Business analyst

What does a business analyst do?

A business analyst works out what an organisation needs from its systems and processes, then documents it so technical teams can build it.

The role sits between business users and IT. It covers new systems, upgrades and process changes.

In Singapore, business analysts work in banks, insurers, government agencies, telcos, logistics firms, healthcare groups and consultancies. Most sit in an IT or transformation team. Some sit inside a business unit such as operations or finance.

You work with product owners, developers, testers, project managers and the staff who use the system. Senior analysts also deal with department heads and external vendors.

What the work involves

• Interview users and run workshops to find out what the business needs from a system.
• Map how a process works today and mark where it is slow, manual or error-prone.
• Write requirements, user stories and acceptance criteria for developers and testers.
• Check whether an existing system can support a proposed change, and list the gaps.
• Answer questions from the technical team and escalate issues that need a decision.
• Prepare progress updates and training material, and help users through system changes.

Pay in Singapore

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Skills a business analyst needs

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Business analyst job description

We are hiring a business analyst to gather and document requirements for system and process changes.

You will work with business users and the technology team, analyse how work gets done today, and propose practical improvements. You will also support testing and rollout so the delivered solution matches what the business asked for.

Responsibilities

• Gather business needs through interviews, workshops and review of existing documents.
• Document requirements as user stories, process flows and functional specifications.
• Map current and future processes using BPMN or similar notation.
• Assess whether an existing system can support a proposed change and report the gaps.
• Run feasibility checks on options and set out their benefits and risks.
• Act as the link between users and developers during design, build and testing.
• Write acceptance criteria and help plan and run user acceptance testing.
• Analyse data with SQL, Excel or Power BI to support recommendations.
• Manage the backlog and change requests in a tool such as Jira.
• Prepare progress reports and training material, and support users after go-live.

Requirements

• A degree in information systems, computer science, business or a related field is typical. Some employers accept a diploma with relevant experience.
• Entry-level roles often ask for 0 to 2 years of experience. Mid-level roles often ask for 3 to 5 years.
• Skill in requirements gathering, process mapping and writing clear user stories.
• Working knowledge of SQL, Excel and a reporting tool such as Power BI, plus Jira or a similar tracker.
• Clear writing and the ability to manage stakeholders with different priorities. A business analysis certification can help for senior roles.

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Business analyst career path

Business analysts usually start by supporting a senior analyst on requirements and testing.

With experience you own whole projects, specialise in a domain or in data and AI work, and then guide other analysts.

1. Associate business analyst

   Entry · SkillsFuture title

   You help gather requirements, document specifications, run feasibility checks and prepare training material under guidance.

2. Business analyst

   Mid · SkillsFuture title

   You lead requirements work on a project, map processes, manage stakeholders and act as the link between users and developers.

3. Business analyst / AI translator

   Mid · SkillsFuture title

   You turn business problems into briefs that data and AI teams can build, and explain the results back to the business.

4. Senior business analyst

   Senior · SkillsFuture title

   You handle larger, riskier projects, advise on solution options, guide junior analysts and work with senior stakeholders.

Steps marked "SkillsFuture title" follow the career pathway in the SkillsFuture Skills Framework. The others are titles commonly used in Singapore.

Related jobs and their pay

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Business analyst interview questions

We wrote these questions from the skills this job needs. They are not an official question bank.

1. What is the difference between a functional and a non-functional requirement? Give an example of each for a mobile banking app.

   What a good answer covers

   • Functional: what the system does, such as transferring funds to a PayNow number.
   • Non-functional: how well it works, such as response time, availability or security.
   • Both must be testable, with a measurable target where possible.
   • Non-functional needs are often missed, so ask about them early.

2. Write a user story and acceptance criteria for a customer who wants to update their mailing address online.

   What a good answer covers

   • Uses the format: as a customer, I want to, so that.
   • Criteria are specific and testable, in a given-when-then style.
   • Covers error cases such as invalid postal codes and failed verification.
   • Mentions who is notified of the change and how it is logged.

3. Walk me through the main BPMN elements you would use to map a leave approval process.

   What a good answer covers

   • Names pools and lanes for employee, manager and HR.
   • Uses start and end events, tasks and exclusive gateways for approve or reject.
   • Shows what happens when a manager does not respond, for example a timer event.
   • Keeps the diagram readable for business users as well as technical staff.

