Business Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

What is the role of a business analyst in a project?

A Business Analyst acts as a bridge between business stakeholders and the technical team. They gather,
analyze, and document business requirements and ensure that the solution developed aligns with business
goals. They also assist in process improvement and facilitate communication between all parties.

How do you differentiate between a business requirement and a functional requirement?

- Business Requirement defines what the business needs (high-level goals). Example: “Allow customers to apply
for a credit card online.”
- Functional Requirement defines how the system should behave to fulfill the business requirement. Example:
“The system should validate the user’s PAN number before submitting the form.”

What are the key deliverables of a business analyst?

- Business Requirement Document (BRD)

- Functional Requirement Document (FRD)
- Use Cases & User Stories
- Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM)
- Process Flow Diagrams
- Wireframes/Mockups
- Change Request Documentation

What is the difference between BRD and FRD?

- BRD: Focuses on business goals and stakeholder needs. Created in early stages.
- FRD: Translates BRD into detailed functional specifications for developers and testers.

What is a use case? How do you write one?

A use case describes how a user interacts with a system to achieve a specific goal. It includes:
- Actor(s)
- Preconditions
- Main flow
- Alternate flows
- Postconditions
Example: 'Customer logs in and applies for a credit card.'

How do you gather requirements from stakeholders?

Through elicitation techniques such as:

- One-on-one interviews
- Workshops
- Observation
- Surveys
- Document analysis
- Brainstorming sessions

What techniques do you use for requirement elicitation?

I use:
- Interviews for detailed insights
- Workshops for group consensus
- Prototyping for early feedback
- Use cases and user stories to understand real-world scenarios

How do you ensure the requirements are clear and complete?

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- Review with stakeholders for validation
- Use SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound)
- Maintain a Requirement Traceability Matrix
- Conduct walkthroughs and peer reviews

How do you handle conflicting requirements from stakeholders?

- Identify the root cause of conflict

- Facilitate discussion between stakeholders
- Prioritize requirements based on business value
- Seek consensus or escalate to the product owner/sponsor if unresolved

What is a requirement traceability matrix (RTM)?

RTM is a document that maps requirements to their corresponding test cases to ensure all requirements are
tested and validated. It helps track changes and ensure coverage.

What are the key responsibilities of a Business Analyst?

Elicit and document requirements (BRD, FRD, user stories).Analyze business processes, identify gaps, and
suggest improvements.Facilitate stakeholder communication.Support development & QA teams with
clarifications.Manage change requests and ensure traceability.Ensure solutions align with business objectives.
Requirements Gathering & Analysis.

How do you gather requirements from stakeholders?

One-on-one interview, Workshops / JAD sessions, Surveys & questionnaires,Observation / shadowing,

Reviewing documents, policies, existing systems.

Prototyping & mockups

“I choose the method based on the stakeholder type and project nature. For example, for system
enhancements I prefer workshops, but for regulatory requirements I rely heavily on documentation and SME
interviews.”

How do you prioritize requirements?

MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won’t have).

Business value vs. effort matrix.

Cost–benefit analysis.

Risk assessment

“I typically work with the product owner or business sponsor to rank requirements based on business value
and urgency. For Agile, I help maintain the product backlog with prioritization criteria.”

How do you handle conflicting requirements?

Acknowledge both viewpoints.

Analyze business value & impact of each.

Facilitate a discussion/workshop with stakeholders.

Suggest alternatives or compromises.

Escalate to sponsor if consensus is not possible.

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What documents do you prepare as a BA?

BRD (Business Requirements Document)/FRD (Functional Requirements Document)/SRS (Software

Requirement Specification)/User stories & acceptance criteria (Agile)/Use case diagrams, process flows,
wireframes/Traceability matrix/Change request documentation.

Which tools have you used?

JIRA, Confluence (Agile backlog & documentation)

MS Visio, Lucidchart (process maps, workflows)

MS Excel, SQL (data analysis)

Tableau/Power BI (reporting/visualization – if applicable)

MS Word, PowerPoint (BRD, presentations)

How do you validate requirements?

Conduct walkthroughs with stakeholders. Prepare prototypes / mockups.Validate against business objectives &
scope.Ensure test cases trace back to requirements (RTM).Peer reviews within BA team.

How do you use SQL as a BA?

I use SQL to query databases for data validation, impact analysis, root cause analysis of defects, and preparing
reports. For example, I can write queries using SELECT, JOIN, GROUP BY to check if the system data matches
business rules.

What’s the difference between Functional and Non-functional requirements?

Functional requirements → What the system should do (features, workflows, calculations).

Non-functional requirements → How the system should behave (performance, security, usability, scalability).

What is your experience with Agile methodology?

“I work closely with the product owner to refine the backlog, write user stories with acceptance criteria, and
participate in sprint planning, daily standups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives. I act as a bridge between
business and developers to clarify requirements quickly. I also support QA in defining test scenarios.”

Waterfall vs Agile – key difference?

Waterfall: Sequential, heavy documentation, less flexibility. Best for stable, regulatory projects.

Agile: Iterative, adaptive, continuous feedback, lightweight documentation. Best for dynamic projects.

Tell me about a challenging stakeholder you managed.

I had a stakeholder who often changed requirements mid-sprint. I handled this by documenting each request
clearly, analyzing business impact, and educating them about Agile change processes. I worked with the
product owner to manage the backlog so their priorities were addressed in future sprints without disrupting
current commitments.

Describe a time you improved a business process.

in my last project, I noticed the client’s customer onboarding process involved multiple manual checks, taking
3–4 days. I analyzed the workflow, identified duplicate data entry steps, and proposed an automated KYC
integration. This reduced processing time to 1 day and improved customer satisfaction significantly.”

How do you ensure successful handover from requirements to testing?

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Create RTM (Requirement Traceability Matrix).

Review test cases to ensure coverage.

Provide clarifications during testing.

Participate in defect triage.

Validate UAT results with business stakeholders.