Life at C5: Spotlight on Business Analysis
Jon Le Noury is a qualified Business Analyst (BA) with 8 years’ experience. His role, based within C5 Alliance Guernsey’s Project Delivery team, considers all aspects of a business system; its interactions, incorporating the people, processes and organisation, and the supporting Information and Technology.
What attracted you to a role as a Business Analyst?
Many Business Analysts start out with a technology focused position, however, I was keen to spread my wings into a role not constrained by software but working with different technologies across business sectors. I jumped at the chance to become a BA– the level of empowerment inspired and excited me.
What skills and qualifications did you have to develop for your current role?
Initially I completed the BCS Diploma in Business Analysis, later adding the Advanced Diploma, which includes a requirement to demonstrate how you have contributed to the wider BA community. Over the past 12 months I have been working with a colleague to create a Skills Framework for our team, utilising SFIA (Skills Framework for the Information Age) – this is a model for describing and managing competencies for IT professionals and is intended to help match the skills of the workforce to the needs of the business. We are piloting this approach with a view to provide a clear understanding of standardised IT skills across the organisation, enable targeted training, to address specific skill gaps, improve recruitment and define a career path and progression for our consultants.
Qualifications aside, to be a great Business Analyst you must be able to build good relationships with a variety of different people at all levels, obtaining and retaining the trust of colleagues is essential, along with effective communication.
What attracted you to a job at C5 Alliance?
My previous role involved a lot of travelling – not ideal with a new born baby. People think that business travel is exciting, in reality, you end up in a budget hotel eating room service. I did however get a lot more sleep than my wife who was dealing with a 3-week-old baby!
Travelling aside, I was focused on a single industry and I wanted to learn more about different business sectors in Guernsey. C5 Alliance has opened doors for me to work within many fields including financial services, insurance and even mining.
The approach to learning and development at C5 is fantastic; I am always encouraged to upskill. The Project Delivery team has a spread of knowledge and expertise that allows flexibility for all team members to complete a variety of work.
What is your long-term career goal?
I am passionate about this role and keen to see the use of business analysis grow across all industries, not just those which are technology focused. I want to position myself as a thought leader within the BA community across the Channel Islands. Sharing the knowledge I have with local businesses, helping them to understand that we can assist them make the right decisions when it comes to change.
Tell us about your working day…
I start my day by checking my calendar to find out where I need to be, when. My day varies depending on the number of clients and type of work I am focused on. I spent several months working within a large private bank recently; my day would start with a phone conference with the project manager, based in London and the test manager, based in India. We would discuss project achievements, blockers and any other risks that would prevent the successful implementation of the change. I would then spend time liaising with business project managers to understand and convert their requirements into workable, tested solutions.
Why would you encourage young people to consider a career in this industry?
You can have a very positive impact on the departments and companies you work with – whether improving a process or defining solutions to business problems I am constantly learning and adding value to peoples working lives.
Being involved in developing something that people need, making their lives and work more efficient and enjoyable, encourages me to always give my very best to get the job done.
I always wanted to be…
A swimmer. I spent my childhood swimming competitively at two Commonwealth Games and five Island Games. If the money had been good enough I would like to have carried on, unfortunately sport lacks funding and most ‘professional’ swimmers need to have day jobs.