“Critical Thinking” - The most important skill for any Business Analyst

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Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly & rationally about what to do or what to believe.
With this skill set, you can do the following:
  • Understand the logical connection between ideas.
  • Identify, construct and evaluate arguments.
  • Detect mistake in reasoning.
  • Identify the relevance and importance of the idea.
  • Solve problem systematically.

Critical thinking also helps you analyze facts to understand a problem or topic thoroughly. Here are common steps that occur when using critical thinking for problem-solving:
  1. Identify a problem or issue
  2. Create inferences on why the problem exists and how it can be solved
  3. Collect information or data on the issue through research
  4. Organize and sort data and findings
  5. Develop and execute solutions
  6. Analyze what solutions worked or didn’t work
  7. Identify ways to improve the solution

How to improve your "Critical Thinking" skill:
To improve your critical thinking skills, consider taking some of the following steps:
  • Ask Basic questions when approaching any problem:
    • What do you already know?
    • How do you know that?
    • What are you trying to prove, disprove, demonstrated, critique, etc.?
    • What are you overlooking?
  • Question your assumptions and critically evaluate your beliefs about what’s prudent, appropriate, or possible.
  • Ask the following questions of any evidence you encounter:
    • Who gathered this evidence?
    • How did they gather it?
    • Why?
  • And of course, improve these prerequisite skill sets:
    • Observation - Observational skills are the starting point for critical thinking. Employees who are observant can quickly sense and identify a new problem. Those skilled in observation are also capable of understanding why something might be a problem, and may even be able to predict when a problem might occur before it happens based on their experience.
    • Analysis - Once a problem has been identified, analysis skills become essential. The ability to analyze the situation includes knowing what facts, data or information about the problem are important. You will also find analysis is an essential skill to eventually solving the problem.
    • Inference - Inference is a skill that involves drawing conclusions about the information you collect and may require you to possess technical or industry-specific knowledge or experience. When you infer information about a situation, that means you are developing answers based on limited information.
    • Communication - It’s important when it comes time to explain and discuss issues and their possible solutions with colleagues and other stakeholders.
    • Problem-solving - After you’ve identified a problem, analyzed it and discussed possible solutions, the final step is to execute the solution. Problem-solving often requires critical thinking to implement the best solution and understand whether or not the solution is working as it relates to the goal.

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