BUSINESS ANALYTICS INTERVIEW QUESTION

1. What exactly is a Business Analyst?

Ans: A business analyst acts as a link between many organizational stakeholders. They interact with
many stakeholders within an organization in order to explain and finalize needs and assist the project
team with project planning, design, and validation. They are individual who has good subject
expertise and can sort business demands.

2. What qualifications do you have for a business analyst position at our firm?

Ans: The interviewer wants to see if you comprehend the job role and if you meet the company's
requirements for the ideal applicant with this type of business analyst interview question.

There are two parts to this question:

Emphasize your education by mentioning coursework relevant to the position.

Show how your background, attitude, and skills make you a good fit for the company.

You can show the interviewer what benefits you will offer to the company by giving instances of your
prior work. Make sure your response includes a problem and a solution.

Tip: When showcasing and explaining your expertise and competencies, keep in mind the skills listed
in the job advertisement.

3. What are the core competencies of a Business Analyst?

Ans: It's one of the most typical interview questions for business analysts. Although each
organization is unique, the essential criteria for a business analyst are relatively consistent. Please
read the job description to find the required vital competencies and incorporate them into your
response.

You can respond that a business analyst requires excellent communication and negotiation skills.
Problem-solving, analytical thinking, and decision-making are also essential skills. Industry expertise,
business process management, and technical ability need a business analyst.

4. List some of the tools and abilities that Business Analysts employ.

Ans: You can combine technical and non-technical tools/skills to answer this question. Google Docs,
MS Office Suite, database knowledge, ERP systems, SQL, and other technical skills/tools are a few
examples.

Business process Management, Requirement elicitation, Documentation, and more are examples of
non-technical/business analysis skills.

Pro tip: Tailor your response to highlight your distinct abilities and experience.

5. What exactly is a flowchart? Why is it significant?

Ans: A flowchart uses symbols and diagrams to depict the entire system's flow. It is crucial since it
makes the plan understandable for developers and non-technical stakeholders.

Here is the diagram given below for better understanding.

6. What do you mean by SRS?

Ans: A System Requirements Specification (SRS) is sometimes known as a Software Requirements

Specification. It is a document or group of documents that describe the features of a system or
software app. It has several parts that outline the expected functionality that stakeholders and
customers demand to satisfy end-users.

7. What are the main elements of SRS?

Ans: The following are the main components of an SRS:

 Work Description

 Requirements for Function

 Non-functional specifications

 Dependencies

 Modeling Data

 Assumptions

 Constraints

 Acceptance Criteria
 8. What is a Use Case Model?

Ans: A use case model depicts a series of events and activities that occur during any process that an
actor does. It is an essential aspect of software engineering and software modeling since it specifies
the desired functionalities and the resolution of any potential faults that a user may face.

Given below is a use case model for an online shopping system.

9. What is the meaning of scope creep, and how can you prevent it?

Ans: Scope creep, also known as requirement creep, refers to unplanned modifications or deviations
in a project's scope within the same resource range, such as within the same schedule and budget.
It's a sign of inadequate project management and a potential project danger. A variety of factors can
cause scope creep.

Ineffective communication among project stakeholders and Inadequate project requirements

documentation

Scope creep can be avoided by doing the following:

 The scope of the project is documented.

 Implementing effective change management.

 Prior notification of the modifications' implications on the persons involved.

 The new requirements should be recorded correctly in the project log.

 Avoid gold plating, which entails adding more features to existing functions.

10. What is BRD? What distinguishes it from SRS?

Ans: A Business Requirements Document (BRD) is a written contract for a product between a
customer and an organization.

The following are the differences between BRD and SRS:

BRD SRS

It is the software's high-level functional and technical

It is a high-level software functional specification.
specification.

It is a formal document that describes the client's needs It outlines the software's functional and non-functional
(written, verbal) needs.

The Business Analyst creates it following direct engagement The System Architect creates it since it requires
with the clients. technical competence.

It is calculated depending on the specifications and

It is derived from BRD.
interactions with the client.

11. What does INVEST mean?

Ans: INVEST stands for Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Sized appropriately,
and testable. Business analysts and project managers often use this word to define the process of
providing high-quality services and products.

12. How do you define extends?

Ans: A dotted line that represents a relationship is called extends. It's most commonly used to
describe optional behavior with no independent significance. Help on "Sign on" is an example of how
"Sign on" might be extended.

13. How are non-functional requirements documented?

Ans: Non-functional needs are recorded in two documents:

 SDD (System Design Document)

 FRD (Functional Requirement Document)

14. Explain SaaS.

Ans: SaaS stands for Software as a Service. It has something to do with cloud computing. It differs
from other software packages in that it does not require installing software on your computer. You
only need an Internet connection and a Web browser to utilize it.

