At Plangrid, a Business Analyst plays a pivotal role in bridging the gap between complex product data and strategic business decisions. Plangrid, as part of the Autodesk Construction Cloud, is a pioneer in construction productivity software, helping millions of users collaborate on blueprints, documents, and workflows in real-time. In this role, you are responsible for analyzing how construction professionals interact with mobile and web platforms, optimizing subscription lifecycles, and streamlining internal operations.

The impact of a Business Analyst at Plangrid is massive. You do not just run queries; you shape the product roadmap and drive growth. By analyzing user behavior, feature adoption, and operational metrics, you provide the actionable insights that product managers, engineering leads, and business stakeholders rely on to make critical decisions. Your work directly influences user retention, monetization strategies, and the overall efficiency of software delivery.

What makes this position highly engaging is the sheer scale and complexity of the data you will work with. You will be dealing with massive datasets that reflect real-world physical projects, requiring a deep understanding of both technical data pipelines and business strategy. If you enjoy translating raw, ambiguous data into clean data models and compelling business narratives, this role offers a highly rewarding and influential career path.

The following questions represent common patterns identified from real candidate experiences at Plangrid and Autodesk. They are designed to help you understand the core competencies evaluated during the interview process, rather than serving as a list for rote memorization.

SQL and Data Modeling

These questions test your database design skills and your ability to manipulate complex datasets under tight time constraints.

• Given a schema of user logins and project uploads, write a SQL query to find the monthly active users who uploaded more than five sheets.
• How would you design a data model to track user subscription transitions from a free trial to a paid tier?

Preparing for the Business Analyst interview loop requires a balanced approach that pairs technical execution with clear, stakeholder-facing communication. You must demonstrate that you can not only write efficient code but also translate your technical findings into strategic business value.

Role-Related Knowledge – You must demonstrate strong SQL skills, data modeling proficiency, and a solid understanding of SaaS business metrics. Interviewers will test your ability to build clean data pipelines, design schemas, and write optimized queries during live exercises.

Problem-Solving Ability – You will be evaluated on how you structure ambiguous problems. It is not just about getting the "right" answer, but showing a logical, structured approach to data analysis, metric selection, and business strategy during case reviews.

Collaboration & Communication – Business analysts at Plangrid do not work in a vacuum. You must show that you can translate complex technical findings into clear, actionable recommendations for non-technical partners, including product managers and business leaders.

Culture Fit & Values – Aligning with the broader Autodesk ecosystem means showing empathy, a collaborative spirit, and a commitment to customer success. Be prepared to discuss how you navigate team dynamics and align with the "One Autodesk" culture of cross-functional unity.

The interview process for a Business Analyst at Plangrid is thorough and highly structured, typically spanning 3 to 5 rounds. It begins with a standard recruiter screen to align on your experience, career goals, and salary expectations. This is followed by a conversation with the hiring manager to assess your high-level technical background and business acumen.

The technical evaluation phase is rigorous and practical. You will typically be asked to complete a data modeling assessment or a take-home case study, which you will later review in detail with the hiring manager. This is followed by a live technical round focusing on SQL query-writing and database logic, alongside panel interviews with peer analysts, product managers, and project managers to evaluate your collaborative skills.

The final rounds focus on leadership, stakeholder management, and cultural fit. You will meet with senior directors or VPs to discuss how you prioritize business requirements, manage conflicting stakeholder demands, and drive strategic initiatives. While the process is demanding, candidates appreciate the transparency and structured scheduling tools used by the recruiting team.

This visual timeline outlines the typical progression from your initial conversation to the final decision. Use this roadmap to pace your preparation, ensuring you allocate enough time for both the take-home assessment and live technical practice. Note that exact stages may vary slightly based on the specific team and geographic location of the role.

SQL & Live Coding

You will face a live technical assessment designed to test your query-writing speed, accuracy, and logical structuring. This round typically consists of multiple SQL questions to be completed within a tight window, such as 45 minutes.

Be ready to go over:

• Aggregations and Joins – Mastery of complex JOIN operations, GROUP BY clauses, and filtering techniques.
• Window Functions – Using functions like ROW_NUMBER(), RANK(), and LEAD/LAG to analyze sequential user actions.
• Subqueries and CTEs – Structuring readable queries using Common Table Expressions to solve multi-step problems.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Query optimization, indexing strategies, and handling nested JSON data structures in SQL.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Write a query to identify the top 3 most active projects for each organization based on daily sheet uploads."
• "Find the running total of active subscriptions over a twelve-month period."

Take-Home Case Study & Data Modeling

This stage evaluates your ability to handle real-world datasets and translate raw numbers into business strategies. You will typically be given a 24-to-48-hour window to complete a data modeling or business analysis exercise.

Be ready to go over:

• Data Schema Design – Designing clean, scalable relational schemas to support business reporting.
• Assumption Validation – Documenting and justifying the assumptions you make when cleaning or interpreting incomplete data.
• Executive Presentation – Presenting your findings to the hiring manager in a concise, business-friendly format.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Predictive modeling, cohort analysis, and designing automated data validation checks.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Review this customer usage dataset and present a recommendation on which features drive the highest user retention."
• "Design a star schema to support a new dashboard tracking construction project management metrics."

Cross-Functional Collaboration & One Autodesk

This round evaluates how you navigate organizational dynamics and drive alignment across different teams, such as engineering, product, and customer success.

Be ready to go over:

• Stakeholder Management – Managing competing priorities from product managers, developers, and business leaders.
• Translating Tech to Business – Explaining complex data models to non-technical partners to drive strategic action.
• Conflict Resolution – Handling disagreements regarding data definitions or prioritization of analytical resources.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Influencing roadmaps without direct authority and managing global stakeholder groups across multiple time zones.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "How would you handle a product manager who insists on launching a feature despite data indicating low user demand?"
• "Describe a time when you successfully aligned multiple teams on a single source of truth for a key business metric."