SFBA Academy Highlights

Before 2019, little information existed specifically for Salesforce business analysis. Business analysts have an abundance of general resources. Salesforce developers and administrators have a plethora of solution implementation documents. One person combined business analysis and Salesforce pieces for Salesforce business analysts.

Toni Struggled So You Don’t Have To

Toni Martin painstakingly blended Salesforce and business analysis knowledge as she learned it, blazing a trail for others to become Salesforce business analysts. She was making a career change and recalled that she liked working with Salesforce and Pardot. Toni wanted to learn more, but Trailhead wasn’t around yet, so she participated in local user group meetings.

While Toni was curious about the Salesforce administrator role, she expressed her passion for working with people to improve business processes. Salesforce MVP Stephanie Foerst suggested she become a business analyst. Toni looked into it and realized she already did many business analysis tasks, even though she didn’t have the title. She “devoured everything [she] could” about Salesforce, but it didn’t come easy for her.

Toni’s struggled with her Salesforce administrator certification, failing the exam twice. She did not let that stop her, passing the exam after working in a temporary admin role. She went on to work for a Salesforce partner with many different clients and loved it. Toni became a Salesforce MVP in 2021.

Often, those who struggle like Toni make the best teachers, empathizing more with their students than a “gifted” teacher. Toni loves giving back by sharing her Salesforce business analysis knowledge with those making the same journey. She wants to make it much easier for them than it was for her.

Becoming a Salesforce Business Analyst

Toni recognized that her journey would have gone much smoother if she had a plan, rather than “making it up as [she] went along.” She contends an aspiring Salesforce business analyst needs a roadmap to the role that:

•     Eliminates confusion

•     Provides a clear path

•     Allows you to troubleshoot

•     Identifies your next steps

•     Enables you to shortcut your time to success

Toni points out that getting a business analyst job is only the first step, not a guarantee of success. Failure can happen, presenting an opportunity to troubleshoot what went wrong. Troubleshooting failure provides an opportunity to learn and advance to a higher level.

From Starter to Stellar Business Analyst

Toni defines three levels of Salesforce Business Analysts (SFBAs):

• Starter

  • A general business analyst needing Salesforce experience

  • A Salesforce professional deepening his/her business analysis understanding 

• Seasoned

  • An SFBA unsure about what or how they’re doing

  • He or she needs to fill skill or confidence gaps

  • May want to pivot to a different career, such as architect or developer

• Stellar

  • SFBA who "knows their stuff" in Salesforce and business analysis

  • Has or is earning a business analysis certification

Toni outlines these steps on the SFBA roadmap to success:

• Understand the essential role and deliverables of an SFBA

• Develop an action plan to move from a Starter SFBA to a Stellar

• Work towards your goal with the support of SFBA Academy

Introducing the SFBA Academy

Toni introduced the Salesforce Business Analysts (SFBA) Academy in June 2021 to provide resources and guide those on a journey to a stellar SFBA. She wished she had this during her arduous journey to become a leading SFBA.

SFBA Academy supports SFBAs planning and working toward their goals in three ways:

• Curriculum

  • Monthly Salesforce Business Analyst Specific "Content Drops" 

    • On-demand workshops

    • Courses

    • Guides

  • This training equips SFBAs with the “nuts and bolts” to execute Salesforce business analysis.

• Career Development

  • This membership provides SFBAs with the resources from the Salesforce Job Search System, the dedicated course exclusively designed to be specific to landing a great job in the Salesforce ecosystem.

  • This series of videos, worksheets, and templates will help SFBAs:

    • Identify transferable skills to gain experience

    • Package and position their talent for a job search

    • Interview and negotiate with organizations

    • Secure the role and start strong

    • Confidently move forward in their ideal Salesforce role

• Coaching

  • Monthly Office Hours, led by Toni and her team of SFBA Mentors

  • An opportunity to get pre-submitted and live questions answered on topics such as an SFBA’s job search, BA deliverables, current project issues, and more.

The June 2021 curriculum covers the role and deliverables of an SFBA - the first step on the roadmap to success. Career development and coaching help an SFBA develop an action plan for advancement.

See the SFBA Academy site for more information and pricing.

The SFBA Informational Webinar includes Toni’s story and an overview of the Academy in her own words.

Words of Wisdom

Toni offers useful insights in the SFBA Informational Webinar:

• Maintain a portfolio of solutions where you contributed as a business analyst or admin. A future article will cover this in-depth.

• Salesforce requires continuous learning with three major feature releases a year. Even stellar SFBAs continue to learn.

• Don’t wait for an organization to make you a business analyst (BA).  You’ll wait too long, if not forever. Once you attain BA talent and confidence, inform management you are a Salesforce BA, offering a specific job description. (Some organizations needing business analyst talent don’t realize they need a BA or understand what a BA does.)

The SFBA Academy creates a shorter path to success for Salesforce business analysts by filling knowledge gaps at the intersection of Salesforce and business analysis.