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Top 8 Business Analysis Tools Recommended for Every Business Analyst

May 27, 2021

Last Updated: December 16, 2021

A business analyst is one who deals with the requirements gathering, elicitation, analysis, and modelling on a day-to-day basis.

As today everything is integrated with technology, no doubt a simple and efficient business analysis tool helps in performing the business analysis tasks more quickly and efficiently.

The business analyst tools for BA can be further classified into tools required for modeling and diagrammatic representation. A business analyst has to translate user requirements into use cases and diagrams for solution design and business model building.

The popular business analyst tools available today, help Business Analysts create user stories effectively, define use cases, build various Entity-Relationship (ER) diagrams, create a feature model, efficient prototyping and easy collaboration and communication within stakeholders.

Full Transparency: This article does not contain affiliate links. Meaning neither I nor Hetarth Consulting receives any commission if you choose to use any of the tools for business analysts listed here. This list was created based on personal recommendations, the recommendations of a business analyst I work with.

Microsoft Office Suite

There are basically four applications under the Microsoft Office Suite functioning as business analysis tools. These are MS PowerPoint; MS Excel; MS Word; MS Visio.

MS PowerPoint: This tool is used for the preparation and delivery of formal presentations. With PowerPoint, the ideas are well-presented and speaking the same language becomes very effective.

MS Excel: A business analyst also has the responsibility of providing data analysis in different forms, such as pivot tables; sort & filter data; examining trends in data; creating graphs or charts. All these tasks can be carried out with the use of Microsoft Excel.

MS Word: The organizations have the opportunity to develop a specific template for documenting requirements with MS Word. The tool is a utility application that allows the users to select the preferred theme, fonts, smart arts, objects, charts and shapes.

MS Visio: This is a modeling tool that can be used effectively to capture and present ideas to the stakeholders. The major utilities of Visio include UML diagram creation, such as use case, activity, and sequence diagrams.

Other apps like MS Outlook or MS Teams can also bring new dimensions in your day to day work.

Google Workspace (Formerly G Suite)

If you are not a Windows or Mac user and looking for cloud based solutions for Office Suite then Google Workspace can be your first choice.

Everything you need to get anything done, now in one place: introducing Google Workspace. Messaging, meetings, docs, and tasks, now thoughtfully connected.

Gmail: According to Litmus, Gmail leads the way as the most popular email client.

Google Drive: Google Drive allows you to store, access, and share your files in one secure place.

Google Docs & Sheets: Google Docs and Google Sheets pretty much speak for themselves and again are tools we use every single day.

Google Calendar: Google Calendar is widely available for events, both internal and external.

Google Meet: Real-time meetings by Google. Using your browser, share your video, desktop, and presentations with teammates and customers.

Coggle

Business analysts use mind maps to document and communicate thoughts, ideas, and information. Mind maps use images, words, colour, and linked relationships to apply form and logic to thoughts, ideas, and information.

Whether you’re taking notes, brainstorming, planning, or doing something awesomely creative, it is super simple to visualise your ideas with Coggle. Share with as many friends or colleagues as you like. Changes you make will show up instantly in their browser, wherever they are in the world.

Balsamiq

Balsamiq is a leading cloud-based tool for designing wireframes. This is an excellent tool for Business Analysts working on New Product Design, brainstorming, and sketching new business ideas.

This tool helps the Business Analyst to communicate his vision for the product to the relevant stakeholders. It is one of the leading Business Analyst tools for BA.

Jira & Confluence

Jira and Confluence are compelling collaboration tools. Every Business Analyst must be familiar with the basics of Jira for effective project collaboration and requirements sharing.

The documents will be stored in a centralized repository in Jira. All the business stakeholders can see the status of projects and communicate with diverse teams using tools like Jira and Confluence.

Trello

Trello is another effective project collaboration tool. It uses a Kanban-style approach for managing and prioritizing tasks. With Trello, a Business Analyst can easily track his tasks, project plans, and progress of key activities to be completed.

Slack

Slack is a workplace communication tool, “a single place for messaging, tools and files.” This means Slack is an instant messaging system with lots of add-ins for other workplace tools.

As a business analyst, your day to day collaboration and communication with stakeholders become super easy with help of Slack.

Draw.io

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. They also say that time is money. So why are these statements so important?

Being able to quickly put together some sort of visual diagram or model (for e.g. Process Flow Diagram or Flow Chart) can go a long way towards increasing your team’s efficiency and improving their effectiveness.

Diagrams increase understanding, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Not all Business Analysts are as well-skilled in modelling and diagramming. Perhaps this is because these skills can be a bit more of an art than they are a science.

A simple diagram can oftentimes replace multipage written documents and can help establish a stronger shared understanding across your team members.

Being able to translate requirements into visual models and diagrams will go a long way in ensuring your whole team has one cohesive understanding of the desired outcomes.

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In The End…

These 8 business analysis tools will help you work smarter as a business analyst.

In addition to these tools, it is also recommended that you develop core BA skill sets to be able to succeed in your career.

You obviously want to consider some certifications to validate your skills and knowledge in business analysis. So, you can pursue the following credentials: ECBA, CBAP, PMI-PBA, CCBA, and so on.

Good luck!