Business Analyst Review

Analysis of legacy IT systems to gather requirements and dependencies and provide recommendations for migration. Day to day I speak to various areas of the business to gain an understanding of their current print systems and how suitable they will be for migration to our new single point system. I also conduct cost benefit analysis on specific print templates with a view to making them paperless.

New skills in SQL, IBM Mainframe, Excel. Formal training for British Computer Society qualifications to gain a diploma as a Business Analyst. I have completed my first formal training module which was requirements engineering - this has developed for me skills in systems modelling and capturing system requirements and displaying them in an easy to access format.

QA delivered training is engaging and job relevant to an extent - however there is a large disconnect between the formal training and technical skills required to be successful. I am enjoying learning the structures of the bank and in particular how well the IT systems deliver against our current business objectives and how this delivery can be improved.

Not very - placements are project based and my current project is very technical, beyond what would normally be expected of a Business Analyst according to my QA training coach. Concerns have been raised with my management but they are not based in my office. I do not know where my next project placement will be as yet due to the dynamic nature of the role - whilst I accept this is part of the role I think that when you are learning / training it would be beneficial to have a more defined placement structure.

Support is available from my Project Lead and Performance Manager and this has been very helpful; however the department I actually belong to are not based in my office and this has limited the amount of support they can directly provide. My performance manager is also not based in my office and is not within commuting distance - albeit we speak regularly and have arranged to meet face to face.

QA training delivered by Bill Aitken has been excellent, he is always able to provide real world examples and experience to give the training relevance and business context. Tom my training coach is very helpful and I am able to e-mail queries to him. I have had two reviews with Tom and he is helping to ensure that my placement fits my portfolio and qualification needs sufficiently.

My qualifications are definitely relevant to my role, albeit I have only completed one formal module at present. I can see a direct link between the methodologies I am being taught and being able to deliver results in my job. I am confident that the 3 remaining modules I have to complete will be very relevant to my role.

Yes - professional networking events in the form of a Town Hall meeting and social events within my cohort and work team. I am also aware of the various societies available at work and am a member of the parents and carers association. My work team have two football teams and have recently competed in an international competition.

Yes

Whilst the scheme has not been perfect the company do treat people with respect and I think that there is going to be a wide range of opportunities looking at roles beyond the scheme. I have spoken to colleagues from my previous employer who have now worked at Santander for a number of years and they are very positive about the company - in particular around pay rises and bonuses.

Look to up skill in IT related areas if you do not have a strong background in them. Be prepared to exist in quite a transient environment as a Business Analyst - in that you can be moved from projects with very little notice. Focus on the 9 core behaviours as part of preparation for any assessment centre.