BA.AI

Have you written user stories? 

Do you know how to write acceptance criteria? 

Have you developed use cases?

These topics might soon be obsolete as part of the introductory interviews for junior business analysts.

Let me explain why…

The advent of AI tools in the field of business analysis (and not only) means one thing: The role of a business analyst (BA) is shifting towards a more advisory role. The BA is not expected to be an expert in writing user stories properly, since this work will eventually be unrtaken by the AI tools. The BA is expected though to have deep knowledge of the customer and its needs, thorough understanding of the product (the business analysis role was for a long time now moving towards a more product-owner-ish role) and, last but not least, the ability to manage the new resources available.

The latter, means that the BA will have a managerial role regarding the AI tools available. Like a manager has resources to use, advise and mentor, the BA will need to carefully guide the new resources he/ she has available (call me CoPilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Manus, etc – the list is literally endless…) in the most efficient manner to get results. And he will need also to review (as a manager would do), provide feedback when the results are not satisfactory and help the team optimize its performance through the guidance he/ she will provide.

Not everyone is ready for this shift.

Actually only very few are.

And that is a problem we need to deal with.

Business analysts that are not in managerial positions as we speak, are currently working in projects, part of a team, discussing with the customer, getting requirements, refining the backlog, providing input and getting input, documenting and also proposing solutions. But all this happens under the blissful safety of a ‘project’ and a ‘team’ where someone else is in charge. Someone is giving directions, someone is driving the effort. Surely as a BA becomes more senior, he should start driving things himself and provide guidance on his own. And let’s not even go to the needs regarding AI agents, their training and maintenance.

More senior analysts are more ready to handle the above and, thus, accept and embrace AI tools in general. Senior analysts are used to reviewing, they are used to providing feedback. But an analyst without these skills, will find it difficult to cultivate them while at the same time he needs to also deal with the everyday needs for analysis and personal development regarding business analysis tasks. The development of analysis related skills should accelerate immensely, so that the analyst can also focus on the management of the AI tools in parallel.

A mentality shift is needed.

You are not alone anymore.

You have a dozen or more helpers to assist you.

Using them is not going to be easy.

The best way to tackle this is to evolve. And change towards a new way of thinking.

You are not just a business analyst. You are an ecosystem of tools and capabilities that you need to orchestrate towards your goals. Goals that you will set, based on your knowledge and insights. Individual managers embedded in a team of managers.

Doing business analysis today is more than being a business analyst…

You must pave the way, you should direct efforts towards goals, you should define these goals. In summary, you should lead instead of being led.

But then again, wasn’t this the role of any serious business analyst from the beginning? Aren’t we supposed to be advisors to the client? Provide added value through our rigorous drive to fulfill the vision of the customer or even define it? 

AI will redefine business analysis. By taking over the things that are not business analysis. Following specific methodologies. Using acronyms. Impressing people with diagrams and fancy presentations.

So that we can focus on doing nothing. 

“Just” thinking.

“Just” envisioning.

Innovating.

We have lost that ability a long time ago. And perhaps that is what really scares us about AI.

That we will have to discover how to be humans again. 

(And there’s nothing scarier than one’s self…)