15. What is the complete form of OLTP?

Ans: The OLTP stands for Online Transaction Processing. It is a term that refers to the processing of
data on a computer network. These systems are designed to complete database transactions quickly.
Data entry and database retrieval are the primary functions of these systems.

16. What actions are necessary to turn a product into an idea?

Ans: Market analysis, competitor analysis, SWOT analysis, personas, strategic vision, and feature set
are all tasks you must complete. Features, Use Cases, SDLC, Storyboards, Test Cases, Monitoring, and
Scalability should be prioritized.

17. What do you mean by personas?

Ans: Instead of real users, personas are employed to help developers and technical teams judge user
behavior in various settings. Personas are social roles that any actor or character can play. It comes
from a Latin word that means "character." It refers to a group of clients or end-users in marketing
terms.

18. What does the acronym FMEA stand for?

Ans: FMEA means Failure Mode and Effects Analysis. It's a failure analysis utilized primarily on
product development, system engineering, and operations management. This study determines the
severity of various failure modes in any system.

19. What gaps can a business analyst encounter during gap analysis?

Ans: There are mainly four types of the gap –

Performance Gap: The difference between expected performance and the actual performance

Product/Market Gap: The gap between budgeted sales and actual sales is termed a product/market
gap
Profit Gap: The variance between the targeted and actual profit of the company.

Manpower Gap: The gap between the required number and quality of the workforce and the actual
strength in the organization.

20. What is the 100-point system?

Ans: This strategy gives different steps in a process priority. Each group member is responsible for
assigning points to various stages. Finally, all of the issues for each step are totaled. The phase with
the most points is the most important.

Problem Solving/Technical Business Analyst Interview Questions

21. What is the complete form of SDLC? Name the different phases of SDLC?

Ans: SDLC is an acronym for Software Development Life Cycle. It's sometimes referred to as the
System Development Life Cycle or the Application Development Life Cycle. It relates to developing,
testing, and deploying an information system.

There are five phases in SDLC:

 Planning

 Analysis

 Design

 Implementation

 Maintenance

22. What do you know about project management? Could you please elaborate?

Ans: The process of planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling resources, procedures, and
protocols to achieve a given goal is known as project management. It's utilized to bring together
scientific and everyday issues. The most challenging aspect of project management is reaching all
project objectives. These factors include time, quality, scope, and budget.

23. Point out one key difference between risk and issue?

Ans: Risk is something you can anticipate and manage by creating mitigation strategies.
The risk that occurred is referred to be an issue. Contingency or Issue management is used to tackle
an issue after it has happened. Problems are rarely fixed, but you can learn something from them for
future endeavours.

24. Name the different types of SDLC models.

Ans: There are mainly five types of SDLC models:

 Waterfall Model

 Iterative Model

 V-Model

 Spiral Model

 Prototype mode
25. Which model is better: the waterfall or the spiral?

Ans: It chooses a life cycle model for a project based on its scope, type, and constraints. It is
determined by its culture, policies, terms, conditions, and system development process.

So we can't say which one is the better one. It depends on the circumstances and situations.

26. What does 8-omega mean?

Ans: It is a business framework mainly used by businesses and organizations to improve their
operations. Strategy, People, Processes, and Technology are the most critical factors.

27. Name some key agile metrics that business analysts should consider.

Ans: Below are some of the essential Agile metrics to consider:

 The burndown metric for sprints

 Allocation of work categories

 The work's top priority is to deliver business value.

 Time to resolve defects

28. What exactly is the Pugh Matrix?

Ans: The Pugh Matrix determines the worst and the best solutions. This technique is currently part of
the Six Sigma methodology. An issue or design matrix is another name for it.

29. Why is it required for a business analyst to participate in the requirements implementation
process?

Ans: The two required qualifications of a business analyst are gaining subject expertise and giving an
analytical solution. As a result, a business analyst can assist in the resolution of many business issues
that may occur during the implementation stage of a need or use case. On the contrary, they can
obtain domain expertise and learn from the challenges. It would assist them in delivering solutions in
comparable instances.

30. What does the acronym FMEA stand for?

Ans: FMEA means Failure Mode and Effects Analysis. It's a failure analysis utilized primarily in
product development and system engineering. This study helps determine the severity of various
failure modes in any system.

