Analyst Catalyst
A blog to empower and inspire the business analysis community.
Share your real-world perspective on AI in business analysis and help others build confidence through insight.
Latest Blogs and Articles
Working as a Business Analyst in GIS: Turning Spatial Data Into Business Value
Everything has a location. Organizations that understand this make better decisions. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) support turning spatial data into insight that improves planning, operations, and service delivery.
Why ECBA Is the Smartest First Move for Aspiring Business Analysts
You’re in the meeting. You’re expected to contribute. You’re not sure where to start. ECBA gives you a way in—so you can move from unsure to useful, faster than you thought possible.
When Fixing the Problem Isn’t the Problem: A Case for Problem Framing
When a data discrepancy landed on my desk, the obvious move was to fix the number. What I found instead was a lesson every business analyst eventually learns: sometimes the most valuable thing you can do is question whether the problem is worth solving at all.
Building Confidence in Business Analysis: From Self-Doubt to Clear Decisions
Confidence is the difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it. For business analysts, that gap shows up in meetings, decisions, and recommendations every day.
The Business Analyst Who Tried to Use Intelligence in the Age of AI
What happens when an AI tool gives a passing score to completely useless requirements? One business analyst decides to find out—using a margarita-themed experiment that serves up a bitter truth.
7 Ways a Second Chance Can Boost Your Business Analysis Career and Confidence
Failing an exam might feel like a setback—but what if it’s actually a career advantage? This article flips the script on certification anxiety, showing how second chances can build deeper confidence, stronger skills, and better long-term outcomes.
How to Elicit Requirements When Stakeholders Can’t Define What They Want
Eliciting the requirements when the stakeholders won’t tell you what they want—if this is so easy, why isn’t everyone doing it?
Making Data Impossible to Ignore: Data Storytelling for Business Analysts
In a recent Business Analysis Live episode, Susan Moore sits down with data storyteller Ankit Agrawal to explore why some insights stick while others get lost in the noise. This article distills that conversation into practical ways to shape a message, focus attention, and guide stakeholders toward confident decisions.
The 7 Deadly Sins of Business Analysis (and What to Do Instead)
In this article, Heather Mylan-Mains explores seven common but preventable mistakes that business analysts make—and the practical habits that address them. From unclear problem definition and poor listening to missing context, skipped process analysis, and analysis paralysis, these “deadly sins” reveal patterns that can quietly undermine projects.
Call for AI Insights: Confidence Through Experience
Ongoing change raises the bar for accurate, practical insights. From AI to new ways of working, experience-based insights allow professionals to recognize shifts early and act with confidence, instead of responding after the fact.
In 2026, Analyst Catalyst will feature community-driven AI content in support of IIBA’s Enabling Confidence initiative, focused on how business analysis professionals are engaging with AI in real work environments. These articles will help lay the foundation for future IIBA guidance by surfacing grounded experience, thoughtful concerns, and usable strategies.
This is your chance to become an AI thought leader in business analysis.
We’re looking for articles that explore questions such as:
- How is AI showing up in your business analysis work today?
- What opportunities or risks are you navigating?
- How is business analysis influencing how AI is applied—or governed—within your organization?
What We’re Prioritizing
- Practical, experience-based insights
- Clear examples and usable takeaways
- Thoughtful perspectives that help others make better decisions with confidence
What We’re Avoiding
- Generic or speculative commentary
- Overly broad or overly narrow use cases
- Bullet-heavy or AI-generated content
If your experience can help the community better anticipate what’s coming, your voice belongs here.
How to Participate
- Write your blog, following the Analyst Catalyst Blog Template and focusing on how you use AI in your business analysis work
- Email your draft to brand@iiba.org with the subject line “How I’m Using AI in Business Analysis”
- Don’t forget to include your social handles (preferably LinkedIn) so we can tag you if your blog is published!