Business Analyst job description
A business analyst turns business needs into clear requirements that a delivery team can build. They study processes, ask the right questions and keep stakeholders and developers aligned.
Why the role exists
Software projects fail when the team builds the wrong thing. The business analyst sits between the business users and the developers, gathers needs, writes them down and tests that the result fits. In India the role is common in IT services, fintech, ERP and in-house tech teams.
What the person does
- Meet business users to understand current processes, pain points and what they expect from a new system.
- Write requirement documents, user stories and acceptance criteria that developers and testers can follow.
- Draw process maps and data flows to show how work moves today and how it should move.
- Work with product owners to rank requirements and flag trade-offs when time or budget is limited.
- Answer developer questions during the build and update requirements when scope changes.
- Support user acceptance testing by preparing test cases and checking results with users.
- Analyse data from reports and databases to support decisions and check whether a change worked.
- Prepare training notes and release summaries so users know what has changed.
Skills and tools
- Requirement gathering through interviews, workshops and document review
- Writing user stories, use cases and acceptance criteria
- Process mapping in tools such as Visio, draw.io or Lucidchart
- SQL and Excel for basic data analysis
- Jira, Confluence or similar tools for backlog and documentation
- Wireframing basics with Figma or Balsamiq
- Stakeholder management and facilitation
- Domain understanding of the client industry
Education and experience
Preferred, never a bar: equivalent experience counts.
- Degree in business, commerce, engineering or computer applications preferred, or equivalent practical experience.
- Experience in a software project team as an analyst, tester, developer or support lead is preferred.
- Certification in business analysis is useful but optional, and experience can stand in for it.
- Working knowledge of the industry the company serves, such as banking, retail or logistics, is preferred.
How the work is judged
- Clarity and completeness of requirements, judged by rework caused by misunderstandings.
- Stakeholder satisfaction with how well their needs were captured.
- Quality of user stories and acceptance criteria as rated by developers and testers.
- Success of user acceptance testing at first attempt.
- Control of scope changes and how clearly they are recorded and communicated.
Where the role can lead
- Senior business analyst or lead analyst handling larger programmes.
- Product owner or product manager, owning a product backlog and roadmap.
- Functional consultant, solution architect or delivery manager, depending on interest.
Interview questions to ask
Ask every candidate the same questions in the same order and score them against written anchors, so the decision rests on the work and not the impression.
- Describe a project where requirements kept changing. How did you manage it with the business and the team?
- How would you gather requirements from a user who cannot explain what they need?
- Show us how you would write a user story and acceptance criteria for a refund request feature.
- Two senior stakeholders want conflicting features. What steps do you take?
- How do you use data or SQL to check an assumption before writing a requirement?
- Tell us about a requirement you missed. How did you find out and what changed?
Hiring tips for this role
- Give a short case, such as a messy process description, and ask the candidate to list questions and draft user stories from it.
- Check that the person can talk to both business users and developers. Many analysts are strong at one and weak at the other.
- Be clear whether the role is more about requirements, data analysis or product ownership, since job titles vary widely.
- Ask for a sample document from a past project with sensitive details removed, and read it for clarity and structure.
Questions about hiring a business analyst
They meet users, document how work is done, write requirements and user stories, answer developer questions and support testing. Much of the job is asking questions and making sure everyone shares the same understanding of what is being built.
No. A business analyst documents and clarifies requirements for a project. A product manager owns the product direction, priorities and results. In small teams one person may do both, but the skills and accountability differ.
Not usually. Useful skills are SQL, Excel and reading data models, and an understanding of how software is built. Coding is rarely required, though technical curiosity helps in conversations with developers.
GullyHR works with you to agree the job description, searches for candidates for permanent roles, screens them against your domain and project needs, and supports the offer. We do not supply contract staff.
Hiring a business analyst?
GullyHR runs talent acquisition for permanent roles. We agree the job description with you, find and screen candidates against it, and support the offer through to joining. We recruit permanent employees. We do not supply contract or temporary staff.