4. How would you find the bottlenecks in a purchase order approval process that takes too long?

   What a good answer covers

   • Maps the as-is process by talking to the people who do the work.
   • Collects timing data such as waiting time at each step, as well as opinions.
   • Looks for rework loops, manual handoffs and approvals that add little value.
   • Proposes changes and states how improvement would be measured.

5. Write a SQL query to list the top five customers by total order value last quarter. What could make the result wrong?

   What a good answer covers

   • Joins customers to orders and groups by customer.
   • Filters the date range correctly and orders by the total, limited to five.
   • Checks for duplicate rows, cancelled or refunded orders and null values.
   • Confirms the definition of order value with the business first.

6. You have two spreadsheets of about 10,000 rows each and need to find records that do not match. How do you do it in Excel?

   What a good answer covers

   • Uses a lookup function or a merge in Power Query to match on a unique key.
   • Cleans keys first, such as trimming spaces and fixing text versus number formats.
   • Flags unmatched rows and summarises them with a pivot table.
   • Keeps the original data untouched and documents the steps.

7. An operations head asks for a Power BI dashboard on service-level performance. How do you decide what goes on it?

   What a good answer covers

   • Asks which decisions the dashboard must support and who will use it.
   • Agrees metric definitions and data sources before building.
   • Limits the page to a few measures, with drill-down for detail.
   • Checks numbers against a known source and tests with real users.

8. How do you organise a backlog in Jira for a project with several teams?

   What a good answer covers

   • Uses epics for large goals and stories for deliverable pieces.
   • Keeps clear statuses and a shared definition of done.
   • Uses labels or components to show which team owns what.
   • Reviews and reprioritises the backlog regularly with the product owner.

9. How would you use ChatGPT in your analysis work, and what would you never paste into it?

   What a good answer covers

   • Uses it to draft meeting notes, question lists or first-pass user stories, then edits them.
   • Checks outputs for errors and invented details before sharing.
   • Keeps customer data, personal data and confidential company documents out of it.
   • Follows the employer's policy on approved AI tools.

1. The finance head and the operations head give you conflicting requirements for the same system. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Clarifies the goal behind each request as well as the stated solution.
   • Brings both together to discuss trade-offs with facts and data.
   • Escalates to the project sponsor if they cannot agree.
   • Records the decision and its reason in the requirements.

2. Developers say a requirement cannot be built in the planned sprint, but the sponsor insists. How do you respond?

   What a good answer covers

   • Asks the developers what makes it hard and what part could be delivered sooner.
   • Splits the requirement into smaller stories with clear value.
   • Shows the sponsor the options, effort and risks.
   • Gets a decision on scope or timing and records it.

3. A user raises a major change request two weeks before user acceptance testing. What steps do you take?

   What a good answer covers

   • Logs the request and assesses its impact on scope, cost, time and testing.
   • Checks whether it is a true need or a preference that can wait.
   • Takes the options to the change approval group or sponsor.
   • Updates the documents and informs the testers if it is approved.

1. Tell me about a time you had to learn an unfamiliar business area quickly to write requirements.

   What a good answer covers

   • Describes a specific project and how much time was available.
   • Shows how they learned, for example shadowing staff or reading existing procedures.
   • Names the questions they asked users.
   • Explains how they checked their understanding was right.

2. Describe a time a requirement you documented turned out to be wrong or incomplete. What did you change afterwards?

   What a good answer covers

   • Owns the mistake and credits users and developers fairly.
   • Explains how it was found and the cost of fixing it.
   • Describes a specific change to their practice, such as earlier prototypes or user reviews.
   • Shows they told stakeholders promptly.

1. Your project will collect and store personal data of customers in Singapore. What would you put into the requirements to deal with the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)?

   What a good answer covers

   • Identifies what personal data is collected and why, and keeps collection to what is needed.
   • Includes consent and notification steps and how people can withdraw consent.
   • Covers access and correction requests, retention limits and security of stored data.
   • Involves the data protection officer or legal team early.

Common questions about a business analyst job

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