31. What is the distinction between business analysis and business analyst?

Ans: In a company, a business analyst is someone who performs business analysis. The discipline of
studying the company's needs and identifying solutions to business problems is known as business
analysis. The business analyst ensures that the technical team's service or product satisfies the
client's needs.

32. Why do you want to become a business analyst?

Ans: I wanted to become a business analyst because I think it is an excellent career choice. It would
allow me lifelong learning and the ability to solve obstacles to bring answers to company problems.
You will be able to apply your abilities in various areas and industries.
33. Explain requirement prioritization.

Ans: As the name itself suggests, it is a process that is mainly used to allocate the
needs/requirements on urgency based on various factors, which are :

 Project phase

 Cost capping

 Delivery schedule

34. Do you think a business analyst should also be involved in testing?

Ans: Well, there are no fixed answers to this question, as it totally depends on the project and the
company. However, it would be a plus for a business analyst if he is skilled in testing and is involved
in it. This is because it will broaden their knowledge about the need for the product and help the
efficient building of the final product.

35. What do you know about Pareto Analysis?

Ans: Pareto Analysis is a method to identify the most contributing factors to a goal or a problem. It
was developed and named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. In Pareto analysis, all contributing
factors are identified first. After that, they are ranked as per their order of importance. After that, the
most important factor is solved first and then second, and so on.
Pareto analysis is also known as the 80/20 rule, as 80 per cent of problems are caused by 20 per cent
of factors. Pareto analysis helps prioritize efforts and resources in the right direction for full and
effective output.

36. What do you know about Benchmarking?

Ans: Benchmarking is the process in which we compare the performance of a company or individual
against another company or individual in the same industry. It is mainly used to find areas of
progress for a company. It is evaluated based on the profit, productivity and customer satisfaction of
a company. It is also used by companies to track their progress over time and ensure rising growth.

37. Explain all that you know about Kanban.

Ans: Kanban is a very popular system that is used to manage workflows. It is based on the Japanese
words sign or card. Kanban has been very helpful in various businesses. Recently, Kanban has been
used in the IT industry to manage agile software developments.

38. What does the term 'increment' mean?

Ans: The term 'increment' describes adding value to a variable. Like, suppose we have a variable
named count, and let's say we want to add one to it whenever we reach some condition. Here, in
this scenario, we can say that we are incrementing the variable count by one. Similarly, if we want to
add 100 to the same variable, we would say that we are incrementing the same variable by a total of
100.

39. Explain the term feasibility study.

Ans: The term feasibility is used to evaluate the viability of a project and to find how feasible the
project is. All the projects include this study in their early design phase. This study identifies the pros
and cons of a company neutrally. This study helps identify potential risks and determine whether a
project is worth pursuing.
40. State the difference between risk mitigation and risk avoidance.

Ans:

Risk Mitigation Risk Avoidance

It is a proactive approach to managing the risk. It is a reactive approach to avoid the risk.

It is done when a danger materialises. It is done to avoid possible dangers.

It reduces the likelihood of a risk materialising. It lessens the danger by removing the cause.

It focuses more on managing the risk rather than eliminating them. It focuses on preventing the risk from occurrin

It determines whether a project is affected. It reduces the thread incident impact to 0%.

The cost is substantial in the event of any risk. It eliminates the cost.

Role-specific Business Analyst Interview Questions

41. What is Requirement Elicitation?

During requirement elicitation, stakeholders provide information about the project's or system's
objectives. We collect this information by posing pertinent questions and understanding their desires
and necessities. It helps in preparing a distinct project goal and feature roadmap.

42. What are the jobs and duties of a Project Manager?

A Project Manager's tasks include budgeting, managing expenses, setting business goals, defining
tasks, making timelines, tracking progress, reporting updates, ensuring quality, assembling teams,
overseeing strategies, and handling vendors to complete projects.

43. In the business analysis process, what role does gap analysis play?

An organization's current condition and the state it wants to be in the future are measured using a
gap analysis. Business Analysts can then suggest fixes to meet organizational goals by identifying
weaknesses in processes, systems, or strategies.

44. What is Business Process Reengineering (BPR), and how does it work?

A considerable increase in performance, efficiency, and effectiveness is the goal of business process
reengineering (BPR), which involves completely redesigning business processes. Processes must be
completely rethought and restructured, frequently using recent technological breakthroughs.

45. How do you go about gathering requirements for complicated projects with many
stakeholders?

In response, I would use a collaborative approach for challenging undertakings. I would undertake
seminars, interviews, and surveys to involve stakeholders and collect a range of viewpoints. I would
prioritize the clarity and traceability of requirements by utilizing strategies like use case modeling and
user stories.
46. How do you strike a compromise between the necessity for project scope clarity and the need
for flexibility in an Agile environment?

