Janine Buis, Business Analyst at Old Mutual, shares her training experience having recently completed the Foundation In Business Analysis course.
Here’s what Janine had to say about her training experience:
Tell us a bit about yourself and your background, both personally and professionally.
I am 38 years old, married and a mother of 2 girls aged 6 and 4. I’ve been working at Old Mutual for the past 16 years, first as a financial accountant for 7 years and the last 9 years as a business analyst.
Why and how did you become a Business Analyst?
I completed my Financial information Systems diploma at CPUT and majored in Information Systems, Financial Accounting and Cost and Management Accounting. Having enjoyed the accounting, I pursued a career as a financial accountant.
In 2009 I was offered an opportunity to join the IT team as a Financial Business Analyst, which I accepted and have not looked back since.
What aspects of being a business analyst are you most passionate about and why?
The aspect of business analysis I am most passionate about is communication — as
… I enjoy listening, building rapport and ultimately building stakeholder relationships.
The team-work involved in project delivery is also something I thoroughly enjoy.
What were your objectives for attending the course and were they met?
My objective was to get a refresher on the overall role of a business analyst and the most up-to-date investigation techniques for requirements engineering.
These objectives were met as the course covered the key areas mentioned, as well as covering areas such as strategy analysis, stakeholder analysis, systems analysis and much, much more.
What was the most valuable learning on the course – did you have an AHA moment?
Learning how to identify and manage stakeholders was an invaluable learning for me, …
especially because effective stakeholder management is key to the success of any project.
How has this course helped you in your career? How are you using these skills?
I’ve already started implementing the knowledge and skills I have gained, and
… I am successfully applying my new abilities when conducting interviews, during my stakeholder engagement …
and also when conducting other requirements elicitation tasks.
What would you tell somebody who is considering doing the course?
That it is absolutely worth investing the time in yourself, and that I highly recommend the Foundation in Business Analysis course.
What did you enjoy most about the BCMG training experience?
The whole course was delivered in a very professional, relaxed and interactive manner — there was plenty of discussion in the room, and the pre-module assessments were both thought-provoking and fun.
Are you planning on taking any more courses with BCMG in the future? If so, which ones and why?
Yes, I’m already booked on the Requirements Engineering course! And I can’t wait, as the fact that these are short courses makes learning more accessible, jam-packed and very exciting.
If you want to follow in Janine’s footsteps and earn yourself an IIBA endorsed certificate from the premier business analysis training programme in South Africa, download the course information pack now.
