How to Demonstrate Value as a Business Analyst

You might as well be speaking “Klingon” Just dropped from a meeting where the IT Director provided his update to the leadership team. The c-level folks and non-technical leaders had no clue what he was talking about… From my experience this is the #1 mistake technical professionals make when meeting with business stakeholders I'll be blunt… business stakeholders don’t care about your technical architecture diagrams, your configuration details, or how cutting-edge your solution is. They care about outcomes. They care about results. They care about impact. BUT most technical professionals go into meetings armed with technical jargon & acronyms and leave the room wondering why no one bought in. If you’re presenting to business leaders, here’s the reality check… you are selling and you’re not selling technology - you’re selling business value. I don’t like to present a problem without a solution – so let’s try this… Step 1 Start every conversation by answering this “How does this solve a business problem?” If you have a technical solution that reduces costs, increases revenue, mitigates risk, or makes life easier for users, lead with that. Everything else is just details that nobody cares about. Step 2 Translate technical features into business benefits. Instead of saying, “We’re implementing zero trust,” say, “We’re reducing critical risks to our top revenue producing critical business functions.” Step 3 Stakeholders want to hear about how your solution will reduce downtime, increase productivity, save $$$, or improve client satisfaction. Make your impact measurable and relatable. Step 4 Can you reframe your message using an analogy or better yet a story. Numbers are great, but stories are sticky and resonate. Frame your solution in the context of a real-world scenario, like something stakeholders can visualize and connect with. Step 5 No one likes a squeaky wishy washy technical expert. Take a position, back it with evidence, and be clear about the path forward. Confidence inspires trust. Stop talking about the “how.” Start owning the “why.” And STOP speaking “Klingon” When you shift your focus to business value, you’ll see interest, buy-in, alignment, and support. #ciso #dpo #msp #leadership

"I want to show my work's impact but I don't have the data." Here are three things you can do: 1. Build your own data points You probably have some great "dragon slaying" stories already. But you haven't brought them to the surface. Maybe you delivered on a timeline 4 weeks shorter than the industry standard or you built a completely new process from the ground up to deliver on a unique need. Look at your projects through the lens of outcomes. How did your approach lead to tangible outcomes for the client? Potential data quote: "We optimized our production workflow to make iterating different versions easier, shipping 10 more video deliverables than requested without impacting budget. This added over $20,000 of value to the project." 2. Collect soft data You'll get powerful proof of your value in throwaway conversations or buried in an email somewhere. Showcasing that a client has stayed with you for five years or that their CEO called your work out in an all-hands meeting may not have a business metric attached, but it demonstrates the trust and value you are delivering. Potential data quote: "This client initially reached out to us to create one explainer video, and now we're leading their quarterly campaigns. Their VP of Marketing told us we made their company look like a FAANG-level brand." 3. Look at business-level stats You can measure your impact through the larger performance of the business. If the company is publicly-traded, they have to create quarterly earnings reports. You can see how much revenue they earned, quarter by quarter. So, you can showcase how much the company has grown since they've started working with you. Or, if the company is private, you can look to other resources to collect data. You can measure their headcount growth on their business LinkedIn page or look at when they've obtained funding on Crunchbase. Potential data quote: "Since working with us, the client increased their revenue by 15% each quarter. And the organization grew by 340% in two years." The data is your proof that what you do is valuable. It's critical to telling your story. If you're not getting the data from your clients, go out and collect some.

Here's a game-changing piece of job search advice: Prove to organizations how you can add value. Your mission is to show potential employers exactly why they need you. Job searching can be daunting, especially in today's competitive market. Standing out and easing employer doubts about your fit for the job is crucial. Inspired by Josh Cohen and Christine Moorman, I've found a powerful strategy that I want to share with you: identify the organization's Job To Be Done (JTBD). Think of yourself as presenting a product on QVC - showcase how you can solve their JTBD. Start by using your network and conversations to understand their goals, challenges, and what they aim to achieve in the coming year. Example: I recently navigated a competitive recruiting process with a top organization. Despite being up against candidates with backgrounds I lacked, I didn't let me hold that back. Instead, I focused on adding value. Knowing this organization wanted to connect with energy and climate tech companies, I created industry snapshots for three key sectors. I identified a growing set of relevant companies and provided contact information for their CFOs. I offered to connect them with relevant colleagues in my network. Result: By demonstrating my understanding of their JTBD and showing my capability to add value, I reduced their doubts about my fit for the role. I advanced through the interview process, consistently asking, "How can I help you do your job better?" Does this approach resonate with you? Let me know if this framework and way of solving problems to demonstrate value makes sense and is helpful! #jobsearch #careeradvice #networking #careerdevelopment #interviewtips #valueproposition

The best career advice I can give (as a CEO)? Don’t just do the work — make your value impossible to ignore. Here’s how: ✓ Start with a hypothesis “We thought [X] was a challenge/opportunity, so we…” This shows you’re thinking strategically, not just executing tasks. ✓ Show the action you took “We launched / tested / implemented [initiative]…” Leaders need to know what’s being done — not just that you were busy. ✓ Quantify the results “This led to [improvement] — more revenue, efficiency, adoption, or retention.” Numbers cut through the noise. They prove your work is making a difference. ✓ Tie it to business outcomes “That meant [impact on company goals] — higher profitability, faster growth, stronger retention.” It connects your work to what actually drives the business forward. ✓ Frame the next step “Based on this, we’re doubling down on [next move] to drive even bigger results.” Proving impact is great. Showing you can build on it is even better. Bottom line: Doing the job isn’t enough to rise up in your career. If you want executives to see your true value, convert your effort into measurable business wins.

🎯 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀... 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀? As Business Analysts, we spend a lot of time gathering and analyzing requirements. But there’s another part of the puzzle we don’t talk about enough... 🧩 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁” -> 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗵𝗼𝘄.” A requirement represents a need. A design represents a solution. Design is not just a UX or developer task. It’s part of our role, too. 🛠 𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 “𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻” 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗕𝗔? If you’ve ever: ✅ Created data mappings or mockups ✅ Proposed report layouts or field groupings ✅ Suggested process optimizations ✅ Facilitated discussions on solution options …You’ve contributed to design. 💡 𝗠𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 I once proactively identified data join issues before source data was even available, using mockups to validate logic. That wasn't just requirements gathering… That was critical thinking and design in action. It helped avoid downstream issues and saved the project time. 🔥 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 BAs who lean into design: ✔ Improve solution quality ✔ Bridge gaps between business and tech ✔ Deliver more value ✔ Reduce rework ✔ Elevate their role ✨ Don’t downplay your design contributions. You’re not 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 gathering requirements. You’re co-designing smart, scalable solutions. Curious to hear from others… What’s one way you’ve contributed to solution design as a BA?👇 #BusinessAnalysis -- ♻️Repost if you found this helpful. ➡️Follow me for more IT Business Analysis content.