It's well known that Business Analysis entails a clear understanding of the business one works in and then help in executing the jobs involved with the working of the company. Right from the word go, a Business Analyst ( BA ) has to take care of the customer requirements, end user specifications, probable problems involved in development and execution, present and proposed system modalities, and the functional processes involved with the job to have the ability to execute it into the customer's satisfaction. This is a requirement of the very profession of a BA. This becomes the general description of the character of work of a Business Analyst.

How does it differ or instead define differently for the Finance domain?

The most crucial requirement for a BA is to understand the intricacies of this domainname, he is working in. So, in case of the finance domain, a BA should be aware of the functioning of the overall means of functioning of fund business and of course, the particular method of functioning of the particular sub domain under the finance domain, that he's operating in. Examples of these particular sub domains may be Asset Management, Capital Markets, Equity Markets, Wealth Management, Portfolio Management, Banking, Accounting, Taxation, Treasury, Audits, Insurance, Risk, Valuation, Mergers and Acquisitions, Mutual funds, Debt Markets, Foreign Exchange, Advisory, Research, Corporate Finance etc..

Since these sub domains have various sets of rules and regulations, coupled with specific terminologies for every sub sector, a good grasp and understanding of the various terms used in the day to day working of those sub domains will hold a Business Analyst in good stead. Knowledge of performance metrics in the sub domains is always advantageous to some good BA and that shows that he knows how the goals are set and performance is quantified in the sub domain.

Besides having basic knowledge of the front office and back office operations, the Business Analyst should also have good communication skills and good management skills to work well. As is known, a Business Analyst is a bridge between the technical team which consists of of applications programmers and software engineers, and the end user, which is the client of the project. If the bridge is not well-oiled and is rusty and shaky because of lack of knowledge on part of the Business Analyst, the undertaking will fall apart. Thus the business analyst should ensure he is up to date with the latest developments in the field that he is working in, and also the particular demands of the project.

Fantastic management skills will allow the Business Analyst to comprehend the necessities of the end consumer as well the problems confronted by the technical developers in achieving the needs desired. The technical abilities of programming and coding and knowledge of latest applications has to also be be understood to the Business Analyst so he can understand the functioning of their technical staff and be able to guide them appropriately to execute the project to success.