ESI International, the world's leading project management training company, today announced the release of its top 10 trends in business analysis for 2014. This year's trends discuss the evolving roles that business analysts take on and underscore the need for varied skill sets to ensure that they are prepared for what's coming next.

"Business analysts find themselves taking on multiple roles in organizations, as business leaders recognize the importance of requirements management," said Mark Bashrum, VP of Marketing and Strategic Intelligence at ESI International. "Enterprising BAs see this trend and are carving out career paths beyond the typical BA roles."

ESI's top 10 trends for business analysis include:

  1. Business analysts and systems analysts will need to develop interchangeable skill sets.
  2. Many will realize that being "Agile" is a competency, not a methodology.
  3. The role of the BA and PM will continue to overlap in small to medium-size organizations.
  4. BAs will get in on the action early and often.
  5. Requirements management gets sophisticated.
  6. Business analysis continues to emerge as a profession with a career path in larger organizations.
  7. More and more, project sponsors will learn about BA.
  8. BAs become cool.
  9. Enterprise architecture comes back to life. Was it ever really dead?
  10. There are plenty of cloudy days ahead, and those clouds are filled with apps.

"What started in 2013 continues through into this new year," said Bashrum. "BAs are front and center, and their ability to deliver business value through requirements will continue to give them prominence and recognition within the business."

ESI's top 10 trends in business analysis are put together annually by ESI senior executives and subject matter experts.

In conjunction with the release of the trends, ESI has released a top 10 trends in business analysis video. The video offers a discussion of the trends, including original insight and information about the trends and their impact on projects.

About ESI International

ESI International is a global project-focused training company, helping people around the world improve the way they manage projects, contracts, requirements and vendors through innovative training in project management, business analysis and contract management. In addition to ESI's more than 100 courses delivered in more than a dozen languages at hundreds of locations worldwide, ESI offers several certificate programs through our educational partner, The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1981, ESI's worldwide headquarters are in Arlington, Va., USA. To date, ESI's programs have benefited more than 1.35 million professionals worldwide. For more information visit www.esi-intl.com.

Four Leaf Public Relations
Christine Hohlbaum, 917-477-3788
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