The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Operations Analyst / Coordinator
2-3 yearsSkills to master
- Understanding day-to-day operational workflows, data entry and basic reporting, identifying process pain points from direct experience, basic problem-solving.
You're ready to move on when
- You're the person who always asks 'why do we do it this way?'
- You've independently created a spreadsheet to make a manual process easier for your team.
- You're the go-to person for understanding how a specific operational task actually gets done.
- You've identified a recurring error and suggested a way to prevent it.
- 2
Junior Business Analyst
2-4 yearsSkills to master
- Requirements gathering, basic process mapping, stakeholder communication, understanding system functionalities, translating business needs into technical requirements.
You're ready to move on when
- You've worked on projects that involved improving a business system or process.
- You're comfortable interviewing users to understand their needs and challenges.
- You've created basic flowcharts or user stories.
- You can articulate how a system change impacts a business process.
- 3
Supply Chain / Logistics Coordinator
3-5 yearsSkills to master
- End-to-end supply chain visibility, inventory management, logistics optimisation, understanding of material flow and information flow, problem-solving under pressure.
You're ready to move on when
- You've managed complex logistics or inventory processes.
- You've identified bottlenecks in the supply chain and suggested improvements.
- You're comfortable with data analysis related to stock levels, lead times, or delivery performance.
- You understand the impact of process delays on customer satisfaction and cost.


