Interview with Alaris Head of Business Analysis Department

What was your background before joining the company?

Believe it or not, my major is humanities. However, when I was a kid, my brother sparked my interest in radio engineering and technology in general. Before Alaris Labs, I had worked in cold calling and technical support roles at other companies. However, those previous positions didn't allow for a creative approach or much personal development. It was frankly dull and monotonous.

But when I joined the technical support team at Alaris Labs, I never stopped learning. I quickly moved from first-line to second-line support. From there, I decided to pivot towards business analysis, where I could fully utilize my creative and analytical abilities.

I recommend everyone to find a job that allows them to develop their strengths and never gets boring.

What skills are needed to be a good business analyst?

There's still no clear distinction between business analysis and systems analysis in the market. So, I'll highlight some meta-skills that are useful in either field. Firstly, the ability to delve deep into technical documentation, being meticulous, thorough, and detail-oriented is crucial.

On the other hand, abstract and expansive thinking is highly valued, along with the ability to absorb vast amounts of information from completely different spheres. It's natural that both these skills are challenging to combine in one person, so don't worry too much.

What books have been useful in your work?

Leadership: "Multipliers" by Liz Wiseman

UX/UI: "Refactoring UI" by Adam Wathan, Steve Schoger.

Creative thinking: "Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques" by Michael Michalko

Tech: "Writing Effective Use Cases" by Alistair Cockburn

What questions do you ask in interviews for your department?

Among other technical questions, I ask what someone considers their greatest achievement and biggest failure in life. This question reveals a lot about a person, their values, their approach to life, and their sense of humor. I don't trust those who claim they never make mistakes. It's simply impossible if you're doing anything at all. Recognizing mistakes and taking responsibility for them is important.

What difficulties have you faced as a department head and how did you overcome them?

At one point, I noticed I had imposter syndrome. I was afraid to hire people into my department who understood technical aspects better than me. I feared they'd realize I wasn't an analytics genius.

Then, I realized it was wonderful to have powerful specialists in my team, and I didn't need to be the best at everything. We're not competing against each other; we're working for the greater good, ensuring our clients are satisfied.

What misconceptions do people face when trying to build their careers in IT?

Many think that IT is only about programmers. It's essential to remember there are also technical writers, project and product managers, business and systems analysts, technical support, sales, and more. Nobody says you can start without any knowledge: it's useful to understand how the internet and telephony work, know what an IP address is.

Don't be afraid to learn something new. Telecom isn't rocket science; you can grasp the basics, even if you don't have a technical mindset.

What keeps you energized and motivated?

Being an analyst requires significant mental effort. Ironically, many great ideas don't come when you're sitting in front of a screen. Sometimes it's useful to take a walk, chat with colleagues, have a coffee, play a short game of backgammon, or even watch funny reels on your phone. A short 15-minute nap also helps a lot. Many solutions in our system came to me right after a daytime nap.

Another useful trick is to talk to someone about a problem, even if they don't understand the system or technology at all. Often, while explaining, you arrive at a solution. Some developers prefer talking to yellow rubber ducks, I opt for people. As they say, a well-formulated question is almost an answer.

What message would you like to convey to everyone?

For me, it was eye-opening how often misunderstandings occur between people. Perhaps 99% of all problems arise because there's a lack of communication. Perhaps expressing your thoughts and finding common ground is even harder than learning to code. And that's why this skill is so valuable.