This is Venkadesh Narayanan from Fhyzics. In this podcast, we will discuss about the three levels at which the business analysts work in an organisation. The three levels are Strategic, Tactical and Operational.

Almost all the business analysts will work in all the three levels and only the degree defers. A junior business analyst will be working more at operational and less at tactical and very less at strategic level. This completely reverses for someone who is working as a Vice President, Business Analysis. For someone in the middle of their career their focus will be more on tactical level.

Let us understand the three words, strategic, tactical and operational using an analogy. Siddharth’s vision is to reach Mount Everest by 2025. Strategy is the one that helps one to reach the vision that is reaching Mount Everest. He contemplates two strategies. One is going by a helicopter and the other one is by climbing. So, strategy is the plan of action or the path chosen to attain the vision. Hence strategy is long-term in nature. In this case, Siddharth selected the path of climbing. The reason could be the resource considerations. Each path has a different cost. So, companies select the path or the strategy that fits its bill.

Once the strategy is clear, he works towards the specifics to attain the strategy. Here the specifics are signing up with a Mountain Expedition Company, hiring a Guide, Building his Stamina etc. Tactics must be well aligned with the strategy. Tactics has no meaning without the strategy. Tactics is short term in nature compared to strategy.

Performing activities to accomplish the tactics are the operations. For example, Siddharth may negotiate with the Mountain Expedition Company and finally sign the contract and performing daily workouts to improve the stamina etc. Operations are relatively the daily routines that we do to materialise the tactics. Having a wonderful strategy and tactics is required, but without the operational activities they both will not be realised. Operation is where the rubber meets the road.

A business analyst growing in the career need to focus on tactical and strategic as well to reach higher positions. Thank you.