Our very own Linda Parker has won Business Analyst of the Year 2019! This is an amazing achievement for Linda, who works in the Landlord Registration team here at RoS. We caught up with her to hear all about it.
Congratulations Linda! Can you tell us a bit more about the process of applying for this award?
The award is open to all business analysts across Europe – but this is the first time an applicant from Scotland has won.
I submitted my application back in July, this required me to answer seven questions covering various aspects of being a Business Analyst (BA). This included providing background on the projects I’ve been working on throughout the last year (Landlord Registration), my role within this project, new techniques, or concepts I’ve used and how I’ve provided support to others within the RoS BA community and wider within Scotland. It also included three questions based on personal qualities applied to supporting stakeholders, business understanding and analytical thinking – it was particularly important that I conveyed how I display these skills within my own role.
The application is only the first part, this was followed by a panel interview which took place in London. Nine finalists were selected for interview this year and we all attended the BA conference in September, where the winner was announced. The award was presented by the first keynote speaker, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson (11-times Paralympic champion!), which was perfect for me given my recent found love for long distance running.
Over the course of the three day conference I attended various workshops and heard from lots of inspiring key speakers, I even presented a couple of times myself. The conference is a great opportunity to network with other BAs, to learn from each other and share fresh ideas.
Was there anything you learned from last year that you think helped you this time round?
I was really pleased to be selected as a finalist last year as it was a great experience – this motivated me to try again and to build on what I learned last time round.
I expanded my involvement in the BA community and joined forces with a few colleagues to present at the BA conference this year.
As a winner, I now have the opportunity to be involved in the London conference next year which means I can continue to give something back to the BA community. This is in addition to chairing a committee organising a BA festival in Edinburgh in June 2020. I was already very inspired by reaching the final last year, winning this year will help enormously with all of these projects and will hopefully inspire others.
Did you come up against any challenges along the way?
The process can be quite intense and one thing I found challenging was expressing the richness of the project and creating the whole picture in just 400 words per answer. One thing’s for sure, it wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing Landlord Registration team here at RoS, everyone has been so supportive and I’m delighted their efforts have been recognised.
Finally, do you have any advice for other/aspiring business analysts?
I’d say the most important thing is to get yourself out there, get involved in other projects and BA communities. Also, learn to sing your own praises, although generally we find it difficult, recognising your own strengths and achievements is important.
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