Pip Hall, of Telent Technology Services Ltd, accepted the Business Analyst of the Year 2023 award at the IRM UK Business Analysis Conference Europe. This is her winner’s interview.

It’s one week on, and you’re still smiling! How do you feel about winning the BA of the Year award?
I still can’t believe it! I was very overwhelmed when my name was announced, it was incredible. I really did not expect to win. 

The judges said this about you: "Pip is a committed and passionate Business Analyst who is changing the way the organisation thinks, applying the "Pip Lens" to deliver transformation."  Tell us about these changes you are making, and the “Pip Lens”.

My colleagues have started to apply my first level questioning before I even get to them. They say to themselves: “What questions would Pip ask?” This has become a virtuous circle, allowing us to go deeper into questioning and observations more quickly, and with better outcomes. It’s so rewarding when they say: “We thought of that already!”

I encourage those who carry out BA activities to go to executives and senior leaders and offer their input – you have to put your head above the parapet sometimes.  It can be difficult to do this, but if you believe that what you’ve got to say is useful for the business you should speak up. It’s about asking questions, making suggestions and using that to illustrate how the BA community could help in any given situation. 

Why do you think the Business Analyst of the Year award is important for the BA community?
The BA of the Year Award is a wonderful platform, showing everyone in and outside the profession the breadth and depth of work business analysts do, the skillset. This can only be a good thing. If nobody will shout it from the roof tops, it’s up to us to do it.
The application process makes you reflect on all that you do and your own achievements and professionalism; I’d highly recommend it. It is good for your self-confidence to reflect on, and acknowledge, what you are good at. 

Can you tell us a little bit about how you became a business analyst?
I’m a career-changer. I was working in Traffic Signals Engineering, but in truth I’d been carrying out business analysis activities since leaving school. I did not know that the BA role existed until six years ago. I was working with someone on a transformation programme and was asked to proofread a piece of work which included references to the business analysis function and BA roles. I asked: “What’s a Business Analyst?” and my colleague grinned and said: “You!” 

That was the catalyst for me… I could see myself in everything I subsequently read about business analysis. So I decided to take the leap, I moved organisation and job role and went for it! I have no regrets – I love my job, I’m like a kid in a sweet shop. 

The 2023 BA Conference Europe last week was my first BA conference, and it felt like I had come home. Everybody chatted and exchanged ideas and stories openly, the atmosphere was so genuinely warm and welcoming. It was clear to me that if anyone was struggling, then there would be plenty of people willing to help. 

What are the biggest rewards – and challenges – as a BA?
My biggest reward is working with people. People feel valued when you invest the time to talk to them and understand the work that they do, their ideas and the challenges that they face. 

As for challenges, sometimes business analysts are parachuted in to ‘sort out’ a situation or asked to respond to throwaway requests instead of being involved earlier in the process. It gives me no joy to say: “I told you so”.

Most BAs are lifelong learners. Is there any particular field or topic you’d like to learn more about? 
I am absolutely a lifelong learner! I spoke to Debra Paul of AssistKD about this last week; I’ve always wanted to do a PhD and am currently considering what I might study to both achieve the qualification and help or advance our profession. I’ve completed three of the modules for the new Service Designer qualification, I think the field of Service Design is exciting. Getting customers to engage with the design aspect from the start, and getting organisations to embrace their input, is something I can see becoming increasingly important in the future. I’m taking the service approach in my organisation and starting that conversation at a corporate level. 

What would you say to somebody who is starting out as a BA today?
Find your area of passion and interest. Once you’ve discovered the world of business analysis, there’s so much to learn. You have got to be prepared to talk and ask questions, to get stuck in. Don’t be afraid to speak up, and don’t feel that you don’t have enough experience to be able to offer input. Your fresh perspective is valuable. Statements of the obvious are not necessarily obvious to everyone – new BAs are ideally placed to make these observations. Find a couple of people at each level of your organisation you can trust and ask questions of, and learn from, them. In my last job somebody senior shared my surname, and we always joked by calling each other “Mr Hall” and “Mrs Hall”! Don’t be afraid to create a rapport – remember that teams are a collection of professionals working together, all of whom are needed and important. Embrace that. 

What do you want for the BA profession? 
Business analysts need the opportunity to spend the time “up front”, where they can make a positive impact in advance of any work starting in earnest; we need to make sure BAs have a place at the table to influence those front-end decisions and plans. BAs gather and hold so much organisational knowledge and intelligence that we should have a valid input, and be heard, throughout the organisation. BAs deserve respect and recognition for their skillset as it is with other professions.

You are now BA of the Year! What’s next for you?
Somebody said: “Enjoy your Reign!” and I plan to do so. I now have stewardship of the title, so want to use the platform to represent business analysts, to share knowledge and to reach out to others wanting to explore our world. The external validation will help me to do this in my organisation and beyond, raising awareness of the need to join some dots where we could collaborate more and enrich consequent business, project and individual stakeholder outcomes.

I hold the Advanced Diploma and was able to give some advice to some people at the conference about their careers. I’d like to continue with this, offering informal mentoring and emotional support to others as a way of giving back to the profession.