Business Analyst: Job Title or Role?

Who Does Business Analysis?

I have been teaching and doing business analysis for more years than business analysis exists as a job title. The participants’ job titles in my training courses have changed in that time. In the ‘80s, the majority of participants were “System Analysts” and “Developers” with an occasional “Business System Analyst”. In the ‘90s, the titles “Business Analyst”, and “Technical Analyst” became more prevalent. In recent years, I have heard more “Business Analyst” but also “Application Analyst” and “something-something Manager” entered the picture. There have always been a few “QA Specialists”, “Software Testers”, and a smattering of plain business experts (aka SME) in this, that or the other discipline thrown in. Lately, I have started to see “Product Owners” and “Scrum Masters” show up as well.

Who Needs Business Analysis Training?

While contemplating this evolution, I started to wonder, “Who really does business analysis in today’s world?” Now, I have a strong feeling based on my experience that the answer to this question is, “Pretty much everyone, depending on how you define ‘Business Analysis’!”. The correct answer could significantly change how we approach training and mentoring, in particular who needs to know what. For example, what specific techniques would deliver the biggest bang for the buck in improving your business analysis outcomes?

What Is Your Experience?

We would be very interested what your experiences are. To contribute, simply comment on this post and explain which roles or job titles in your organization are responsible for the business analysis activities described in the following table. It will help us (and any other training organization that reads our blog) provide the best training for your group (which will obviously benefit your organization).

The column “In My Experience” shows job titles I have encountered in my classes as a trigger. Remember, these answers are not to bias your response but to initiate the discussion; they are simply my experience.

We appreciate your valuable time and can only promise in return that the next training experience for your organization (whether you get it from a competitor or from us) will be that much more effective by presenting the right topics to the right people.