsibilities, and required skills in the paragraphs below.

What is a Game Developer?

A Game Developer does more than just the coding or programming required to create a game. They create the initial concepts and design new games, and then they develop, test, and maintain the games they release. They may do this as a freelance developer or as part of a design and production team.

Game Developer responsibilities

Since a Game Developer is involved in more than just the technical side of game development, they may assume various mantles at different creation, design, and production phases. Depending on whether they work alone or as part of a team, they may take an active role in any or all of the following phases.

Design

In this phase, a Game Developer or Designer comes up with the initial concepts and storyline for a new game. They also devise the framework of the game, whether it be a puzzle to solve, a series of obstacles to overcome, or enemies to defeat.

The mood (or “feel”) of the game, target audience, and market strategy are also established during this process, so there’s a clear purpose and intent as development continues.

Art

Game Developers create characters, objects, and environments in this stage using the concepts and storyline established during the design phase. The chosen colors and look of the game reflect the mood and feel chosen by the designer(s), and the graphics create an animated world where the game takes place.

Sound

Sound effects and music boost the mood and enhance immersion for users. Any audio tracks and dialogue that support the storyline must be created and recorded.

Programming

In this phase, Game Developers translate the concepts above into language a computer can understand. Various coding languages may be employed to solve problems, fine-tune performance, and mesh graphics and sound with the created environment.

Game Developer requirements

Some sources say you need a degree for a career as a Game Developer, but that’s not always the case. Many Game Developers don’t have a degree at all.

What’s most important is creativity, imagination, and knowledge of the fundamentals of game development. Remember that experience, a robust portfolio, and an attractive resume may go a lot further than a degree.

Required skills

Besides your creativity and imagination, what skills will you need to acquire to become a Game Developer?

• Coding proficiency. The backbone coding languages for game development include C, C++, and C#, but Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, and HTML5 are also commonly used.
• Math, physics, and problem-solving. A strong background in math and physics will help you translate your creative ideas into gaming experiences. Many potential employers conduct interviews to establish more than just coding experience. They want to see your problem-solving skills too.
• Good communication and documentation skills. Whether you’re pitching your own game as a freelancer or working as part of a team, good communication and documentation may make or break any potential deal or strategy.
• Knowledge of one or more gaming engines. Gaming engines are the framework used for building games. They’re also referred to as the “game framework” or “game architecture.” Some commonly used examples are Unity and Unreal.

What else will you need to become a Game Developer?

Ready to become a Game Developer? There’s a lot you can do to establish yourself in the industry and make this lucrative career choice a reality, such as:

• Cultivate your creativity and imagination. Gamers are always looking for something new and exciting, so develop your story-telling abilities, stimulate your imagination, and get the creative juices flowing.
• Build your own games. If you’re starting from the beginning, start with something simple. For example, you could try learning JavaScript, then jump into game development with Phaser.js.
• Build your portfolio. Use the games you make in your training to build a portfolio, and if you need a little help, check out our Career Center.
• Create an attractive resume. Once you’ve got some experience under your belt, create an attractive resume that highlights your skills and experience to prospective employers and clients.
• Take an entry-level position. Everyone has to start somewhere. Even as you further your training and education, accept an entry-level position to gain experience and establish yourself in the industry.

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