What does a Business Analyst do?
I would say that I am the link between the clients or the business and the Development Team at Sopra Steria Benelux. My days are filled with meetings with clients and our internal teams, attending workshops and testing functionalities. My goal is to help clients decide on new or changing functionalities and to communicate their wishes to our Developers. Besides that, clients can always contact me in case of questions or remarks.
What qualities are important for a Business Analyst?
I would say first of all having communicative and social skills, because you are constantly in touch with your clients and your team at Sopra Steria. You should also be able to make a structured plan and to follow this plan throughout the analysis, development and testing phase. Besides that, it is also very useful to have a basic technical background in order to make a more detailed analysis including technical solutions for the client’s problem.
What projects are you working on?
I am currently working on 2 projects that in my opinion both have an impact on society.
The first one is the set-up and implementation of chatbots. The chatbots are installed on several websites of public services. They help citizens with their common questions about day-to-day topics and reduce the workload of contact centers at the client’s side. The second project I work on, is at the Ministry of Finance in Belgium. For this project, we maintain several applications which are responsible for the international exchange of information regarding taxes.
What achievement so far are you most proud of?
I recently did a presales presentation for a new project. It was the first time I was introduced to presale activities. Last week, I received an email that we won the project. This felt like a big achievement because everyone worked very hard on the presentations. I am already looking forward to the first workshops with our new client.
What can you say about Sopra Steria’s culture?
I can’t really describe a typical person that works at Sopra Steria, because everyone is so different, but this is just what makes us a good team.
When I started working at Sopra Steria, I immediately felt the ‘Sopra Steria team spirit’ among us. I feel very much supported by my colleagues and especially by my Proximity Manager. She is always ready to listen to me, and she help me grow in my current role as Business Analyst and with my career at Sopra Steria.
Besides this, we have a lot of possibilities to follow trainings and receive certificates, which is very important as a Junior. On top of formal trainings, there is also a lot of on-the-job training. I can ask questions and learn new things every day, which really helps me grow professionally.
Fun fact
If Sopra Steria was an animal, Dorien thinks it would be a bird, because at Sopra Steria, you get a lot of autonomy and I have the feeling that I can really choose my own career path. Management leaves room to grow in your current role and project but also gives the opportunity to change roles or projects if you want to.