Business Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

Business Analyst Interview Questions

1) What is the use of a flowchart, and why is it important?

Ans: A flowchart makes use of diagrams and symbols to demonstrate the flow of a system. It simplifies the system into a few key steps and makes it easy to understand. 

2) What is a feasibility study?

Ans: A feasibility study helps to understand how successful an idea for solving a business problem will be. 

3) What are the eight steps in the business analysis process flow?

Ans: 1. Gathering information, 2. Identifying key stakeholders, 3. Identifying the business objectives, 4. Determining available options, 5. Defining scope, 6. Defining the delivery plan, 7. Defining project requirement, 8. Implementation and evaluation.

4) Name five tools used in Business Analytics?

Ans: MS Office and SQL, Axure, Python and R, QlikView and Tableau, Blueprint.

5) State two differences between risk mitigation and risk avoidance.

Risk avoidance is done to prevent the occurrence of a risk, and risk mitigation is done when a risk occurs. Risk avoidance helps to eliminate the cause of the risk, and risk mitigation reduces the probability of risk. 

6) What are the five phases in IT project management?

Ans: Initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, project closure.

7) Define critical path analysis.

Ans: Critical path includes all the activities in a project. An analysis of the critical path helps to reduce project timelines and control costs.

8) What are the five components of strategy analysis?

Ans: Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, Action plan.

9) State two differences between the Agile Model and the Waterfall Model.

Ans: Agile is flexible in nature, but Waterfall follows a structured method. In the agile model, testing can be done in any phase, but in Waterfall, testing can be done only in the final phase.

10) What is the use of the Requirement Traceability Matrix?

Ans: RTM is used to record client requirements and to ensure that they are met.

Recruiters also asses certain core skills every Business Analyst must-have. These skills will determine the BA’s ability to perform their work successfully.

Essential Skills of a Business Analyst

Excellent communication skills

It is crucial for a BA to convey ideas without ambiguity and ask questions without using complicated terminologies and jargons. This will help them to easily communicate with stakeholders with different technical proficiencies.

Clarity of objectives

If a BA doesn’t fully understand what they are being asked to do, then this lack of clarity can prevent them from delivering the desired output. To avoid such situations, they need to ask all the relevant questions and other information before commencing work.

Good presentation skills

A BA may have to make a presentation for stakeholders or teams who are working on the projects. The content of the presentation must match the objectives of the meeting. A well-made presentation communicates the purpose of the projects clearly, which helps the stakeholders to ask all the right and relevant questions.

Knowledge of modelling tools

Modelling helps to convey large volumes of written information by converting them to visual representations. This helps the stakeholders to get an easy overview of the projects.

Managing one to one stakeholder meetings

E-mail and other forms of written communication cannot be as effective as face to face meetings. When a BA meets a stakeholder in person, they will have a chance to discuss various aspects of the projects, identify problems, and come up with solutions. 

Time management skills

A BA must be able to prioritise tasks and use their time management skills to ensure that work is completed on time. Since there are chances of unpredictability, a BA must know which task is critical and ensure that the team members involved in projects deliver their work on time.

Written communication skills

A BA will have to create various requirement documents, reports, plans, specifications, etc.  These documents and reports should be written in a clear, concise, and easy to understand manner for the benefit of all stakeholders.