6 ideas of portfolio projects for business analysts

business analyst salary

Business analysts are in high demand. The job title covers numerous work types (data analyst, market research, IT operations management, etc.), but the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the overall category of management analysts can expect job growth of 11% between 2021 and 2031. As a career path, business analysis offers plenty of opportunities, especially in IT.

The high demand attracts an increasing number of talented professionals contending for a high business analyst salary. Crafting a portfolio is one way for you to stand out from the crowd when you are applying for a position in this area. Let's discuss some business analytics project ideas for your portfolio, to help you build a high-quality hiring brief and land your preferred gig.

Do business analysts need a project portfolio?

The role of a business analyst is comprehensive, so some say that a portfolio is not helpful. But business analysts employ skills across a broad scope of business challenges. The likelihood of being hired depends on the overall value that you can provide to an organization — that means showcasing how your skills can address their business needs.

The best way to demonstrate your business analysis skills and experience is with a portfolio. A tangible overview of what you have accomplished gives a hiring manager crucial information about your work approach. A business analyst is a jack of all trades, working in multiple domains with varying degrees of competency in each. Interviewers want to determine if you are the right fit for their organization, and they use portfolio projects to make that decision.

So while you are not required to have a portfolio, it is an indispensable tool that can make the hiring process easier for everyone. A smoother, more informative process can improve your chances of getting hired.

6 top business analyst project examples

What should you include in your portfolio? You don’t want it to be unwieldy, but if you leave out crucial projects, the brief won’t fully reflect your skills. Below are six types of portfolio projects for business analysis that are of interest to organizations and that you should include in your hiring brief.

Process reengineering projects

An organization wants to improve its product and overall customer satisfaction, and it also wants to attain those goals efficiently. Your portfolio should demonstrate how you evolved development processes for internal improvements (removing silos, creating better department integration, adopting new tools, etc.). Identify the outputs as well, since this work creates a competitive advantage for the business and supports its bottom line (which hiring managers want to see!).

Customer consultation projects

A business analyst works for the advancement of all stakeholders, and the client takes precedence. Many projects require extensive client interaction — so be sure to include project examples of such work in your portfolio. Hiring managers will look favorably on entries that showcase customer success.

Web development projects

The business environment of today requires high-quality web assets. Websites emphasize an optimized customer experience. are the perfect opportunity for a business analyst to showcase a functional application of data analysis, customer communication, and technical feature creation.

IT systems projects

A business relies on an extensive array of digital tools, systems, and platforms that allow for continuous operation for developers and customers. These information technology systems need constant updating and repair. Business analysts can support this crucial evolution with , critical risk assessments, solution support, and implementation. If you hope to follow a career path in IT as a business analyst, an IT systems project is absolutely necessary for your hiring brief.

Data analysis projects

Any organization needs data analysis. Information is necessary to support conclusions that allow the company to make effective decisions. But unclean, raw data has limited utility, and many sources collect data from diverse locations that require compilation. Enter the business analyst, who can glean insights from the information that create value for the organization. The organization does not expect you to become a full-fledged data analyst, or show up with a software engineer portfolio, but your portfolio should explain your process and demonstrate business analytics project ideas.

Market prediction projects

A successful business is future-focused, so it can face headwinds and stay competitive in a changing industry. To that end, IT organizations rely on business analysts for market analysis. As a business analyst project example, the hiring rep wants to see how you can collect data to support leadership and its decision-making. This includes work on sales figures, marketing strategies, recommendation systems, and market trend optimization. Business analysts need to project possibilities for the future using data from the past, and a market prediction project can showcase such skills.

Final tips on how to make a great business analysis projects portfolio

With the right selection of business analyst project examples, your portfolio will have the necessary data for hiring managers to understand your competencies. If possible, use a variety of reference materials to offer greater detail (samples, templates, catalogs, analysis scripts, and even work diaries), as well as complement your portfolio with a business analyst cover letter.

Of course, you should keep your portfolio up to date. Maintain your hiring brief, especially as the job role expands to include new required skills in the ever-changing IT industry. You can remove dated material as new business analyst projects take precedence.

Ideally, your portfolio will showcase the following skill sets across a variety of disciplines:

• Requirement discovery: The customer will explain what they want, and it is your job to outline how the development project will facilitate those desires. Be sure to demonstrate how you compiled and prepared technical requirements to achieve output goals.
• Analysis: You can only create an effective development process based on in-depth analysis. Showcase any techniques you used to understand the complete context of the business project.
• Documentation: It is one thing to map the project direction in your mind, it is another to translate those internal concepts into legible and understandable documentation. Your portfolio should show examples of your written work.
• Communication: How did you express your ideas to teams, stakeholders, and customers? Ensure that your portfolio includes multiple examples of your interpersonal abilities, since it is crucial for all client-facing work.
• Project implementation: A good portfolio will demonstrate with data, statistics, and examples, the exact output achieved, including lengthy examples of quality testing.

The bottom line

At the end of the day, your portfolio is a personal endeavor. It showcases your unique talents and abilities, so be creative! Let your personality speak through your work and your past achievements.

Ready to create a portfolio and get hired? Submit your resume and portfolio to the numerous open tech jobs on the EPAM jobs board.