I find myself being asked this question a lot - What is a Business Analyst and what do they do? As a consultant when I start a new client engagement, there is always be a problem to solve and there will always be some level of analysis that needs to be done. I believe Business Aanlsyis is a core capability for a consultant so I ask myself why it so difficult to define?
Are we as BAs, focused only on systems or is it more about the business than the system?
Within the organisation I work for, we have recently set up a core capability team to look at Business Analsyis and develop some tools and templates for our collegaues. We found ourselves having to go back to basics and first define what we were talking about.
So here goes….. Business Analysis is a structured approach that focuses on understanding the customer’s needs and identifying how best to meet those needs through developing effective relationships with the business and technology groups. Business Analysts therefore are responsible for identifying the needs of clients and stakeholders to determine solutions to business problems. Responsibilities may include requirements development for systems but may also address process improvement or organisational change.
So yes, business systems analysis is about getting the system right the first time, but to understand what solution is required, you need to know what is the essence of the problem and issues that the business is hoping to solve through this a change in processes or through building a new system.
As a BA you need to ask questions including; What is the business? Its objectives and goals? How do the processes work? What are the requirement specifications for this particluar Business? What are the stakeholders needs? Who will be the users of this system? It is only after you have asked these and many other such questions, that you can start to articulate what is required to ensure we getting the right system for the business.
So I see a Business Analyst as a key facilitator within an organisation, acting as a bridge between the client, stakeholders and the solution development team. The role of a BA is becoming critical to projects as they are the “transltors” that help structure and define the requirements for the business, in a way that is understaood by the developers.
As a BA, I find my cleint area is glad to have someone to deal with that “techo” stuff and therefore the challenge is to ensure a level of common understanding and “getting the business system right” first time.
Thanks. Keep going…
As an analyst working primarily in the area of the web I find, a lot of the time, that the business process cuts against how the users want to work. This is often because The Corporate Way of doing things, Policy, etc, makes certain demands that actually impedes workers from doing things easily or effectively.
How, as a business analyst, do you reconcile these issues and what methodology can you rely upon to assess and deliver on the situation?
M
Looks like you’ve got a nice start to your blog, here, Maria. I certainly agree wtih your point about the BA as a facilitator and translator, but companies that truly understand the value of the BA find that it can be much more: from helping a business owner prioritize need, to helping build and proof a business case to helping a stakeholder define the problem through root cause analysis, there are many areas where a Business Analyst can add value.
Business Analysis is an exciting and satisfying profession in that it requires a mix of IT and systems knowledge with a solid business acumen and interpersonal skills.
It is really as much an art as a science.
I’ve recently begun a blog of my own on business analysis and systems development to post knowledge as I gather it, and to share some of what I’ve learned as a BA.
I’ll look forward to your future posts on the topic.
Thanks for useful information about business analysis. According to me business analyst must possess people skill as well apart from business skills. Because he has to maintain good relationship with clients as well as internal team.
Hi Maria
Good luck with the blog. I hope it helps you achive your goal, and heps other analysts.
I recently posted half a dozen links to various people’s answer to this question. You might be interested in some of them.
They are here.
Regards
Craig