Defined as temporary endeavours undertaken to create a unique product, service or result, projects are all about executing change. The role of a business analyst is to ensure that change is conducted in the most effective manner to solve potential problems, maximise opportunities and optimise benefits. Here Senior Consultant, Facilitator and Business Analysis Practice Lead Stephen Howard shares how a business analyst can enhance your project.

Mention the term ‘business analyst’ (BA) and you should expect a diverse reaction:

• “Isn’t that the role of a project manager?”
• “Aren’t they the technical ones?”
• “Don’t they just ask questions to understand our requirements?”
• “I thought you only needed BAs for IT projects.”
• “Our projects aren’t big enough for a BA.”
• “BAs are only needed for large organisations.”
• “Can’t the project manager just work out the requirements?”
• “Do you mean systems analyst or business architect or enterprise analyst or product owner… or project manager?”

It’s clear that, in many cases, project and programme managers do not understand the role of a BA. So, what is modern business analysis? And what is the value-add of a business analyst to your project and organisation?

The change enabler

According to the International Institute of Business Analysis, business analysis is “the practice of enabling change in an organisational context, by defining needs and recommending solutions that deliver value to stakeholders”.

In both traditional and agile environments, this makes the business analyst a vital change enabler in any organisation: private, public or not-for-profit. Unless real needs are defined, understood and even challenged in this process with solutions articulated accordingly, how can we be truly successful in our initiatives?

Organisations commonly assume that if a project manager is competent, they will inherently be good at defining needs and recommending solutions (i.e., being a business analyst). But if you overlook the need for a discrete business analyst, are you really setting up your projects for success?

Instead, we should recognise that the PM and the BA have different roles, though with an alignment of underlying competencies, that are united in achieving the same project objectives.

Top 5 strengths of the modern BA

1. Determines real business needs. Information, requirements, requests, documentation, process flows, wants and so-called needs are there for the taking in every organisation; it is not just the BA who can collect or access this information. The value-add of the BA is to listen, understand, evaluate and identify the gaps – what’s missing, what isn’t being said – which could be the difference in determining the real needs.
2. Is an analyst in the true sense. A financial analyst researches, studies, evaluates, analyses, interprets, facilitates understanding and makes strategic recommendations. The true BA operates in this manner, focusing on analysis not just data collection.
3. Understands the art, science, and skill of facilitation. Facilitation is generally considered to be a process in which a neutral person helps a group work together more effectively. A BA needs to provide facilitation techniques for exploring issues with stakeholders. An effective BA is:

• Informed – knows how to run workshops as an independent facilitator
• Intelligent and respected by those present
• Impartial, objective and non-judgemental.

4. Is solution focused. Think again about the meaning of analyst – it is about recommending appropriate solutions to business needs. The trusted BA articulates business solutions, highlighting impacts and dependencies on other initiatives and business as usual, recognising trade-offs between practical usability and performance needs.
5. Is an advisor as well as an analyst. The true BA not only understands the intricacies of complex business systems, approaches and needs, but is the one the business can turn to for advice; the experienced BA understands the business context and anticipates the future. True BAs are skilled in looking at the business from a strategic perspective, articulating possibilities for growth and recommending the path forward through facilitating project requirements that are imperative for success.

Essential skills for the future

Christopher Lindquist, editor of CIO magazine, summed up the importance of the BA thus: “Requirements, as every CIO knows, are a problem, but CIOs may not be aware of just how catastrophic the problem has become. Analysts report that as many as 71 per cent of software projects that fail do so because of poor requirements management, making it the single biggest reason for project failure – bigger than bad technology, missed deadlines or change management fiascos.”

The true business analyst, for now and into the future, understands the rate of change the world is experiencing, exacerbated by the pandemic and the need to pivot with speed in order to keep competitive and respond to market demands. In the broadening and deepening world of various agile methods and concepts, skills and experience in business analysis is what is required as the rate of change increases.

A BA’s value in this dynamic environment – through facilitating delivery of the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason – has tangible outcomes that are proven to reduce operational costs and increase return on investment. It’s a highly sought-after role, using diverse skills that are highly transferable across projects. Used well, a business analyst may well be the most valuable change enabler in any project.

Looking to broaden your understanding of the business analysis end-to-end process? Try our Business Analysis Fundamentals course or, for more information, contact our experts or call 1300 70 13 14 today.

This article is based on a blog post from Jan 2020. It was updated on 8th March 2023.