how to build a business analyst portfolio

Portfolio Building for Aspiring BAs

Last Updated on September 13, 2025 by Techcanvass Academy

📑 Table of Contents

Introduction

NameAnkit Bhatt
DesignationSr. Business Analyst
LocationCanada

Purpose

I am compiling this portfolio to demonstrate my skills and abilities that helped me bridge the gaps between various business needs and possible solutions—both technical and non-technical. This article is also about penning down my journey of how I have contributed towards successful outcomes, while offering insights on how to build a Business Analyst portfolio in Canada that stands out in today’s competitive job market.

About Me    

 My name is Ankit Bhatt, and I am a Postgraduate in Business Management from London, U.K. with over 15 years of experience as a Business Analyst over 3 continents (Asia, UK, North America). My experience spread across public and private sectors in business transformation, process optimization and data driven decision making. I always have leveraged on my strong Analytical Skills, strategic planning, stakeholder collaboration to drive efficiency and innovation, streamline operations, enhance customer experience and implement impactful solution. My appetite for learning and development has always been one of my traits to understand various domains, technologies and gain the expertise required in working on a single as well as concurrent projects and manage assigned tasks within project timeline.


Useful Links


Skills

  • Business Process Analysis & Improvement
  • Requirements Gathering & Stakeholder Management
  • Data Analysis & Reporting
  • Change Management & Process Re-engineering
  • Strategic Planning & Project Management
  • Cross-functional Collaboration & Team Leadership

Tools

  • MS Office Suite (including Visio and Project)
  • Collaboration Tools (such as MS Teams, Jira, Asana, Confluence, Etc.)
  • Data Analysis (Excel, SQL, Power BI, Tableau, SAS, R, Python, etc.)

Case Study

Project Overview : Apprenticeship Management Information System

My Role : Sr. Business Analyst

Project Delivery Method: Hybrid Agile

Tools

  • MS Office Suite
  • MS Teams
  • Azure DevOps
  • Power BI

Techniques

  • Acceptance Criteria
  • Backlog Management
  • Business Rules Analysis
  • Collaboration
  • Document Analysis
  • Focus Groups
  • Functional Decomposition
  • Glossary
  • Interface Analysis
  • Interviews
  • Item Tracking
  • Lessons Learned
  • Prioritization
  • Process Analysis
  • Process Modelling
  • Roles & Permission Matrix
  • Scope Modelling
  • Stakeholder List, Map, or Personas
  • RACI Matrix
  • User Cases & Scenarios
  • User Stories
  • Workshops

Responsibilities

  • Scoping of the project which includes preparing a Business Analysis Plan for the project
  • Document Current as well as Future state diagrams using MS Visio
  • Identifying gaps and compiling documents
  • Facilitating requirements gathering sessions using MS Teams
  • Documenting the requirements using MS Excel and validating with Stakeholders
  • Create a project in Azure DevOps to import approved requirements
  • Creating high level epics, which then gets broken down into features and further breaking the features down into user storied following the INVEST method (Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small and Testable)
  • Compiling Test Plans and writing test cases for QA and UAT
  • Planning and Coordinating for the UAT, documenting defects, providing resolution and product a Test Summary Report at the end of the UAT

Artifacts

  • Business Requirements Document
    • Captures a high-level business needs, expectations and goals that the business aims to achieve with the project
  • Requirements Traceability Matrix
    • To document, track and manage requirements and the related test cases throughout the lifecycle of the project
  • Test Strategy Document
    • To plan for the QA and UAT and track the defects that may occur during testing

Certification & Training

  • As a part of this project the trainings and/or certification that came handy was the Agile Project Management Certificate as well as the CBAP certification training with Techcanvass. It helped me a lot in understanding the BA perspectives and implementation of techniques that would enable innovation and ideas that can enhance the future state solution.
  • My strong analytical and problem-solving skills that I already posses were sharpened, and I could sail through the tough waters with ease.

