Document Workflow Automation for Business Analysts: Learn how to become a business process analyst
Career prospects are one of the most influential factors to consider when deciding on a profession. By 2029, the employment of business process analysts is projected to increase by over 11% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). And with good reason – it opens up a range of industries to work in, has lower entry barriers, and offers steady year-over-year career growth.
The digital transformation trend has introduced a shift in terms of future-oriented professions, and business analysts have managed to ride the wave.
As business leaders seek innovative solutions to maintain their companies’ competitiveness, the demand for skilled business analysts, business process analysts, and professionals in adjacent fields is on the rise. If you are already an analyst or aspiring to become one, enrolling in the airSlate Academy certification program on Document Workflow Automation for Business Analysts can significantly boost your career prospects and provide you with a competitive edge in the job market.
In this blog, you will find answers to the main questions about the business process analyst profession and whether it’s a good career choice today. You will learn about the key responsibilities of a business process analyst, their salary range, and how to become one.
What does a process analyst do?
So, what is a business process analyst? Evolution is integral to the survival of any organization. As new business objectives are set, new products and services need to be launched and new business processes must be put in place to support them.
With competition becoming more intense, companies are striving to achieve business automation success to thrive in the post-COVID world. Technologies like robotic process automation are becoming more commonplace. Moreover, when a business reaches a certain size, comes the time for process improvement.
Analysts are typically the engine for that change. They process high volumes of data to build reports, create new processes to replace the existing ones, and consult on how to build a process from the ground up for maximum efficiency.
Sometimes, you can see people using the terms “business analyst” and “business process analyst” interchangeably in web articles. While they have much in common, they actually refer to two distinct roles within a company’s organizational structure. Let’s make things clear before diving into the details of business process analyst jobs.
Watch the video below to learn more about the position of a business process analyst:
Understanding the role: Business process analyst vs. business analyst
At first glance, business analysts (BA) and business process analysts (BPA) may appear to share the goal of improving business operations. Both roles demand a profound grasp of the organization, problem-solving skills, and effective communication to streamline processes. Analysts collaborate across departments to pinpoint challenges, use analytics to make informed decisions, and suggest enhancements to drive the organization’s goals.
Still, the two roles differ significantly in focus and scope. A business analyst looks at various business needs, from tech to strategy and market analysis. BAs act as liaisons to clarify and document project requirements for stakeholders.
A business process analyst enhances and simplifies specific organizational processes by focusing on workflow efficiency and systems integration, identifying bottlenecks, and reengineering existing business processes for improved efficiency. BPAs use process mapping tools and modeling techniques to ensure each step adds value and eliminates redundancies.
In brief, business analysts primarily engage in comprehensive commercial analysis, whereas business process analysts predominantly concentrate on operational aspects. To help you avoid the mix-up between these professional roles, we’ve created a short comparison table:
| Business performance enhancement | Process modeling | Analysis tools | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business analyst | Focused on business needs and solution improvement | Requirement analysis | airSlate WorkFlow, ClickUp, Bizagi, Jira, NS Visio, Teamwork, Trello, Zoho |
| Business process analyst | Focused on business processes and their improvement | Process analysis | airSlate WorkFlow, Bizagi, Kissflow, Minitab, MS Visio, ProcessMaker |
Different roles in business analysis
Another important thing to consider is the wide range of business analyst specializations. If you’re aspiring to start a career in business analysis, understanding these roles will help you grasp the skills required to succeed in your job choice. Depending on the job responsibilities, these positions may include, but are not limited to:
- Business analyst gathers requirements, identifies problems, and proposes solutions to help improve workflows, enhance efficiency, and achieve business objectives. BAs work closely with stakeholders, such as clients, end-users, and project managers, to understand their needs and translate them into functional specifications for IT teams or other departments.
- Business process analyst specializes in analyzing business processes. This includes business process modeling, creating and implementing business analysis into these processes to effect change, especially when new procedures and policies are introduced. The process analyst job implies assessing business requirements and making recommendations to improve current processes. Finally, a BA is also responsible for the overall process performance.
- Process improvement analyst specializes in optimizing business processes within an organization. Their primary focus is to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and areas for improvement in existing processes and workflows. By utilizing various methodologies and data analysis techniques, Process Improvement Analysts aim to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and increase overall productivity.
