BA Brew - A Business Analysis Podcast

Technical skills are only part of becoming a successful Business Analyst.
Learning how to communicate with confidence, influence stakeholders and ask the right questions is what helps great Business Analysts stand out.
Jonathan Hunsley is joined by Emily Saunderson, Head of Profession for Business Analysis at the Department for Education, and Dr Carlos Pullen-Ferreira, Principal Consultant at AssistKD, to discuss how Business Analysts can find their voice, build confidence and increase their influence.
Whether you're new to Business Analysis or an experienced Business Analyst, this discussion explores practical ways to increase your influence, develop professional confidence and grow your Business Analysis career.
In this BA Brew episode:
What it means to find your Business Analysis voice
Building confidence as a Business Analyst
Speaking up in stakeholder workshops and stakeholder meetings
Influencing business decisions
Becoming a trusted adviser
Business Analysis leadership
Mentoring and coaching
Networking for Business Analysts
Developing your Business Analysis career
Helping the next generation of Business Analysts
Emily also shares the remarkable story of being told she would never become a successful Business Analyst before eventually leading the business analysis profession at the Department for Education.
LEARN MORE
BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis Courses
BCS Advanced International Diploma in Business Analysis Courses:
Business Analysis Career Guide
BA Brew Podcast Hub
Business Analysis Conference Europe

Service frameworks are a powerful yet often overlooked tool that can fundamentally change how teams understand, collaborate, and achieve outcomes.
In this episode of BA Brew, Jonathan Hunsley from AssistKD is joined by Chris Pyatt and Victoria Banner to discuss how service frameworks help business analysts, business architects and service designers clarify their value, improve collaboration and navigate complex organisational change ecosystems.
The discussion covers:
What a service framework actually is – and how it defines the value a role delivers
Why business analysis, architecture and service design overlap more than we think
How frameworks create clarity on roles, responsibilities and boundaries
The role they play in reducing confusion, conflict and duplication across teams
How they support career growth, capability building and even recruitment decisions
Practical advice on getting started – and why you don’t need to build everything at once
Whether you are a business analyst, business architect, service designer or other digital change professional, this episode offers practical advice for improving conversations and outcomes.
EXPLORE ASSISTKD TRAINING
AssistKD offers Business Analysis and Service Design training online, in person and through eLearning, with over 30 years' experience in professional development.
Relevant courses for this episode:
BCS Business Analysis Practice - https://www.assistkd.com/courses/business-analysis-diploma-courses/bcs-certificate-business-analysis-practice
BCS Business Architecture - https://www.assistkd.com/courses/architecture-courses/bcs-certificate-business-architecture
A4Q Business Service Design - https://www.assistkd.com/courses/service-design-courses/a4q-certificate-business-service-design
WATCH THIS EPISODE
Watch all episodes of the BA Brew on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxdeXIxtEOU&list=PLEvIolukjrawamafeBkNM3pELcNqVrPN6

Once you learn business analysis skills, do they ever really switch off?
In this episode of BA Brew, Mike, Ruth, Kerry and Stu discuss how BA thinking becomes embedded into everyday life - shaping how we solve problems, make decisions and interact with others.
The discussion covers:
Why BA skills naturally carry over into everyday situations
Real-life examples of using BA thinking outside of work
When analysis and problem-solving can be unhelpful
The risk of “analysis paralysis”
How to recognise when to switch off BA mode
Techniques like circles of control, root cause thinking and options analysis in daily life
The importance of empathy, presence and reading the room
Whether you're a business analyst, change professional or team leader, this episode offers practical insights into balancing analytical thinking with real-world human situations.
EXPLORE ASSISTKD TRAINING
AssistKD offers Business Analysis and Service Design training online, in person and through eLearning, with over 30 years' experience in professional development.
Relevant courses for this episode:
BCS Certificate in Business Analysis Practice
BCS Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis
BCS Certificate in Modelling Business Processes
Eexplore AssistKD's full range of Business Analysis training courses here: https://www.assistkd.com/our-business-training-courses-classes

Informal networks are one of the most powerful – and often overlooked - forces in organisations. For Business Analysts, understanding how information really flows can make the difference between struggling with change and successfully influencing it.
In this episode of BA Brew, Jonathan Hunsley is joined by Michelle, Fiona and Carlos to explore the role of gossip and informal networks in the workplace – and how they impact organisational change.
The discussion covers:
What “gossip” actually means in a workplace context
Why informal networks exist and how they create psychological safety during change
The difference between formal communications and how information really spreads
How informal networks can support better stakeholder engagement and change outcomes
The risks of negative gossip, politics and organisational culture
How Business Analysts can use informal networks to sense-check, influence and support change
Whether you are a Business Analyst, change professional, service designer or team leader, this episode provides practical insights into the human side of organisations – and how to work with it, not against it.
EXPLORE ASSISTKD TRAINING
AssistKD offers Business Analysis and Service Design training online, in person and through eLearning, with over 30 years’ experience in professional development.
Relevant courses for this episode:
BCS Stakeholder Engagement
BCS Digital Business Change
BCS Benefits Management and Business Acceptance
BCS Modelling Business Processes
Explore AssistKD's Business Analysis full range of training courses here: https://www.assistkd.com/our-business-training-courses-classes

Active listening is one of the most valuable skills a Business Analyst can develop — and one of the easiest to get wrong.
In this episode of BA Brew, Jonathan Hunsley from AssistKD is joined by Craig Rollason and Corrine Thomas to discuss how active listening helps business analysts build trust, improve stakeholder conversations and gather better requirements.
The discussion covers:
What active listening really means for business analysts
Why listening is central to effective stakeholder engagement
Common unhelpful listening behaviours and how to avoid them
How to prepare yourself to listen properly
The value of summarising, silence and open questions
How teams can practise and improve their listening skills together
Whether you are a business analyst, service designer, change professional or team leader, this episode offers practical advice for improving conversations and outcomes.
EXPLORE ASSISTKD TRAINING: AssistKD offers Business Analysis and Service Design training online, in person and through eLearning, with over 30 years' experience in professional development.
Relevant courses for this episode:
BCS Stakeholder Engagement
BCS Requirements Engineering
BCS Advanced Requirements Engineering
BCS Business Analysis Practice
LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE: Find BA Brew on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major platforms.