Book Review: The Inside Track to Excelling as a Business Analyst

By: Roni Lubwama

Publisher: Apress

“Business Analysts have the responsibility to deliver business processes and technology products that bring value to the end user.”

Do you believe the role of a Business Analyst is often the glue that ultimately holds a project together? 

For those that have been in software related I.T. projects, they know the BA’s tend to be the ones that need to play both sides of the implementation fence by working with the business and operation teams to understand exactly what they are looking to achieve, and then relaying those specifications to the technical development group to deliver on what was requested, while trying to keep peace and satisfaction among all of those involved.

While the BA role may sound simplistic and straightforward, there are often many twists, turns, and "gotchas" that come into play, which can easily cause a project to run off the tracks quickly. The BA position, therefore, needs to understand and determine how to foresee problems arising, and take corrective actions by working closely with the project manager, PMO and key stakeholders, while occasionally facing egos, “dead-weight”, and individual agendas, that must be navigated through.

Fortunately, for the reader of The Inside Track to Excelling as a Business Analyst, Roni Lubwama shares his 20+ years of professional experience to elaborate on these project situations along with many other challenges that he personally has had to overcome in his career. He provides valuable insights on how to get ahead of problems prior to them occurring by looking for specific warning signs, as well as if you are caught in the middle of the cross hairs immediately, he makes suggestions on what to do now to try and repair the problem(s) at hand.

Additionally, Roni gives examples of the types of technical and non-technical skills a BA should gain for continued career success, while discussing “hacks” to help you get up to speed on a project, if you are thrown in with little support. 

In conclusion, I would recommend adding this book to your collection, regardless of where you are in your career, as many of us will continue to have responsibilities that are Business Analyst related such as effective communication, working with others, building credibility and mentorship.

Leaving you with one of many of the great quotes this book has to offer:

“Clarity of the problem is way more important than how to solve it or which tools to use.”

Roni’s book can be found on Amazon at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082F2RQ1D

About the author’s qualifications: Roni has his MBA from University of Edinburgh, along with 20+ years of experience in sales, marketing, logistics and IT, working for global Fortune 500 organizations as well as top tier consulting firms. His last 6+ years have been focused on being a Salesforce Business Analyst working on some very challenging digital transformation projects where his role of a BA was vital to the success of those initiatives.