- Data analyst (or data process analyst) primarily gathers and interprets business metrics to solve a specific business problem. This job implies spending a number of hours on data analysis as well as communicating the findings.
- Business intelligence analysts review data that becomes the basis for creating finance and market intelligence reports. Such reports highlight trends and patterns in a selected market which eventually influence a company’s operations and goals.
- Business systems analyst helps organizations operate in a more effective way by designing and implementing IT systems. These professionals use both business and IT tools to assess an organization’s operating systems and develop improvements.
- Operations analyst reviews and checks policies and procedures, and creates reports with guidelines on how to enhance a company’s operations. Other than gathering information, the responsibilities include identifying operational requirements, the appropriate methods of operations analysis, and more.
The salary range remains one of the most defining factors when considering one’s career. Let’s examine the trends within the business process analyst job market in the United States in 2024 and the key drivers behind them.
Average salary overview
As of August 2024, ZipRecruiter reports that the national average salary for a business analyst is $98,662. The platform describes the salary rate between $37,000 and $149,500 for the most experienced analysts.
Glassdoor cites a slightly lower average annual salary of $91,865 across the US, while top-level business analysts can expect to earn as much as $169,000 per year, including additional bonuses.
The average payment for business process analysts across the country differs from the numbers above. According to ZipRecruiter’s data, in August 2024, their medium annual salary in the US stood at $78,617, which translates to $37.80 per hour or $1,511 per week. The service shows that most business process analysts in 2024 got paid between $51,000 and $139,500.On the other hand, Zippia presents a more modest median salary of $78,215 (as per June 2024) which serves as the base pay and can be increased with additional income such as bonuses.
Comparing salary rates for various business analyst roles
As mentioned above, business analysis covers many specializations that make different money. The average annual salaries for the most popular industry jobs are as follows:
| Job title | Salary |
|---|---|
| Business system analyst | $102,956 |
| Business analyst | $98,662 |
| Business intelligence analyst | $99,864 |
| Process improvement analyst | $80,542 |
| Data analyst | $82,640 |
| Business process analyst | $78,617 |
| Operations analyst | $70,210 |
Average compensation rates for variations of a BA role in 2024, according to ZipRecruiter
Factors influencing business analysts’ salaries
Industry
Like in any profession, salary ranges differ from industry to industry. A business analyst is an in-demand job in finance, IT, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, education, legal, and many other fields. The top five most popular industries for business process analysts in the US are Finance, IT, Healthcare, Education, and Legal.
| Industry | Avverage salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | $92,966 | $44.70 |
| Technology | $81,488 | $39.18 |
| Professional | $79,093 | $38.03 |
| Finance | $67,436 | $32.42 |
| Insurance | $67,208 | $32.31 |
Business process analyst salaries comparison by industry according to Zippia
Experience
Clearly, the more years of experience you have, the higher salary you can expect from a potential employer. In the US, the difference between an entry-level business analyst and an experienced one can increase by double or even more.
Location
Different cities and states have varying costs of living and market demands, which can greatly impact the compensation offered to business analysts. For example, the ZipRecruiter platform gives insights into the top ten highest-paying cities for your specialization to help you make better decisions.
Company size
Another factor affecting the salary range for the business process analyst role is the size of the company you work for. Typically, larger companies have more resources and higher budgets, enabling them to offer higher salaries compared to smaller companies.
Business process analyst job description requirements
As the demand for skilled business process analysts continues to grow, understanding the specific job description requirements becomes essential for both aspiring candidates and hiring managers. Let’s look into the core competencies and skills necessary to become an in-demand business process analyst.
Business process analyst’s core responsibilities
Here’s an approximate range of responsibilities commonly listed in a business process analyst job description:
- Create reports and presentations that utilize qualitative analyses regarding companies, markets, and industry trends.
- Conduct site observations to identify which methods, equipment, and personnel are necessary for effective processes.
- Prepare financial reports in support of monthly/quarterly business review meetings with senior management and stakeholders.
- Analyze emerging business best practices and technological developments aimed at automating and streamlining processes to increase performance efficiency.
- Collect information and data (for developing better process engineering) through flow-charting, process mapping, and workshops.
