What is a Business Analyst?

A business analyst is any person who performs business analysis activities, no matter what their job title or organizational role may be. Business analysis practitioners include not only people with the job title of business analyst, but may also include business systems analysts, systems analysts, requirements engineers, process analysts, product managers, product owners, enterprise analysts, business architects, management consultants, or any other person who performs the tasks described in the BABOK® Guide, including those who also perform related disciplines such as project management, software development, quality assurance, and interaction design (BABOK Guide).
 

Business Analyst responsibilities:

  • Analyze and synthesize information obtained from a large number of people
  • Elicit the actual needs of stakeholders
  • Facilitate communication between organizational units
  • Play a central role in aligning the needs of business units with the IT capabilities
  • Serve as a “translator” between business and IT