Role of a Business Analyst

The role of a business analyst is absolutely vital on a project. This is because they are essentially the bridge between what the business wants, and what technology can deliver. As such they play a key role not only at the outset of the project when requirements are being gathered, but also throughout the ent ire project life cycle as the key point of contact on the detail behind the requirements documented.

As a result if you read through this site you will see the term business analyst used frequently. That is because, in my opinion at least, they are one of the most important resources on a project.

So just what is the role of a business analyst?

Well business analysts are responsible for a huge amount on a project. They usually write the Project Justification Document or Business Case.This is of crucial importance because in many Organisations whilst business sponsors will rarely allow themselves to be constrained by the scope detailed in this document, Finance will expect you to deliver it for whatever proposed project budget was detailed in the business case. And of course once the project management life cycle gets underway, BA's are responsible for determining all the project management requirements.

So as you will see the role of a business analyst is both important and far reaching. By capturing and detaling requirements, as well as interpreting them and then managing changes they are a vital part of of any successful project team.

Now speak to any seasoned project manager and they will tell you that all too often the entire requirements gathering phase is fraught with difficulty and confusion. Much of this I hasten to add, stems directly from the way in which requirements are captured and documented at the Organisation you work for.

If it consists of having numerous requirements workshops which over 15 people attend and then a number of informal and formal reviews, then worry. If the requirements and use cases themselves are individually between 20-200 pages long, then start panicking, for the simple reason that the scenario detailed in business requirements management is extremely likely to happen.

Role of a Business Analyst - Tip

The role of a business analyst on a project is an absolutely vital one. Therefore if you get a choice of which business analysts you get on the project choose wisely and ensure the BA Team Lead (if you project is a large one) is both experienced, flexible, good at their work and someone you can work with effectively.

Essentially you need someone with all the important business analyst skills in abundance. That way not only will they reduce your workload, but also give your project a higher probability of successfully delivering what your project sponsors want.