- Conduct meetings with clients (to determine their business goals) as well as different stakeholders and participants in various parts of operational processes; conduct business process analysis flows using the revealed information.
- Maintain regular interactions with project controllers, project managers, cost center owners, and accounting personnel to ensure that business operations are closely monitored and potential risks are mitigated.
- Analyze the actual results against budgets and/or forecasts and communicate variances to senior management.
- Gather data, analyze, and make recommendations to meet project objectives, prepare client presentations, and assist in pre-call planning.
- Analyze and review monthly financial results and ensure any identified errors are corrected in a timely fashion.
- Assess business requirements and provide recommendations for process improvements.
Business process analyst skills and competencies
In 2024, many professionals began mastering new business process analyst skills in the field of business analysis to acquire useful knowledge and expertise that will eventually turn into a financial benefit. There are several essential skills for a business process analyst to become successful:
- Technical competencies. One of the main areas of expertise a competent business process analyst should have is the ability to use different software solutions to capture and evaluate data.
- Communication skills. BPA specialists collaborate with other departments across an organization, so effective communication skills are vital for building professional relationships and delivering the right messages to the right people.
- Analytical skills. Strong analytical skills and critical thinking are a must for qualified business process analysts, who analyze data and leverage process mapping tools to visualize ongoing workflows.
- Research competencies. A skilled business process analyst also acts as an investigator to grasp how other organizations work. These essential skills will also come into play when conducting internal research on how any given part of a company functions on a daily basis.
- Problem-solving abilities. As business process analysts examine their organization’s issues and key performance indicators, they need to think creatively and use diverse process improvement methodologies to devise solutions that assist clients in attaining their objectives.
- Writing skills. BPAs often make reports and presentations on their findings and propositions, so good writing skills are also a plus.
Who is a good fit for business process analyst jobs?
Typically, business process analyst skills are a mix of technical knowledge and social capabilities. Recruiters often search for business process analyst candidates with a bachelor’s degree in computer science or business administration. However, most entry-level jobs in this field accept self-taught specialists who get all of their education for free on the Internet.
Automation is among the newest and most valuable skills for a business process analyst job. airSlate Academy offers the relative Business Process Analyst certification. It offers other great options to improve business process analyst skills and propel your career. For example, the Document Workflow Automation for Business Analysts certification – showcases that automation in the workplace is no longer something we talk about as a feature of the future but more as a necessity of the now. More on this below.
These competencies will not only make you a perfect fit for a process analyst job description but also move up the career ladder. For example, in the IT industry, a career path for a business analyst may look like this:
What does the Document Workflow Automation for Business Analysts certification cover?
This certification program is the perfect option for those looking to obtain business process analyst qualifications. Students will learn how to get the most out of a business by reducing the amount of time and money spent on routine processes.
The Document Workflow Automation for Business Analysts certification program at the airSlate Academy will teach you valuable insights on identifying and tackling complex workflows by leveraging the power of automation.
Upon successful completion of this certification program, you’ll unlock the potential to enhance both efficiency and accuracy in your daily tasks. As a testament to your newfound expertise, you’ll also be awarded a prestigious digital certificate.
The certification program explores:
- The significance of document workflow automation and its role in transforming business operations.
- How document workflow automation streamlines intricate business processes, resulting in increased productivity.
- Step-by-step guidance on constructing fully automated workflows without the need for coding expertise.
By the end of the certification program, you’ll have acquired skills in data collection, workflow optimization, and overall business process efficiency, empowering you to excel in your professional endeavors.
Other free online courses at the airSlate Academy that might be helpful to business analysts:
- airSlate Workflow Analytics reveals how to ensure internal business processes are functioning effectively, which analytics tools and metrics can be adopted, and ways to determine areas of improvement. Students will learn more about the methods, mechanisms of data collection, analysis, exporting, and what makes analytics part of a business process.
- Introduction to Document Process Automation helps students stay in the know on Document Process Automation (DPA), Business Process Automation (BPA), and the correlation between the two. Students will learn how to distinguish between different solutions designed for automating business processes and observe multiple options for task optimization so that they can help a business rededicate time and money towards other vital goals.
