A Salesforce Developer’s Guide to Thinking Like a Business Analyst
As Salesforce developers, we're trained to think in terms of objects, fields, Apex classes, flows, and SOQL queries. We focus on solutions—how to build them efficiently and within platform limits.
But here's the thing: the best solutions start with the right problem. And to truly understand the problem, you need to think like a business analyst (BA).
In this blog, we’ll explore how Salesforce developers can adopt a business analyst’s mindset to build not just technically sound solutions—but the right ones. Whether you're working in a small team without a dedicated BA or collaborating with one, these skills will elevate your impact and make you a more strategic contributor.
Why Developers Should Think Like BAs
Salesforce is more than just a CRM—it’s a flexible, business-critical platform that shapes how companies sell, serve, and grow. Every field you add, every flow you build, every integration you configure has real-world implications for people, processes, and performance.
Thinking like a BA means you stop treating requirements as isolated tasks and start treating them as pieces of a bigger puzzle. It’s about asking better questions, seeing beyond the ticket, understanding the “why” before jumping to the “how”, and designing with the user in mind. You’re not stepping out of your developer role—you’re simply expanding your perspective to ensure your work makes a meaningful business impact.
Thinking like a BA doesn’t mean replacing one—it means complementing them. If you do have a Business Analyst on your team, your goal isn’t to take over their role, but to collaborate more effectively. Clarifying assumptions, asking thoughtful questions, and understanding the bigger picture helps you build better solutions—and makes the BA’s job easier too.
1. Ask Business-Oriented Questions
Often, developers receive a feature request and immediately start thinking about implementation. But before you dive into the "how", pause and ask, "Why does this need to exist?"
Business analysis starts with understanding context.
• "What problem are we solving?"
• "Who is the end user for this feature?"
• "How will success be measured?"
If this information isn’t clearly provided, don’t assume they’ve been considered. And don’t treat it as optional—treat it as missing requirements. Shift your mindset from “I build what I’m asked for” to “I build what solves the real problem”.
For example, if a stakeholder asks for a new automation to assign leads, your instinct might be to jump into the task. But by asking questions like "What outcome are you trying to achieve?" or "What’s broken in the current lead assignment process?" you may discover that it’s not about speed as initially thought - it’s about routing leads to the right reps based on historical conversion data. A quick conversation or follow-up comment can uncover insights that could change how you approach the build.
Thinking like a BA helps you avoid building features that are technically correct but strategically off-target.
2. Understand the Business Process (Not Just the Data Model)
Salesforce is often customized to mirror a company’s operations—so if you don’t understand how the business works, your solutions will lack context. Business analysts typically map out end-to-end processes, uncover dependencies, and identify inefficiencies. As a developer, learning these workflows helps you anticipate where things can go wrong and help design smarter solutions.
Tips: Ask for process diagrams or help create one. It’s easier to create a Flow when you understand the real-world flow behind it. Ask stakeholders to walk you through their current workflow—or better yet, observe them using the system. It’s one of the fastest ways to uncover hidden rules and undocumented logic.
3. Read and Review User Stories Better
User stories are more than just checkboxes—they’re a bridge between business needs and technical execution. A BA crafts user stories by understanding who the user is, what they need, and why it matters. As a developer, internalizing that structure makes your code more purposeful.
When reviewing user stories, don’t be afraid to ask for clarity or suggest refinements. Spotting missing acceptance criteria or edge cases early saves hours of rework later.
4. Collaborate With Stakeholders
One of a BA’s superpowers is stakeholder management and communication. They know how to listen without bias, ask clarifying questions, and translate business needs into technical language—and vice versa. Developers can adopt a lighter version of this skillset to deepen their impact, by learning to:
• Listen actively during requirement gathering sessions.
• Reframe technical constraints in business language.
• Ask clarifying questions instead of assuming.
Example:
If a stakeholder says, "We need a report on customer satisfaction", dig deeper:
• "How is satisfaction currently measured?"
• "What do you want to do with that data?"
Stakeholders aren’t always clear or complete in their requests. A developer who thinks like a BA helps uncover the real need, not just the visible one.
Keep in mind: you’re not trying to be the BA if a dedicated one exists—you’re supporting the process by filling in small gaps or confirming understanding when needed. Think of it as enhancing collaboration, not duplicating effort.
5. Think About Testing and Adoption
Building features is only half the job—making sure they work as intended and are adopted by users is the other half. BAs support User Acceptance Testing (UAT), but developers can bring value here too by thinking about usability, edge cases, and real-world scenarios.
Before finishing a feature, ask yourself: "How will someone use this for the first time? What could confuse them? What happens if they enter bad data?" Writing logic that’s easy to test, building in error handling, and proactively offering test cases makes life easier for both QA and end users.
And when it comes to adoption, remember: the best feature in the world is useless if no one uses it. Thinking like a BA means considering training, onboarding, and feedback loops—even if you're not the one writing the documentation.
Final Thoughts
You don’t have to become a full-time Business Analyst to think like one. As a Salesforce Developer, adopting a BA mindset sharpens your problem-solving skills, improves your stakeholder communication, and ultimately makes your solutions more aligned with business needs.
Next time you get a requirement, don’t just ask how to build it. Ask:
"Is this solving the right problem, in the right way, for the right user?"
That’s the moment you start thinking like a Business Analyst.