Business Analyst (Reporting)

Purpose of the role

The purpose of the Business Analyst, Reporting Workstream is to serve as the key liaison between business stakeholders and the technical team for all reporting requirements within the SAP S/4HANA implementation project. The role is critical in defining, documenting, validating, and managing the reporting needs to ensure the successful delivery of insightful and accurate reporting solutions that support business decision-making on the new S/4HANA platform. This includes understanding complex business processes and translating them into functional specifications for report development, covering various reporting tools and methodologies used within the S/4HANA landscape (e.g., embedded analytics, Fiori reports, BW/4HANA, SAC).

Key Accountabilities

Requirements Management: Lead the elicitation, analysis, documentation, and management of detailed reporting requirements from various business units and stakeholders across the organization.

Design Sessions: Leading the Reporting Design sessions with guidance from global Reporting Product Owners to elicit full business requirements.

Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain strong relationships with business stakeholders (Report Owners/Local Process Owners), acting as the primary liaison for all reporting-related queries and ensuring their needs are accurately captured and addressed.

Functional Specification Creation: Translate complex business reporting needs into clear, concise, and comprehensive functional specifications, including data definitions, calculations, layout requirements, and usage scenarios for report developers.

Solution Collaboration: Work closely with global & local technical teams (e.g., SAP developers, BI/Analytics consultants, data architects) to review functional designs, analyze data sources within S/4HANA, and ensure the proposed reporting solutions align with business requirements and technical capabilities.

Documentation & Modelling: Create and maintain various documentation artifacts, such as Detailed Design Documents, data mapping specifications (related to reporting), reporting catalogues and business glossary.

Change Requests & Backlog Management: Assist in interrogating the business value and subsequent raising of change requests for new requirements that are surfaced during the Program, ensuring alignment with project timelines where needed.

Testing and Validation: Support testing cycles (SIT, UAT) for reporting solutions, including creating test cases, validating report outputs against requirements, and assisting in defect resolution by following up with business stakeholders and developers as needed.

Cross-Functional Integration: Collaborate with other SAP S/4HANA workstreams (e.g., Finance, Supply Chain, Sales) to understand integrated business processes and ensure reporting solutions provide a cohesive view across functional areas.

Training Support: Contribute to the development of training materials and potentially deliver training to end-users on how to effectively use the new reporting capabilities within S/4HANA.

Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities for improving reporting processes, data quality, and the overall reporting landscape within the S/4HANA environment.

Experience needed:

Proven experience (typically 8+ years) working as a Business Analyst, specifically within large-scale IT transformation or ERP implementation projects.

Demonstrable experience working on SAP implementation or upgrade projects is highly preferred, ideally with exposure to S/4HANA.

Experience focused on defining and delivering reporting or business intelligence solutions is essential.

Solid understanding of business process mapping and translating complex business requirements into detailed functional specifications, particularly in a reporting context.

Experience working with various stakeholders at different levels of the organization, including business users, process owners, and technical teams.

Experience supporting testing phases (SIT, UAT) and defect management in a project environment.

Familiarity with different reporting tools and methodologies, preferably within the SAP ecosystem (e.g., Embedded Analytics in S/4HANA, Fiori Analytical Apps, BW/4HANA, SAP Analytics Cloud – SAC, or other enterprise BI tools).

Experience working in a multi-site, global, or complex organizational structure is advantageous.

Skills needed:

Business Analysis: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to quickly understand complex business processes and identify reporting requirements.

Requirements Elicitation & Management: Excellent skills in gathering, documenting (e.g., user stories, functional specifications), and managing detailed business requirements using various techniques (workshops, interviews, etc.).

Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. Ability to actively listen and influence stakeholders.

Stakeholder Management: Proven ability to effectively engage with, manage expectations of, and build rapport with diverse stakeholders (business users, process owners, technical teams).

SAP Reporting Concepts: Good understanding of key reporting concepts within SAP, including data models (conceptual understanding), embedded analytics, Fiori reporting, and potential integration points with dedicated BI tools (BW/4HANA, SAC).

Data Proficiency: Ability to understand data structures, perform basic data analysis, and critically evaluate data for reporting purposes. Familiarity with data mapping principles is beneficial.

Documentation: Skill in creating clear, concise, and professional documentation (functional specifications, design documents, process flows, test cases).

Testing Acumen: Understanding of testing methodologies and the ability to create and execute test cases for reporting solutions.

Collaboration & Teamwork: Ability to work effectively in a team environment, collaborating with cross-functional teams and external partners.

Organizational Skills: Strong ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize effectively, and work independently with minimal supervision.

Attention to Detail: Meticulous attention to detail, crucial for accurate requirements documentation and validation of report outputs.