BA

The purpose of this is to describe the breadth of the business analysis professional
role and to offer concrete strategies for working effectively in this arena. This role is
frequently misunderstood. The individuals who perform business analysis work have
varying titles: systems engineer, product manager, requirements engineer, business
systems analyst, project manager, developer, system architect. the
title business analyst will be used to represent the business analysis professional. It is
critical for business analysts to understand the larger context within which they work: the
enterprise, the project, and the technical environment. A business analyst is expected to
completely understand the business domain which he or she represents, understand how
this business area fits into the enterprise as a whole, and understand how current and
future technology can support the work of the business, along with helping to develop
ideas for improvement of the business processes. This is a tall order. When new business
analysts begin to understand the expectations of the role, they are often overwhelmed.
This is not a profession where one becomes an expert overnight. Knowledge and skills
can be continually updated and improved, making the analyst more effective and valuable
to an organization.

Many organizations have put individuals into business analysis roles who do not have the
aptitude and/or passion to be successful in the business analysis profession. This
sometimes occurs due to a lack of understanding of the skills and the role. If requirements
are thought of as simply “documentation” and the business analyst as a “documenter” or
“requirements specifier” (IBM’s Rational Unified Process®), the organization will
continue to have problems with projects even after implementing a formal business
analysis position. Be careful with titles vs. roles. Titles are important. Business analysis
professionals should not have titles like “procedure writer” or “documentation specialist.”
Titles should reflect the scope of the job. The title business analyst is very popular in the
profession because it uses two words that accurately describe the work: business (focus
on understanding and advocating for business stakeholders) and analysis (critical
thinking skills).

• Is it being an expert on workflow diagrams?
• Is it having a strong technical programming background so as to be able to design
software that will meet business needs?
• Is it being a strong facilitator, in order to lead requirements elicitation sessions
with large groups of people?

Yes and no. A successful BA is all of these things and something more. There is
something special and rare about the people who can combine technical knowledge,
business acumen, analytical skills, and the communication skills necessary to be
successful in this role. Excellent BAs bring value to their organizations by understanding
true business opportunities, making realistic recommendations, and facilitating the
successful implementation of these solutions.