Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for an ERP Business Analyst

🎯 Role Definition

Are you a strategic thinker with a passion for technology and process improvement? This role requires a highly motivated and detail-oriented ERP Business Analyst to join our dynamic team. In this pivotal role, you will act as the primary bridge between our business stakeholders and our IT development teams, ensuring our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system effectively supports and enhances our core business processes. You will be instrumental in analyzing complex business challenges, translating them into functional system requirements, and driving the successful implementation and continuous improvement of our ERP solutions. This is an exceptional opportunity to make a significant impact on our operational efficiency and contribute to the company's long-term strategic goals.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Junior Business Analyst / Systems Analyst
ERP Super User / Power User (e.g., from Finance or Supply Chain)
IT Support Specialist with a focus on business applications

Advancement To:

Senior ERP Business Analyst / Lead Business Analyst
ERP Project Manager / IT Project Manager
Business Systems Manager or IT Manager

Lateral Moves:

Data Analyst / Business Intelligence Analyst
IT Project Coordinator / Scrum Master
Quality Assurance (QA) Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Spearhead the elicitation, analysis, and documentation of business requirements from cross-functional stakeholders for ERP enhancements, new module implementations, and system integrations.
Conduct in-depth discovery sessions, interviews, and workshops to thoroughly understand and map current ("as-is") and future ("to-be") business processes, identifying gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities for automation.
Translate complex business needs into clear, concise, and comprehensive functional specifications, user stories, and process flow diagrams for the technical development team.
Serve as the functional subject matter expert (SME) for key ERP modules, such as Finance (FI/CO), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Manufacturing, Sales and Distribution (SD), or Human Resources (HR).
Collaborate closely with ERP developers and solution architects to design, configure, and customize ERP solutions that align with business requirements and best practices.
Develop and orchestrate comprehensive test plans, test cases, and test scripts to ensure system changes are of high quality and meet the specified criteria.
Lead and facilitate User Acceptance Testing (UAT) sessions, providing guidance to business users and managing the defect resolution process from identification to closure.
Create and maintain detailed system documentation, end-user training materials, and job aids to facilitate user adoption and ensure operational consistency.
Deliver engaging and effective training sessions to end-users on new ERP functionalities, system upgrades, and best practices.
Act as a key liaison, fostering strong communication and collaborative relationships between business departments, IT teams, and third-party vendors.
Provide advanced functional support (Tier 2/3) for the ERP system, troubleshooting complex user-reported issues and identifying root causes to implement permanent solutions.
Analyze the impact of proposed system changes on existing business processes and data, ensuring data integrity and a smooth transition during system updates.
Participate in the full project lifecycle, from initial conception and planning through to deployment and post-go-live support, adhering to project management methodologies (Agile/Scrum/Waterfall).
Manage small to medium-sized ERP-related projects or workstreams, including defining scope, creating project plans, and tracking progress against key milestones.
Develop and maintain a portfolio of custom reports, dashboards, and data queries to provide actionable business insights for stakeholders and leadership.
Proactively identify opportunities for business process re-engineering and system optimization to drive continuous improvement, efficiency gains, and cost savings.
Evaluate and recommend new technologies, applications, and system enhancements that align with the organization's strategic technology roadmap.
Assist in data migration activities, including data mapping, cleansing, validation, and reconciliation during system implementations and upgrades.
Ensure all ERP configurations and processes are compliant with internal controls, industry regulations, and company policies (e.g., SOX).
Facilitate change management activities to ensure smooth adoption of new systems and processes, effectively communicating changes and their benefits to the organization.
Monitor system performance and usage to make recommendations for improvements, ensuring the ERP platform remains stable, scalable, and secure.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

ERP Systems Expertise: Deep functional knowledge of at least one major ERP platform (e.g., SAP S/4HANA, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O/BC, Infor).
Business Process Modeling: Proficiency in creating process flows, use cases, and diagrams using tools like Microsoft Visio and notations like BPMN.
Requirement Management: Expertise in writing clear and detailed functional specifications, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
SQL Proficiency: Solid ability to write and execute SQL queries for data analysis, validation, and troubleshooting.
Testing & QA: Experience in developing and executing test plans, coordinating UAT, and using defect tracking tools.
Project Management Methodologies: Familiarity with Agile (Scrum/Kanban) and Waterfall project management principles and tools (e.g., Jira, Azure DevOps, Asana).
Reporting & BI Tools: Experience with business intelligence and reporting tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or native ERP reporting functions.

Soft Skills

Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills: Exceptional ability to dissect complex problems, analyze data, and propose effective, well-reasoned solutions.
Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Superior verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical concepts to non-technical audiences and vice-versa.
Stakeholder Management: Proven ability to build rapport, influence decisions, and manage expectations with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
Attention to Detail: Meticulous and thorough in all aspects of work, from requirements documentation to system testing.
Adaptability & Resilience: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, manage ambiguity, and adapt to shifting priorities and business needs.
Negotiation & Facilitation: Skilled at leading meetings, facilitating workshops, and negotiating priorities to achieve consensus among diverse groups.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

Master’s Degree (MBA, M.S. in Information Systems) or relevant professional certifications.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration
Management Information Systems (MIS)
Computer Science
Finance or Accounting
Supply Chain Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3-7 years of experience as a Business Analyst, Systems Analyst, or Functional Consultant with a direct focus on ERP systems.

Preferred:

Experience participating in at least one full-cycle ERP implementation, upgrade, or major module rollout.
Industry-specific experience (e.g., manufacturing, retail, professional services) is highly advantageous.
Professional certifications such as Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP), Project Management Professional (PMP), or ERP-specific certifications are a strong plus.