Most of the roles described so far lean towards the technical side. Most of them require good communication skills, but as a Business Analyst (BA), those skills are core.
BAs are like the glue of the project. They keep everything connected, and know a little bit of everything. This allows them to ask the right questions, but not afraid to say, “I don’t know”.
In addition, they need to have empathy, to connect with the client, and they need to understand the basics of technology.
Their main responsibilities are to
- Listen to and understand the client’s needs
- Translate these needs into functional requirements and success criteria
- Communicate these to the architects
- Document user workflows
- Host client demos
- Manage user stories
The last point can be undervalued, but should never be underestimated. Proper user story management significantly improves the chances of success.
Possible certifications include Administrator and Business Analyst
The takeaway
BAs become a vital part of a team in medium to large Salesforce projects. They represent the client, and do their best to put themselves in their shoes.