Demystifying Analytical Thinking: How to "Divide and Conquer" Any Complex Problem

As a Business Analyst, you've probably felt overwhelmed by a vague request from your boss, a complex business process with dozens of steps, or a tangled tech system. That feeling of facing a "messy knot" and not knowing where to start is truly unpleasant.

In this article, I'll introduce a skill, a way of thinking that you can apply to handle such problems. It's "Analytical Thinking" - not an innate talent, but a skill that can be trained. You can think of it as a compass that helps you find your way, a toolkit to "untangle" any issue.

Part 1: Analytical Thinking - The Art of Asking Questions

Many people think analysis is about "breaking down problems." That's true, but it's not the whole story. The root of all analysis, from ancient philosophy to modern science, comes from a single action: ASKING QUESTIONS.

"Breaking it down" is just the result of continuously asking questions. You can't break down a bicycle without first asking, "What parts make up this bike?".

• Applying this to a BA's work: When a client requests to "Build a promotion management feature," a good BA will start their series of questions:

  1. Why?: Why do we need this feature? What business problem does it solve? Is the goal to increase sales or retain customers? (This is the most important question).

  2. Who?: Who will use this feature? (Marketing staff, managers, or end customers?). What are their personas?

  3. What?: What is the main subject we are analyzing? In this case, it's "Promotions." We need to define clearly: What information and attributes does a "Promotion" include? (e.g., Name, description, effective period, promotion type, value...).

  4. When?: When does this promotion management process happen? (Before a marketing campaign, or daily?).

  5. Where?: Where will this feature be located in the system?

  6. How?: How will the detailed process of managing that "Promotion" object work? (e.g., The steps to create, edit, delete, and approve a promotion...).

Only after answering this series of questions can you truly "break down" the problem and DEEPLY UNDERSTAND its nature. The "5 Whys" technique is a classic example of asking questions to analyze.

Part 2: Using Conceptual & Visual Thinking

A good BA needs to combine both seamlessly. Imagine it as the role of an Architect and their detailed Blueprints. But how do you develop them?

• Conceptual Thinking - This is the ability to see the "big picture." To do this, practice the following:

  • Always ask "So what?": After understanding a requirement, ask yourself, "So what?". "The client wants a red button. So what? It helps increase the conversion rate. So what? Increasing conversions helps meet this quarter's revenue target." This helps you connect a small request to a large business goal.

  • Practice "Zooming out": Don't just look at one feature. Open the overall system diagram and see how the feature you're working on will "talk" to other modules. Does it affect the inventory system, user system, or reporting system?

  • Read and learn from other industries: Read about how other industries (like logistics or manufacturing) optimize their processes. Sometimes the best ideas come from unrelated fields.

    
    

• Visual Thinking - This is the ability to turn complex ideas into simple, understandable images.

  • Start with pen and paper: Don't rush to use a tool. When you hear about a process, quickly sketch out boxes and arrows on paper. This helps you think faster.

  • Learn the "language" of diagrams: Master the basic symbols of common diagrams like BPMN (for processes) and UML (Activity Diagram, Use Case Diagram). It's like learning vocabulary; the more symbols you know, the more complex ideas you can express.

  • Use mind maps: When brainstorming or gathering ideas, use a mind map to organize them. This is a great way to visualize the relationships between ideas.

    
    

Conceptual thinking helps you stay on the right track, while visual thinking helps you lead the whole team down the same path with you.

Part 3: Leveling Up Your Solutions: From Creative to Innovative

After understanding the problem, it's time for the BA to create value. How do you come up with great solutions?

• How to be Creative - Finding a BETTER way? Creativity in a BA's context isn't about being an artist; it's about combination and optimization:

  • "Steal": See how top apps (Amazon, Grab, Facebook...) solve similar problems. Analyze their pros and cons and apply them to your own problem. There are many ways to solve an issue, so why are these apps successful? Apps with many users also implicitly “educate” user behavior, so we can definitely “learn” from their approaches.

  • Challenge assumptions: Always ask, "Why do we have to do it this way?". "Are 5 approval steps really necessary, or are 2 enough?".

  • Example: On an e-commerce site, after a customer successfully makes a purchase, the system only shows a plain "Thank You" page.

  • Creative solution:

    • Instead of just saying thanks, why not make use of this page? Suggest displaying a "Frequently Bought Together" section based on the item the customer just bought.

    • This isn't a new invention, but it's a smarter way to increase cross-selling opportunities and improve the user experience.

      
      

• How to be Innovative - Finding a COMPLETELY NEW way? Innovation requires you to change your perspective on the problem itself.

  • Think from First Principles: Break a problem down to its most basic, undeniable truths, and then build a solution from there.

  • Example:

    • Instead of asking, "How can we make the Thank You page better?", ask the root question: "Why do customers have to go through so many steps (Add to Cart -> View Cart -> Checkout) to buy a product?".

    • The fundamental truth is: "The customer's goal is to get the product as quickly as possible, and the business's goal is to sell it." Steps like "cart" or "separate checkout" are just conventions.

  • Innovative solution:

    • Propose a "1-Click Buy" feature directly on the product page.

    • This feature would use the customer's saved shipping and payment information to complete the order instantly, completely bypassing the traditional cart and checkout steps. This is a completely new way of doing things that fundamentally changes the shopping experience.

A good BA needs to know when to be "creative" to improve and when to be "innovative" to change the game.

Conclusion

Analytical thinking isn't a gift you're born with; it's the result of continuous practice through constantly asking questions.

Start today by picking an app you use often and try asking a series of 5 "Why?" questions about one of its features. The more you practice, the sharper your thinking will become!