“Can a graduate step straight into a Business Analyst role, or are there better first steps to build the experience needed to succeed?”
It is a question we were asked by a client just last week, and it is one we are hearing more often as universities promote business analysis as a pathway for graduates. Many students leave their studies aiming to step straight into a BA role, drawn to the idea of working on strategy, transformation, and solutions.
It makes sense. The title sounds important, strategic, and right at the centre of digital projects. What graduate wouldn’t want that?
But here is the truth: the best BAs don’t usually start there. The best BAs are the ones with battle scars. They are the people who have seen projects succeed and fail, have worked with prickly stakeholders, and who know that delivering value to a business rarely follows a straight line. They have already earned their stripes in different areas of technology and have a broad understanding of how systems work in the real world.
Why Great BAs Don’t Happen Overnight
Being a BA is not about scribbling notes in workshops or nodding along in meetings. It is about asking the right questions, untangling complex problems, and shaping solutions that deliver genuine business value. It is the art of interpretation and communication.
Those instincts cannot be taught in a textbook. They come from lived experience. You only learn how to manage competing priorities after sitting in a room where Finance, IT, and Operations all want different outcomes. You only learn how to spot inefficiencies after watching a process break for the fifth time. And you only learn how to build credibility when you have walked in the shoes of the people you are working with.
The best BAs are the ones with battle scars. They have been through projects that went sideways, had to win over sceptical stakeholders, and found solutions in environments where nothing went to plan. They are forged in the detail of daily business life, in the messiness of delivery, and in the lessons that only come with time and persistence.
The Many Flavours of BA
“Business Analyst” is not a one-size-fits-all role. Over time, analysts develop different specialities, shaped by the environments they have worked in:
- Technical BA: the bridge between business needs and technical realities. They understand integrations, systems, and architecture, ensuring solutions don’t just sound good on paper but actually work in practice.
- Data BA: the insight-driven analysts who live for turning raw numbers into meaningful stories. They thrive in reporting, BI, and analytics projects, connecting patterns to decisions that matter.
- ERP BA: the enterprise system navigators who have seen payroll cycles, finance implementations, and supply chain challenges up close. They know how modules really run and how to make them work better for the business.
- Process BA: the workflow specialists who map out messy processes, expose bottlenecks, and design smarter, more efficient ways of working.
- AI BA: the newest speciality. They translate big ambitions for AI into clear business requirements, work with data scientists to ensure the right data is available and ethical, and map how AI will reshape processes. They also help stakeholders understand the risks and governance issues that come with AI, such as bias and transparency. In short, they make sure AI delivers real business value, not just hype.
None of these specialities come from a certificate alone. They are built through time spent in technology and business, dealing with complexity in the real world.
The Greatest BAs Scale with the Business
The greatest BAs are the ones who have seen business at different scales and stages. They may have started in support or admin roles, learning the detail of how day-to-day operations run. Later, they may have stepped into larger projects, where the stakes were higher and the impact was broader.
This progression gives them a unique perspective. They know what it is like to solve a problem for a small team under pressure, but they also know what it takes to deliver change across an entire global organisation. They can see both the weeds and the big picture, because they have operated in both.
That breadth of scaled experience, combined with a few battle scars, is what allows the best BAs to cut through noise, balance conflicting priorities, and design solutions that work in practice, not just in theory.
The Craft of a BA
This is where expertise becomes clear. Strong BAs know how to:
- Gather requirements that cut through assumptions and uncover what the business really needs.
- Write user stories that developers, testers, and stakeholders all understand, without jargon or fluff.
- Map processes so pain points and opportunities for improvement are visible to everyone, not hidden in spreadsheets.
- Act as a stakeholder chameleon, adapting communication styles to suit executives, frontline staff, and technical teams. One moment it is big-picture strategy, the next it is the detail of why a form keeps crashing. And yes, it also includes engaging with the difficult stakeholder in Accounting who insists their way is the only way.
The strength of a BA lies in balancing people, process, and technology, and doing it in a way that earns trust and drives outcomes.
Methodology Agnostic: The Balanced Approach
Ask ten companies what methodology they use and you will get ten different answers: Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid, SAFe, or their own version of Agile that is not always all that Agile.
The best BAs don’t tie themselves to one method. They are methodology agnostic and able to flex depending on the project, the people, and the environment.
Being methodology agnostic is not about being vague. It is about knowing enough of each approach to use the right tool at the right time. That balance is what makes a difference in a BA cutting the mustard in a complex environment.
Where to Start
So, if you are a graduate aspiring to become a BA, here is the real talk: don’t chase the title, chase the experience.
- IT Support shows you how systems really succeed and fail.
- Project Administration puts you in the room where projects live and die.
- Operations roles let you see how the business actually runs, and what truly needs fixing.
- Learn, learn, learn – make micro learning your new bestie. An opportunity to take a certification presents itself and you need to be grabbing it with both hands.
These roles are your training ground. They give you the context, credibility, and confidence that allow you to make business analytics your art form.
RealTalk for Graduates
Being a BA is not about landing the title first. It is about building the expertise that makes the title mean something.
The most trusted BAs, whether technical experts, data-driven analysts, ERP specialists, process mapping experts, or AI specialists, are the ones who put in those early miles. They built credibility by gaining scaled business experience, learning from projects that didn’t go smoothly, and carrying the battle scars that prove they can deliver in tough environments.
At Sense Recruitment, we help graduates take those first steps. Whether it is IT support, project administration, or operations, we connect you with roles that give you the experience and context to grow into the BA you want to be.
So, are you ready to stop chasing titles and start honing expertise? Reach out and let’s find the right starting point for you.
Sense Recruitment
Suite 6, 996 Hay Street, Perth WA
Phone: +61 8 9481 8111
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.senserecruitment.com.au
