BA Brew - A Business Analysis Podcast

What does it take to become a Senior Business Analyst, and how can you prepare for the next stage of your business analysis career?
In this episode of The BA Brew, Mike, Lisa and Iurii discuss what being a Senior Business Analyst really means, the skills and experience needed to progress, and the career opportunities available to experienced BA professionals.
They explore the importance of strong core business analysis skills, stakeholder engagement, communication, negotiation and conflict management, as well as the experience and business knowledge that distinguish a senior BA.
The conversation also covers practical ways to progress from Business Analyst to Senior Business Analyst, including:
Developing and broadening your BA skills and experience
Taking on challenging projects and additional responsibility
Building strong stakeholder relationships
Developing communication, negotiation and conflict-management skills
Collaborating effectively with senior stakeholders
Identifying gaps in your skills and experience
Mentoring and supporting other Business Analysts
Building your professional network and engaging with the wider BA community
Exploring career paths beyond the Senior BA role
The panel also considers where a career in business analysis can lead, from BA management and mentoring to product management, consulting, training, business architecture and other roles that draw on business analysis capability.
Whether you're a junior Business Analyst, an experienced BA preparing for promotion or already working at senior level, this episode offers practical advice for taking greater ownership of your professional development and planning your next career move.
Ready to take the next step in your business analysis career?
Whether you're building your core BA skills, working towards a recognised professional qualification or developing the advanced capabilities needed for a more senior role, AssistKD offers business analysis training for every stage of your career.
Explore our Business Analysis courses, BCS qualifications and professional development training, available through live virtual classrooms, face-to-face training and self-paced eLearning.
👉 Find the right Business Analysis course for you: https://www.assistkd.com/our-business-training-courses-classes
Subscribe to The BA Brew for more conversations about business analysis skills, careers and professional development.

Why do so many organisations still struggle to deliver great customer experiences?
In this episode of BA Brew, Stuart Mullinger speaks with Dr Debra Paul and Jonathan Hunsley about their new BCS book, Service Design: A Practical Guide to Creating Customer-Centric Services, and explores why service design has become an essential discipline for organisations seeking to improve customer experience and business transformation.
The discussion covers practical service design techniques, professional standards, collaboration across change professions and how organisations can design services that create better outcomes for customers.
In this episode you'll learn:
✔ Why service design matters more than ever
✔ How to improve customer experience through service design
✔ The Service Design Framework explained
✔ Why business analysts, service designers and business architects work better together
✔ Practical techniques including the Service Definition Canvas and Minimum Viable Service
✔ How AI is influencing the future of service design
✔ Where the profession is heading over the next decade
Whether you're a service designer, business analyst, business architect, digital transformation leader, customer experience professional or change manager, this discussion offers practical insights into creating better organisational services.
Learn more about Service Design
➡ Service Design Guide: https://www.assistkd.com/Why-AssistKD/service-design-training
➡ Service Design Courses: https://www.assistkd.com/courses/service-design-courses
Subscribe for more BA Brew discussions on business analysis, service design, business architecture, digital transformation and organisational change.

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