How Do Admins Use Business Analysis Skills Effectively?

Today on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Denise Carbone, Director of Delivery at ImagineCRM.


Join us as we chat about her journey from business analyst to external consultant admin and why AI makes BA skills even more valuable.


You should subscribe (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/b...) for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Denise Carbone.
Why business analyst skills are so important for AI

Denise was working as a business analyst when she was first handed the keys to a Salesforce org. She remembers getting a plaque in the mail for being one of the first 500 people to become Salesforce certified.


Obviously we've come a long way since then, but the skills needed to understand a business problem and map out the requirements for a solution haven't changed. As Denise explains, you have to be "process first, technology second." I sat down with her for this episode to find out how these BA skills are even more important with Agentforce.
The power of asking why

In order to really do your job well, an admin needs to be more than just an order taker. But if you're spending your time running through a list of requests without having conversations with users and really understanding the business process, well, that's a tough row to hoe.


Instead, you need to ask why. That's where your business analyst skills come into play. You need to have a full understanding of how things currently work, where they could be improved, and who cares about it the most.
Admins in the age of AI

Another key business analyst skill is change management. You may have built the coolest solution in the world, but how do you get folks to actually use it?


As Denise explains, if you want your solution to be adopted, you need to make it adaptive. As you're building, you need to keep going back to your users for input. If they feel like their feedback is a part of the process, they'll have ownership over the results.


While Agentforce has greatly expanded what the platform can do, it's still just technology you're using to help solve a business problem. As long as you understand the why behind a request, you can build solutions that transform your organization.


Be sure to listen to the full episode for more from Denise on business analyst best practices and the importance of establishing AI governance policies. And don't forget to subscribe to the Salesforce Admins Podcast to catch us every Thursday.


Podcast swag


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Salesforce Admins on the Trailhead Store (https://trailheadstoreamer.com/catego...)

Learn more

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Salesforce Admins Blog: Why Every Admin Should Adopt a Consulting Mindset (https://admin.salesforce.com/blog/202...)



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Admin Trailblazers Community Group (https://sforce.co/4977GHH)



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Mike on Bluesky social (https://bsky.app/profile/mikegerholdt...)


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Full show transcript


Mike: This week on the Salesforce Admins podcast, I'm joined by Denise Carbone, longtime admin, Salesforce MVP, and all-around champion of business analysis. We unpack her journey from BA to external admin through the power of asking why, and why AI makes those foundational skills more valuable than ever. So, whether you're like me and you've just figured out dependent picklists, or you're leading delivery teams, I promise Denise's insight on governance, process and career growth is a must-listen. So with that, let's get Denise on the podcast. So Denise, welcome to the podcast.


Denise Carbone: Awesome. Thanks, Mike. I'm really happy to be here.


Mike: I know, I've been to a whole bunch of Chicago user groups, I can't believe I haven't had you on the podcast. So, I've tipped the scale a little bit in your favor, but tell us how you got into the ecosystem and what you do in Chicago.


Denise Carbone: Yeah. No, thank you. Thank you. Yes, longtime listener of the podcast so happy to be here. So, I actually started in the ecosystem in 2004. I was a BA turned external admin. I was working for a technology company in Chicago, and I was bestowed the ownership of our Salesforce platform. I was a BA operations kind of girl. I've done work in CRM systems like Goldmine and Act!, so really old system. So, when Salesf...