General business analyst interview questions

What do you consider is your greatest strength as a Business Analyst?

I think the biggest strength is the domain and the technical experience that I have had over the years as a business analyst. I have the right communication and leadership skills required to excel in this role.

What do you consider is your biggest weakness as a Business Analyst?

I would like to think that my weaknesses are like my stepping stones towards success. At

present I would like to fine tune my technical abilities to the constantly changing

technologies available in the market.

What are the methods you use for gathering requirements ?

As a business analyst, we not only have to gather the requirements but also provide

solutions often with the help of the technical team

• Requirement gathering with Zachman framework - Use the famous 5W + 1H formula (Who – What – When – Where – Why + How). Keep asking about the problem with this formula to find the principle requirements
• Implicit requirements – we should not forget about these as they can make or break the whole project
• Prototyping and process flows – these tools help in illustrating the requirements to the end users and confirm whether the Business analyst has done the requirement analysis correctly

What is the difference between Quality Assurance and Quality Control and how are they related to the Business Analyst profile ?

Quality Assurance focuses on the process: is the method chosen able to produce the product or is the deliverable free from errors and/or defects. Quality Control speaks about the products or deliverables themselves: the final examination of the product or deliverable to ensure they stand to the specifications and they’re free from error of defect.

A business analyst has to take care of Quality Assurance as well as control is in place in the final product which is delivered.

 What are the challenges which you would face as a business analyst?

A balance between technology constraints and business needs should be maintained at all times. Technology is used to help fulfilling business need, so it’s usually close to the need. You also have to keep an open mind as to how a process works effectively and accurately produce the required product. Then, you must make sure that the written specifications are written properly to avoid misinterpretations.

 How did you handle a requirement/enhancement that was not feasible?

I know that even if I think a requirement was not feasible, I have a responsibility to

explain why it was not feasible to the business representatives. So first I’d clarify the

requirement, what was the true requirement there. Then, I’d explain the technical

limitations in non-technical language to them as to why the requirements couldn’t be

accommodated at the same time. Most of the times, the reason was not feasible because

it’s not affordable. After I present the business representatives with the estimated cost,

they would decide whether or not the requirement was really needed. Whichever the

outcome was, the business representatives would feel that they’re in command and

they’re involved in the decision making process.