Institute of Product Leadership

Lessons I Learned While Shifting from Business Analysis to Product Thinking

Niyati M Bhatt –Senior Product Manager at Blenheim Chalcot India

When I first started my career, I wasn’t thinking about product management. I was an engineer by qualification, but I found myself naturally gravitating toward roles that involved a mix of data, human behaviour, and problem-solving. After a stint in social impact work – where I was creating reports and tracking real-world outcomes – I moved into a more corporate role that was centred around data analysis, partner operations, and performance dashboards.

At the time, I didn’t have a formal product title. But I was already doing a lot of the work that now feels foundational to product thinking. I just didn’t realise it yet.

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    When You’re Doing More Than Just Analysis?

    In many analytical or operations-focused roles, it’s easy to get boxed into execution. You deliver reports, track KPIs, answer stakeholder queries, and optimise processes. But sometimes, those roles start to expand quietly. You begin noticing customer friction points. You propose new feature ideas. You find yourself working closely with engineering or design to get something fixed or improved.

    That was exactly what happened in my case.

    I was leading efforts to evaluate competitor tools. I was writing documentation that engineers later used to build features. I was attending calls with customers and trying to decode why they were unhappy or churning. These weren’t assigned tasks – they just started happening because someone needed to do them.

    Eventually, I realised I was moving beyond support into influence – and then into ownership. That’s when it became clear that I needed to prepare for the next step.

    product management certification program

    Recognizing What I Didn’t Know

    Even though I was contributing meaningfully to product discussions, I often felt like I lacked structure. I didn’t know how to articulate the “why” behind decisions. I couldn’t confidently build a roadmap, defend trade-offs, or tie product metrics to business impact.

    There were moments in cross-functional meetings where I would freeze – not because I didn’t understand the problem, but because I wasn’t sure how to speak the language of product leaders. I realized I needed help connecting the dots between what I was doing intuitively and what seasoned product professionals do with clarity and intent.

    Why I Chose a Structured Product Education?

    That’s when I discovered the Executive MBA in Product Leadership. I wasn’t looking for a traditional MBA – I was looking for a way to build product-specific leadership skills while continuing in my full-time role. What stood out was that the program focused not just on frameworks but on real-world application.

    Here’s what it helped me with:

    • Understanding how to identify the right problems to solve-not just features to build

    • Learning how to prioritize in messy, real-life scenarios

    • Collaborating with peers from design, engineering, and marketing backgrounds

    • Practicing user research, storytelling, and stakeholder alignment

    • Developing the confidence to speak up in strategy conversations

    For the first time, I wasn’t just observing product decisions. I was contributing to them meaningfully.

    How My Role Changed on the Ground?

    With this foundation, things started shifting at work. I was no longer just the person who delivered insights or tracked timelines. I started leading discovery conversations, drafting product narratives, and owning the outcome of certain feature rollouts.

    Some examples:

    • I led a release to improve onboarding based on user friction patterns I’d identified earlier in my analyst role.

    • I proposed a change in internal dashboards that not only improved visibility but also led to faster GTM feedback loops.

    • I handled cross-functional alignment for a new feature from hypothesis to deployment.

    None of this happened overnight. It took months of trial, error, shadowing product managers, and being proactive. But the transition was real and visible.

    The Skills That Mattered Most in This Journey

    Looking back, some skills made a bigger difference than others. If you’re in an analysis role and looking to step into more product-driven responsibilities, here’s what helped me the most:

    • Empathy for the user – Not just understanding what users say, but what they actually mean

    • Cross-functional collaboration – Knowing how to translate between engineering, business, and design

    • Prioritization and trade-offs – Learning how to say no with clarity

    • Data storytelling – Not just pulling numbers, but building narratives with them

    • Comfort with ambiguity – Many product decisions don’t have clean answers, and that’s okay

    These aren’t just product skills – they’re leadership skills. And they take time to develop.

    If You’re in a Similar Place Right Now

    You don’t need to have a product title to start acting like a product leader. If your current role touches users, data, process, or tech – you already have a foundation to build on. Start by expanding your scope:

    • Take ownership of a small user problem

    • Collaborate across functions, not just within your silo

    • Learn to ask “why” before jumping into “how”

    • Volunteer to lead discovery calls or document decisions

    And if you feel like you need guidance, whether it’s frameworks, peer support, or mentorship, consider exploring structured programs that specialize in product thinking. For me, the Executive MBA in Product Leadership filled in the gaps and gave me a vocabulary, confidence, and network that accelerated my shift.

    This journey wasn’t about chasing a job title. It was about evolving how I think, work, and contribute. I moved from tracking impact to owning it. From documenting problems to solving them. From reacting to leading.

    And that’s what product thinking really is; it’s not about where you start, but how far you’re willing to grow.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Transitioning from a non-technical role to product management requires self-assessment, networking, and upskilling. Start by identifying transferable skills like leadership, communication, and strategic thinking. Enroll in a product management certification course to gain formal knowledge and work on pet projects to build practical experience. Networking with product managers and shadowing them in your organization can also help.

    While not strictly necessary, a product management certification can provide valuable training, practical skills, and credibility when transitioning to product management. It can also give you a structured approach to learning the core elements of product management, which can help you stand out in the job market—especially when making the switch from business analyst to product manager.

    To move from business analyst to product manager, you need a mix of soft and technical skills. Key skills include problem-solving, strategic thinking, leadership, stakeholder management, and familiarity with product development processes. A good grasp of data analytics, user research, and the ability to work with cross-functional teams is also essential.

    The time it takes to transition can vary based on your experience and effort. On average, it can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. This depends on factors such as the availability of learning opportunities, gaining hands-on experience, and completing a product management course, which can accelerate your shift from business analyst to product manager..

    Common challenges include building technical knowledge, gaining stakeholder trust, and adjusting to the leadership responsibilities that come with product management. Many business analysts also find it challenging to balance their current roles while learning new skills for product management. Overcoming these hurdles requires persistence, continuous learning, and practical experience to ensure a successful transition from business analyst to product manager.

    About the Author

    Niyati M Bhatt –Senior Product Manager at Blenheim Chalcot India

    Institute of Product Leadership is Asia’s First Business School providing accredited degree programs and certification courses exclusively in Product Management, Strategy, and Leadership.
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