The Evolution of Business Analysis: Embracing AI Integration
An introduction to how AI is impacting the role of the Business Analyst and what we should start preparing ourselves for.
Dear Reader,
With all this talk about AI and the impact of AI, my head has been spinning for quite a while.
But most of the spinning stopped or at least slowed down for the moment. Phew!
The upshot is, Business Analysis is changing (fast).
You might have started making some initial changes, like using ChatGPT to quickly create requirements or using a different AI tool to come up with questions for discussing stakeholders' needs.
This is all part of the change, but it is not all that is changing.
At a fundamental level, AI is not only automating tasks but is also enhancing those tasks where it can perform more effectively than humans.
Let’s look at a practical example:
“AI can elicit requirements.”
In our world as Business Analysts, AI can analyse documents, emails, and other records to determine what the stakeholder requirements are for a new solution or opportunity.
Therefore, we, as Business Analysts may no longer need to elicit that information in the way we’ve done it before.
At most, we may simply take the AI generated requirements and validate it in a session or two with stakeholders instead of spending weeks trying to work out what the requirements are from scratch…
Good right?
I think it is great because the nature of projects is only getting more complex with AI and this type of AI support will help us have more time to focus on complex problem solving and decision making (which is not something that AI can do quite the way humans can…at least not yet 😉).
It will however require us to become more adept and skilled at analysing real complexities and elevate our decision-making skills.
Another big change affecting Business Analysts
So far, I’ve just really mentioned how AI tools can help or change the way we work and deliver as Business Analysts but there is another big change we should prepare for which I only hinted at before: AI Projects.
Our role on projects will change. It will become about integrating AI solutions into our current workflows.
Our new role will require us to understand how AI works, how it learns and what it needs to be integrated into our systems.
This works differently from traditional projects and requires us to up skill.
There are more ways that AI will impact the way we work as Business Analysts, such as ethics and AI, change management and so on, but we will cover that in a future newsletter.
For now, absorb this and start to plan your up skilling path so that you can be ready and in-demand for the next generation of AI Projects.
On a personal note, all this change is very real, and it can be a bit scary, but I believe that together we can make the most of this opportunity to learn and embrace an exciting new era of work 🥰.
👍 Until next week…
Thank you for reading about how Business Analysis is being reshaped by AI and what you can start doing to keep up!
Share your thoughts, I’d love to hear them!
Esta Lessing CBAP®
You can find my more of my work here:
Hi Esta, it is a bit scary but just to give my input on a Requirement elicitation. Scenario, using AI the instant accessibility to information can be both empowering and overwhelming.
For instance, when one inputs an initial requirement into AI ChatGPT, it promptly generates a response. The onus falls on the Business Analyst (BA) to critically evaluate, interpret, and verify the provided requirement before taking it to business, to ensure its alignment with the business needs. The BA's open-minded approach is crucial in determining the validity of the requirement and its consonance with the organizational objectives.
Hi Esta, thanks for stepping us through it. You're adding value to my day. Thanks Jennifer