Top 20

Business Analyst
Interview Question & Answers
1. What is the role of a Salesforce business analyst in a company?

A business analyst is a link or a liaison between varying stakeholders who belong to diverse
domains in a company. A business analyst should have the competency to fulfill business goals
and balance the requirements of varying stakeholders.

2. What are the core competencies of a business analyst?

A business analyst should have exceptional negotiation and communication skills.
Problem-solving, analytical thinking, and decision-making are some of the essential attributes.
Furthermore, a business analyst should have adequate industry knowledge, technical
proficiency, and business process management skills.

3. What are some of the tools and skills used by business analysts?
Some of the technical tools and skills include platform knowledge, tools like JIRA, Trello, Asana,
Google Docs, MS Office Suite, and more. On the other hand, some of the business analysis and
non-technical skills include requirement elicitation, documentation, business process
management, and more.

4. Define INVEST.
INVEST stands for Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Sized appropriately, and
Testable. Project managers and business analysts generally use this acronym to create the best
user stories.

Project Management and Analysis Techniques

If you are clear about the role and its related intricacies, then moving further, the interviewer
goes into the technical aspects. So get ready to answer them through the following questions.

5. What is the meaning of project deliverables?

Project deliverables are the set of measurable products and services delivered to the end
consumer after project completion. It is basically the result of a project in the form of value
added to the current business process.
6. What is the difference between MoSCoW and SWOT?
MoSCoW is abbreviated for Must or Should, Could or Would. This process should be
implemented by comparing each demand with other requirements to prioritize the framework
needs.

For instance, it is necessary to consider whether the requirement is a must-have or should have.
This helps in prioritizing the project tasks in correct order.

On the other hand, SWOT is abbreviated for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
Analysis. It is one of the extensively used techniques for adequate resource allocation.

An ideal business analyst should have the capability to identify the strengths and weaknesses
of a framework and translate them into threats and opportunities.

7. What are UML diagrams and their uses?

UML diagrams are visual representations in Unified Modeling Language, aiding the
understanding and communication of software systems. Class diagrams depict static
structures, use case diagrams illustrate interactions and sequence diagrams show the
chronological order of system events.

United Modeling Language diagrams enhance collaboration among stakeholders, streamlining

the development process. A business analyst uses UML diagrams to round up a business
system’s architectural, structural, and behavioural aspects.

Use case diagrams are used by skilled analysts to depict system users and what they do with it.
On the other hand, activity diagrams help explain the flow of work and information between the
user and the system.

8. Define various stages of a business project.

Some of the primary stages of a business or IT project include Initiation, Planning, Execution,
Monitoring, and Closure. Some brief details of these stages are as follows:

● Initiation: This stage defines the project’s purpose, scope, and objectives. It will help in
laying a foundation for the project’s planning and execution.
 ● Planning: In this stage, a detailed plan is outlined to determine tasks, timelines,
resources, and budget for the project’s success.
● Execution: This stage covers the implementation of the project plan and delivery of
output.
● Monitoring and Controlling: For this stage, the main objective is to track, review, and
regulate the progress of the project. It helps in checking the performance and making
adjustments accordingly.
● Closure: It is to conclude the project and confirm the completion of deliverables formally.

Documentation and Analysis Model

Documentation is certainly an aspect you need to have a proper grasp on to become a Business
analyst. Thus, we have selected a particular list of questions that interviewers mostly ask
regarding the same.

9. Can you define BRD? What is the difference between BRD and SRS?
BRD is known as a Business Requirement Document. It is a formal contract between the client
and the company for the development of a specific product. In terms of the difference between
BRD and SRS:

● SRS is derived from BRD

● BRD is developed after a direct interaction with the client, and SRS is created based on
technical needs and expertise

10. Explain SRS and its significant elements. A system or Software Requirements Specification
(SRS) is a set of documents that describe the features of a system or a software application. It
comprises a variety of elements needed by the customers and stakeholders. Some of its
significant elements are:

● Score of Work
● Acceptance Criteria
● Functional and Non-Functional Requirements
● Assumptions and Constraints
● Dependencies
● Data Model
11. Define business modeling.
Business modeling is referred to as a step-by-step, comprehensive approach that helps identify
the value proposition for operating a business. Some of the key attributes of business modeling
include:

● Vision
● Action Plan
● Mission
● Strategies
● Objectives

12. What is analytical reporting? A business analyst needs to comprehend the

significance and drawbacks of analytical reporting. It is defined as a type of reporting
that offers data analysis, information, and recommendations.

