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What is a business/applications analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Erik Johnson Ph.D.,
Jana Carpenter

Business/applications analysts are responsible for bridging the gap between I.T and the business, using data analytics to assess processes, determining requirements, and delivering data-driven recommendations and reports to executives and stakeholders. As a business/applications analyst, you will be engaging with business leaders and users to understand how data-driven reports change the process, products, services, software, and hardware can improve efficiencies and add value to the organization.

Some of the duties that you will perform in this capacity include creating a detailed business analysis, outlining problems, opportunities, and solutions for a business. Furthermore, you will also be responsible for budgeting and forecasting, planning and monitoring, variance analysis, pricing, reporting, defining business requirements, and reporting them back to stakeholders. Essential skills include analytical, communication, facilitation, leadership, problem solving, and organizational.

Educational requirements for the position are a bachelor's degree in computer science, business administration, a related field, and relevant work experience. The average annual salary for the position is $77,969. For a traditional work week, that works out to be $37.49 an hour. The career is projected to grow 14% in the near future.

What general advice would you give to a business/applications analyst?

Erik Johnson Ph.D.Erik Johnson Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor of Economics, Carthage College

Economics gives you a set of tools to analyze a variety of policy and business problems. However, determining which tools to apply in which situation requires that you learn the industry, you are working from top to bottom. When you begin a new job in a new field, be sure to do everything you can to understand how the organization and the industry work to understand the primary incentives that everyone faces. One right way to do this is to make as many connections within the company you are working for as possible, and always be on the lookout for new opportunities within the company and how they can help you learn more. Moreover, do your best to ensure that a significant portion of your job involves some creative endeavors, such as economic modeling or building tools for yourself or others to use. As computing power continues to become cheaper, and artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, relatively repetitive tasks become more comfortable and easier to automate. Therefore, you will have less job security. Creative tasks, such as modeling and tool building, are difficult to automate and are more likely to provide you with more satisfaction.
ScoreBusiness/Applications AnalystUS Average
Salary
7.1

Avg. Salary $90,762

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
6.8

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.16%

Asian 14.34%

Black or African American 7.44%

Hispanic or Latino 8.45%

Unknown 4.44%

White 65.16%

Gender

female 44.57%

male 55.43%

Age - 43
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43
Stress level
6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
2.2

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Business/applications analyst career paths

Key steps to become a business/applications analyst

  1. Explore business/applications analyst education requirements

    Most common business/applications analyst degrees

    Bachelor's

    69.5 %

    Master's

    14.8 %

    Associate

    10.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific business/applications analyst skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service8.14%
    Project Management7.65%
    Business Processes6.00%
    Troubleshoot3.48%
    Test Scripts3.21%
  3. Complete relevant business/applications analyst training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New business/applications analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a business/applications analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real business/applications analyst resumes.
  4. Research business/applications analyst duties and responsibilities

    • Coordinate UAT testing and manage metrics for all testing outcomes including execute, pass, fail, block and defect.
    • Conduct interviews and lead JAD sessions with stakeholders and users enterprise-wide to gather requirements.
    • Create several Java classes for system objects.
    • Experience in working with Microsoft windows registry system, ODBC settings.
  5. Prepare your business/applications analyst resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your business/applications analyst resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a business/applications analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable business/applications analyst resume templates

    Build a professional business/applications analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your business/applications analyst resume.
    Business/Applications Analyst Resume
    Business/Applications Analyst Resume
    Business/Applications Analyst Resume
    Business/Applications Analyst Resume
    Business/Applications Analyst Resume
    Business/Applications Analyst Resume
    Business/Applications Analyst Resume
    Business/Applications Analyst Resume
    Business/Applications Analyst Resume
  6. Apply for business/applications analyst jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a business/applications analyst job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first business/applications analyst job

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Average business/applications analyst salary

The average business/applications analyst salary in the United States is $90,762 per year or $44 per hour. Business/applications analyst salaries range between $64,000 and $127,000 per year.

Average business/applications analyst salary
$90,762 Yearly
$43.64 hourly

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How do business/applications analysts rate their job?

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Business/applications analyst reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2022
Pros

-interacting with end users or customers - delivering successful products or services

Cons

Managing projects or leading large projects as this makes the BA role difficult to do well


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

Challenges, problem-solving,communicating with differnet individuals

Cons

some daily monotonous aspects of job.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

Sitting in between business and data. Helped leadership to build strategy.

Cons

Distance from technology


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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