Problem(s)

  • Multiple Systems that cannot interact or interface with each other
  • Users are working with Data that is spread across the board with no clear visibility
  • Systems too old to upgrade or integrated
  • Complaints from customers and/or Clients about apprenticeship applications not being registered in time
  • Process too manual to order and receive training certificates from both apprentices and employers

Action & Outcome

  • Educated the business users about how Agile Projects work and set the expectations at the onset of the project
    • Provided training and presentation on the various stages of Agile development
  • Utilized my strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify gaps and suggested process automation
    • Created value stream mapping to identify hand-offs and delays that can be reduced
    • As a result, 30% of the processes were automated which reduce the turn around time by 75% in the first quarter
  • Compiled system integration requirements and API documentation
  • Highlighted my abilities to align business goals with technical solutions that can improve processes and customer satisfaction
  • Performed Document Analysis and Process Analysis to identify gaps, documented and verified with the business SMEs and validated through Reviews.
  • Trained business users on the existing tools such as  MS Excel and Power BI to perform data analysis, create visualizations and dashboards for various reporting purposes.
  • Compiled a Glossary for common terms used within the organization and the business units which clarified business concepts and promoted consistent communication.

Positives

  • Kept the communication cycle transparent and consistent
  • Engaged with stakeholders frequently and shared status updates, tracked all item(s) and followed up on a regular basis
  • Gathered feedback and improvised where necessary

Conclusion

  • Being an experience professional there are lot of skills that I end up using day in and day out, but sometimes you need an extra support to help you understand other perspectives and do your best.
  • I was already thinking about getting certified and write my CBAP exam, so I started reading BABOK and signed up for CBAP training from TechCanvass.
  • From day one that I joined the training group; I added some new ideas and perspective in my thought process and did things a little bit differently.
  • My professional journey took another positive turn, and this trained helped me crack my CBAP certification exam.

FAQs on How to Build a Business Analyst Portfolio in Canada

Q1. Why is a Business Analyst portfolio important in Canada?

A Business Analyst portfolio helps you showcase your skills, certifications, and real-world project experience to Canadian employers. It gives hiring managers tangible proof of your ability to bridge business needs with effective solutions.

Q2. What should I include in my Business Analyst portfolio?

When learning how to build a Business Analyst portfolio, include case studies, project overviews, process models, requirements documents, and tools you’ve mastered like MS Visio, Power BI, or Jira. Adding measurable outcomes, such as process improvements or automation results, makes your portfolio stand out.

Q3. Do certifications help when building a BA portfolio in Canada?

Yes, certifications such as ECBA, CBAP, or Agile Project Management add credibility. For Canadian job seekers, highlighting these in your portfolio demonstrates commitment to the profession and aligns with employer expectations.

Q4. Can I include international experience in my BA portfolio for Canada?

Absolutely. Canadian employers value global experience, especially if you’ve worked across diverse industries and regions. While focusing on how to build a Business Analyst portfolio in Canada, don’t hesitate to showcase projects you’ve delivered internationally, along with their outcomes. You can also check out our detailed guide on creating a Business Analyst Resume for USA and Canada to align your portfolio with market expectations.

Q5. How can I highlight tools and techniques in my portfolio?

Document your expertise with collaboration tools (MS Teams, Jira, Asana), data analysis platforms (Excel, SQL, Power BI, Tableau), and BA techniques (use cases, process modelling, stakeholder mapping). Showing tool proficiency is a key part of how to build a Business Analyst portfolio that resonates with Canadian employers.

Q6. Should I add case studies and outcomes to my portfolio?

Yes, case studies are powerful. For example, you can describe how you led an Apprenticeship Management Information System project, automated processes by 30%, and reduced turnaround time by 75%. Such stories illustrate how to build a Business Analyst portfolio with results-driven examples.

Q7. How do I tailor my BA portfolio for the Canadian job market?

Focus on sectors that dominate the Canadian economy, such as finance, government, and healthcare. Emphasize stakeholder collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and certifications from IIBA Canada. These localized elements strengthen your approach to how to build a Business Analyst portfolio in Canada

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