Senior Business Analyst
BAE Systems Digital Intelligence
My pathway to becoming a consultant wasn’t the norm, I am 27 and have only just submitted the dissertation for my BSc in Computing, IT and Statistics – a degree I embarked on to support my journey into Business Analysis whilst working in the insurance industry. I spent 8 years starting in an entry level IT role, progressing to Project Management Office and Business Analysis roles working with teams and leading projects across Europe and South America.
After eight years, I was ready to spread my wings and inspired by the many great consultants I had worked with, I opted to pursue a career in consulting. I was fortunate enough to secure a Senior Business Analyst role at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence.
I joined at the start of January 2023 and was quickly assigned to a client operating in a complex-data driven environment which is undergoing a large transformation. This means having a strong relationship with stakeholders across the different business areas is paramount to having a thorough understanding of the strategy and context of the use of the systems and products that we are looking to migrate or decommission.
My mornings involve logging on at 08:30am, checking emails and planning my day ahead of the 9am daily stand-up with the client, where we run through progress updates. This is also a great opportunity for us to discuss issues we are working to address ahead of time to identify appropriate subject matter experts we can gain insights from.
Since becoming a consultant, one of the early lessons I learned early on was how key preparedness is. I try to keep a view of which stakeholders I need input from in the next fortnight, book meetings with ample notice and with clear agenda points to give them the opportunity to prepare. This is something I would recommend to any new consultants as it increases the effectiveness of your meetings and allows me to maintain my momentum.
As I work remotely, I also have different regular stakeholder catch-ups booked across the week to ensure I am kept abreast of any changes that might influence the direction of our analysis, this is also key to fostering collaboration.
I also check-in regularly with my team to make sure that they are happy and have the opportunity to flag any issues or frustrations, I try to facilitate open conversation and empower them in having input in the direction of our work.
Working at Digital Intelligence as a consultant has helped me to nurture my skills as a consultant. My colleagues are always willing to share their experiences, advice and offer their time to support me; our buddy system ensured I landed in the business smoothly and had someone I could seek advice and direction from. They have provided me with plenty of development opportunities without overbearing pressure, giving me the freedom to focus on adding value in areas I have a particular interest in. The talented colleagues I work with inspire me daily and through the team’s supportive culture, I have discovered a passion for developing of junior colleagues.
If you are considering a career in consulting, see if you answer yes to these three questions…
- Do you enjoy working with complex problems and finding solutions?
- Do you like collaborating with others and finding the best approach as a group?
- Do you want to do work which can make meaningful change across different organisations?
… if so, I’d strongly encourage you to pursue it.