Business Analyst in SharePoint

When i was browsing i found these very important articles on SharePoint BA role.It was written by Michal Pisarek and the article was published in https://www.nothingbutsharepoint.com/sites/eusp/pages/what-makes-a-good-sharepoint-analyst.aspx


It is mentioned that with SharePoint being such a new technology, and unique in the skill sets required, the role of SharePoint Analyst has become a role that seems to encompass many differing skill sets. But what exactly is a SharePoint Analyst and does the role of the SharePoint Analyst differ from a more traditional Business Analyst?

The SharePoint Analyst role is a unique combination of platform knowledge, business acumen and interpersonal skills. Someone that is comfortable in technical details but equally comfortable training end users or explaining tangible business returns to executives.

What makes a SharePoint Analyst different to a 'traditional' BA?

When working with SharePoint there is a fine line between the 'prescriptive' and 'descriptive' approach. Whilst a traditional Business Analyst will ask a client what their needs are, a SharePoint Analyst needs to balance this with the capabilities that the platform offers and how it can be leveraged to most effectively satisfy business objectives. This does not imply that user requirements are disregarded, or that platform capabilities will be put ahead of business needs. However SharePoint offers a multitude of business solutions, with varying degrees of complexity on many levels such as deployment, architecture, development and customization which a SharePoint Analyst needs to have an appreciation.

A good SharePoint Analyst will always seek to gain maximum business value from the various components that SharePoint offers. Remember that SharePoint can be viewed as both a product and platform, the most successful SharePoint Analysts will balance time, budget and scope to determine the most successful solution approach.

Platform knowledge

For better or for worse a good SharePoint Analyst needs to have some knowledge of the multitude of capabilities that SharePoint offers. Some appreciation of out of the box configuration, infrastructure knowledge and development experience.

This does not imply that the SharePoint Analyst is a master of all of these skills, or can even perform them. But the SharePoint Analyst needs to know the 'what' of the platform, not as much the 'how'

The 'what' refers to what the platform can do and what it can't, and where the line is between configuration, customization and development. The 'how' is the deep vertical technical knowledge that is the realm of so many brilliant people in the community.

Now the reason that the SharePoint Analyst needs this knowledge is twofold. Firstly SharePoint is a platform so in theory it can be molded to do anything you like, but this doesn’t mean that it should. Secondly being able to steer conversations around high value, low risk alternatives to heavy customization can provide incredible value. I am sure that the EndUserSharePoint audience appreciates this more than most. If you can help your client understand that a small tweak in a business process can reduce the complexity of the solution by an order of magnitude you will have both happy users and a high return on investment for your client.

But also there are times where customizations will be needed. A SharePoint Analyst needs platform knowledge in order to manage user expectations of the complexity this might entail. With so many capabilities SharePoint is seen as a solution to everything, the SharePoint Analyst knows this not to be the case and can help their organization understand where the platform can be most effectively applied.

Steering the Ship

SharePoint is unique for many organizations because it is one of the few products that can have an impact in so many areas of an organization. A good SharePoint Analyst will be the captain steering the ship through the murky waters that can quickly become most well intentioned SharePoint project, program or implementation.

But as captain you have to make sure that you know where you are going, then determine how you will get there. This is where the SharePoint Analysts business acumen comes into play. Contrary to what most people think SharePoint is first and foremost a business tool and the SharePoint Analyst has to be very clear about the business problem that is trying to be solved.

Secondly a captain needs to make hard decision and be honest. You will have to say no more often than you think to make sure that the ship stays its course. You have to ensure that business problems are being solved in the most effective way and that SharePoint doesn’t become an exercise of technical prowess. The SharePoint ship can be quickly pulled in many directions all at once, make sure that the choppy seas of unclear business problems and intangible business returns does not run the ship aground.

Finally with a clear understanding of where the ship is heading to it is up to the SharePoint Analyst to make sure not only that it arrives there, but it’s does so in the best condition with minimal issues. Educating clients on seemingly unrelated issues around SharePoint such as governance, usability, adoption, training and others issues calls into play the SharePoint Analysts interpersonal and business skills. In many implementations the SharePoint Analyst finds that the technical challenges are far easier to resolve than the change management needed to ensure a successful solution.

SharePoint Analyst Attributes

    Be passionate about what you do: SharePoint can bring joy, frustration, pain and sometimes humor. If you are not passionate about the business issues you are trying to solve, and the platform you are using to solve these issue with, you may quickly find yourself descending into madness.
    Show compassion: We understand SharePoint but for many end users and business leaders this is a complex and intimidating product. Be compassionate, understand that people will need extra time to understand and possibly adopt the platform.
    Have restraint: Don’t make your SharePoint solution an exercise in technical brilliance whilst providing little value to end users. Use only those features that will solve business issues and improve outcomes, don’t show every feature of the platform at once. Start slow, stay the course and provide value.
    Humor:  Laugh when you don’t know the answer, laugh when a CU breaks a service application, laugh when you realize that something that should be easy needs heavy customization. Trust me it’s better than crying.
    Learn, Explore and Contribute: A SharePoint Analyst doesn’t know it all, but that doesn’t mean that you should stop learning. So much knowledge is available with a mouse click, the results of thousands of hours of unpaid community contributions. Learn from it, explore SharePoint for yourself and try to contribute. You don’t have to write a blog, you don’t have to answer forums but even a tweet to an author, or a comment on a blog can bring someone a smile.