The recommendations are the critical attributes that make it different from informational
reporting. Your focus needs to be on building recommendations from the data sources and
demonstrating analytical skills.

13. How to state whether a requirement is perfect?

A requirement is stated to be perfect if it is SMART, meaning Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
Relevant, and Timely. The condition’s description should be specific.

● All of the parameters needed for success must be measurable.

● All of the required resources should be relevant and attainable according to the project.
● All of the elements and conditions should be revealed on time.

14. What is a project life cycle?

A project life cycle is one framework that a business analyst implements to split a project into
varying manageable phases and describe the decision points throughout the lifespan of a
project.

It serves as a comprehensive framework enabling project managers and stakeholders to

understand, plan, and execute projects effectively. It also offers analysts the advantage of a
structured approach to project management for better planning, resource allocation, and
resource management.

15. What is the objective of the Requirement Traceability Matrix?

The requirement Traceability Matrix helps record all the requirements provided by a client to
make sure that all of the necessities are fulfilled. For example, it is like a shopping list that lets
you remember all the valuable items to purchase. It also helps in knowing and understanding
stakeholder requirements better.

16. What is the meaning of Gap Analysis, and what types of gaps can come up during an
analysis?
Gap Analysis refers to the analysis of differences between varying functionalities of a targeted
and an existing system. The gap, here, refers to changes that are needed to accomplish the said
result. The different types of gaps are:

Market Gap: It is the variation between actual and estimated sales.

Profit Gap: It is the change between the estimated and actual profit of an organization.

Manpower Gap: It is the change between the required and actual workforce strength in an
organization.

Performance Gap: It is the difference between actual and expected performances.

17. What are the strategies that you will follow to create a use case?
A use case should be adequately documented, well-defined and concise. The approaches and
strategies used in designing use cases are:

● The first phase will be identifying the users to create a persona for each user category
and recognizing objectives linked with each role.
● The second phase is all about structuring and creating the use case by capturing
non-functional and functional requirements. This phase includes user interface details
and use case diagrams.
 ● The third and last phase includes reviewing and validating the use case.

Business model diagrams

● Every business analyst needs to have the skill of developing a well-defined mapping of
the existing system of the organization. You can only improve after having an in-depth
understanding of the system and its workings. So, recap your modeling concepts
through unique questions in this part.

18. What do you mean by requirement elicitation?

Requirement elicitation is a technique that acquires information from users and stakeholders. It
comprises strategies or approaches to collaborate with users or clients directly. Some of the
techniques that come under requirement elicitation are:

● Document analysis
● Questionnaire/surveys
● Interviews
● Observations and workshops
● Prototyping
● Brainstorming

19. What are the different types of diagrams that a business analyst uses? How do they affect
the work?
Some of the most commonly used diagram models are:

● Flowcharts: These offer a diagrammatic depiction of the entire system’s flow. Flowcharts
make it easy for all of the stakeholders to understand the operation, whether technical or
non-technical.
● Use Case Diagrams: Such diagrams define the functionality of a system with the help of
a set of functions, services, and actions that a project or the system requires to perform.
● Activity Diagram: They help illustrate diversified activities and the flow across a variety of
depar tments.
● Collaboration Diagrams: They are also known as communication or interaction diagrams,
and are used to illustrate the interactions and relationships among software objects.
 ● Sequence Diagrams: Such diagrams help illustrate the interaction between varying
objects and the time sequence of the message flow between them.

These diagrams are advantageous in visualizing the functional needs of a system and finalizing
the priorities of development. They also help identify internal or external factors that can
influence the project.

20. What documents does a business analyst require?

A project lifecycle makes use of several documents. And the types generally depend upon the
use process of a business analyst. Some of the standard documents required by a business
analyst include:

● Initiation document
● Gap analysis document
● System requirements specifications document
● Change request document
● Business requirement document
● Functional requirement document
● Use case specifications document
● Requirements traceability matrix