Upon program completion, you’ll be fully equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to improve team productivity and start building your career in the BA field. Here’s how individuals who enrolled in Document Workflow Automation for Business Analysts certification estimate their career benefits:
- 21% – Increased fulfillment at work
- 12% – Salary increase
- 14% – Promotion
- 8% – Greater confidence at work
- 45% – All of the above
Where does the process of business analysis meet process automation?
You may have noticed that our Document Workflow Automation for Business Analysts certification focuses on learning automation in the context of becoming a business analyst. And there’s good reason for that.
In 2024, going digital is not so much a trend but a necessity to remain competitive in the market for almost any industry. Therefore, process automation has become an integral element of maintaining workflow efficiency, which is the BA’s area of responsibility.
To show you how process automation enhances business workflows and why companies choose to hire business analysts with process automation skills, we’ve prepared several real-file examples of implementing airSlate into an organization’s daily operations.
T2 Biosystems (healthcare)
Being an emerging leader in the field of in-vitro diagnostics, T2 Biosystems faced issues connected with forms processing (e.g., inability to save partially completed forms). As a rule, medical records contain highly sensitive information. Due to the compliance process of obtaining such data, T2 Biosystems was unable to revisit a form and complete it later without restarting the entire workflow.
The airSlate workflow automation platform provided T2 with the necessary integrations for streamlining such processes. For example, the Salesforce integration enabled T2 to send out forms to their clients and automatically attach completed documents that meet compliance regulations back into Salesforce.
The automation built by airSlate allowed T2 Biosystems to remove many manual steps, save employee time, streamline its processes, and enhance customer satisfaction.
Claremont Graduate University (education)
The key issue the Claremont Graduate University was facing concerned sending paper documents back and forth, which resulted in errors, misplaced signatures, and time and money lost. On average, it would take from three to six weeks to get an employment contract completed and signed. Besides, due to the huge amount of paper documents, file management and storage were also a heavy challenge.
To start, airSlate allowed CGU to go paperless. As a result, physical document sorting and storage issues were resolved. Another benefit was that CGU could now send dozens of contracts for signing within one day and receive completed copies by the end of the week.
These are just a few examples of how process automation helps business process analysts to accomplish their main objective — improving an organization’s business processes.
The bottom line
When a business reaches a certain size, its processes inevitably need review, alignment, and streamlining. In these continuous processes of evolution, business analysts are the true engine for making change. Research, analysis, communication skills, automation knowledge, and the right education make for the perfect package for anyone planning to become a professional business analyst.
FAQ
Business analysts work closely with IT teams. Certain technical skills, as well as computer knowledge, are among the job requirements for a BA. That’s why a business analyst is often considered a technical role within an IT department. In other words — an IT process analyst.
The short answer is “no”. BA specialists collaborate with developers and other tech professionals but business analysts are not directly involved in programming or coding.
Definitely yes. It offers a variety of job opportunities and competitive salaries. Besides, business analysts generally report good work-life balance and high job satisfaction.
It depends on whether you prefer working with statistics and numbers or you’re more of a business-minded type of person. If you are more of the former, becoming a data analyst would probably be the better fit. If you are more of the latter, becoming a business analyst would certainly be more suitable. However, you can start as a BA and then move into data analysis, since many of the skills overlap.
Business analysts work on examining and analyzing an organization’s business processes, whereas business process analysts are involved in the operational aspects of these processes.
To be a business process analyst, you need strong analytical skills, understanding of business operations, and proficiency in process modeling and analysis tools. A background in business, management, or related fields, along with communication skills, is essential for this role.
A business analyst focuses on overall business needs and solutions, while a business process analyst specifically analyzes and improves business processes within an organization. The latter is a specialized role within the broader field of business analysis.
A process analyst role can be IT-related, but it is not exclusively an IT job. Process analysts work across various industries, improving and optimizing business processes, which can include IT processes but also extend to non-technical areas like finance, operations, and customer service.
- What does a process analyst do?
- Salary insights for business process analysts and related roles
- Factors influencing business analysts’ salaries
- Business process analyst job description requirements
- Who is a good fit for business process analyst jobs?
- What does the Document Workflow Automation for Business Analysts certification cover?
- Where does the process of business analysis meet process automation?
- The bottom line
- FAQ
