Who is a Business Analyst - The Many Names and Forms of BA

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Introduction

From business consultant to a product manager and systems analyst to functional specialist, there are numerous titles and roles for the business analysis professional. So what will happen when one says "Will the real business analysis professional please step forward?".

Over the last six to seven decades, Business Analysis professionals have become ubiquitous in many industries, sectors, verticals and domains. From around early 1980s through to the nineties some professionals referred to as Systems Analysts helped transition the business requirements to technical systems specifications. The pure breed of Business Analysts, if we may call them arrived on the scene as domain specialists and subject matter experts. These are experienced professionals with functional expertise in specific industries or verticals such as banking, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, defence etc. Since the evolution of agile development methods around 2004, some of the BA professionals transformed into change agents and product owners.

As the popular Shakespearean saying goes, "what's in a name, a rose by whatever name smells the same!", there are some common set of core functions that BAs do irrespective of their titles. Take a look at some of these below:

Change agent
Facilitator/enabler
Problem identifier
Team leader
Number cruncher

Scope

Business analysis professionals come in many names, forms, shapes and at different levels within organisations. These businesses too vary in sizes, sectors and nature of work.

Purpose

An understanding of the titles, roles, responsibilities and contributions of business analysis professionals helps with the organisational structure, and team set up for successful execution.