Agile strongly emphasizes adaptation, but scope is essential for project management. Sprint
planning, backlog grooming, and refinement sessions regularly would ensure a clear scope while
allowing for modifications.

47. What purpose does a decision tree serve in data analysis?

An example of decisions and possible outcomes is called a decision tree. It is used for classification
and regression tasks in data analysis. It helps understand the most important variables, forecast
results, and make knowledgeable business decisions depending on varied circumstances.

48. How do you manage competing project requirements from various stakeholders?

To manage competing project requirements from various stakeholders, start by thoroughly

understanding each stakeholder's needs, then prioritize, communicate, and align with project
objectives while seeking agreement.

49. Can you differentiate between a Risk and an Issue?

A risk is a possible problem that might happen. We prepare for it with a plan. An issue is a problem
that has already happened. We address issues after they occur. Risks are like "what if," while issues
are challenges we face.

50. What is Scope Creep? How will you avoid Scope Creep?

Scope Creep is the gradual expansion of a project's goals, tasks, or features beyond its original plan.
It often leads to delays, increased costs, and reduced quality. To avoid it, set clear project boundaries,
document requirements, maintain regular communication with stakeholders, and rigorously assess
any proposed changes before incorporating them.

51. What is SIPOC?

SIPOC (Suppliers, Inputs, Processes, Outputs, Customers) is a visual tool used in process
improvement. It outlines the critical elements of a process, from suppliers of resources to customers
receiving the final product. COPIS is an alternative acronym that prioritizes customers and their value
to the organization.

52. What are the essential elements of the BPMN gateway:

BPMN gateways are crucial in process modeling. They manage flow divergence and convergence.
They include flow objects, like tasks, data connections, swimlanes for roles, and artifacts for
annotations, enhancing clarity and accuracy in depicting complex processes.

53. What is CATWOE in business analysis?

CATWOE is a business analysis tool used to understand and analyze complex situations. It breaks
down the components of a system: Customers, Actors, Transformation, Worldview, Owners, and
Environmental Constraints. It helps in gaining insights and making informed decisions based on
collected data.

54. What are Project deliverables?

Project deliverables are the results or outcomes produced during a project that is provided to the
customer once the project is finished. These can be products, services, or documents that fulfill the
project's objectives and meet the client's expectations.

55. How do you define a Kanban tool in the Business analysis process?

A Kanban tool helps agile teams visually manage and progress work through processes. It facilitates
just-in-time production scheduling and effectively portrays the current development status in an
agile system.

56. What is RAD?

RAD (Rapid Application Development) is a fast software development approach to creating

applications in 50-70 days, often with trade-offs. It emphasizes quick iterations, collaboration, and
prototypes to build functional software swiftly.

57. Brief the difference between the Fish model and the V model.

The Fish model spends more time on requirements than the V model, making it slower and costlier. It
suits projects' needs, while the V model handles uncertainties better.

58. What is Pugh Matrix?

Pugh Matrix, part of Six Sigma and design processes, helps select the best solutions among options.
Also called a problem matrix, it evaluates alternatives to identify the most effective one.

59. What is SDD?

SDD, or System Design Document, bridges business users and developers. It's a crucial step in
projects where complex systems are being created. This document outlines how the system will
work, its components, and interactions, helping both sides understand and communicate effectively
during development.

60.What is project management?

Project management is about carefully handling resources, plans, and tasks to reach a goal. It's used
for both big and small tasks, ensuring things happen smoothly. The main challenge is to meet goals
like time, quality, scope, and budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I prepare for a business analyst interview?

One should research the company, industry, and role to clear a business analyst interview.
Understand BA concepts tools like Excel SQL. Prepare STAR stories demonstrating skills. Practice
communication and problem-solving.

What are the top 3 skills of a business analyst?

The top 3 skills of a business analyst are knowledge of programming language, visualization tools,
and databases. Languages like R and Python and tools like powerBI, tableau, and QlikView are vital to
become a business analyst.

What should I say in a business analyst interview?

The candidate should highlight relevant skills and experience, discuss your understanding of business
analysis principles, give examples of your problem-solving and communication abilities, and express
enthusiasm for the role.

What is the main role of business analyst?

Main role is to analyze large data sets to boost efficiency. Using data analytics, they derive logical
conclusions and forecasts from implementing strategies that can improve business performance.

Is SQL required for business analysts?

Yes, SQL is an essential tool for business analysts as it allows them to manipulate and query large
datasets with ease.

Is business analyst a good career?

Yes, its is a good career option.