The Emerging Role of the Business Analyst
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The Emerging Role of the Business Analyst
Word Count: 1421
Summary:
This article explores the history and rising demand for Business Analysts, highlighting how organizations are increasingly training their current staff to fill these roles.Keywords:
business analyst, business analysis, business analyst training, requirements analysis, project management, product managerArticle:
The software industry, having only emerged since the late 1970s, remains relatively young compared to other sectors. As technology has advanced, the people maintaining these systems have become more specialized, acknowledging that no single person can master every aspect. This gave rise to the specialized role of the Business Analyst?"a crucial liaison between business needs and technology solutions. Though sometimes seen in non-IT capacities, the Business Analyst primarily acts as a bridge between business and IT, ensuring that software development aligns with business objectives like enhancing operations, boosting revenue, cutting costs, and elevating customer service.
History of the Business Analyst Role
In the 1980s, the software development life cycle became widely recognized. Individuals in this field often came from technical backgrounds within IT, skilled in programming and the software development process. They used methods like ANSI flowcharts, data flow diagrams, and prototypes. However, the primary criticism was the prolonged development time that sometimes failed to meet business needs, as business users started expecting more sophisticated solutions quickly.
This led to the emergence of CASE (Computer Aided Software Engineering) tools aimed at streamlining development from start to finish. These tools required a rigorous methodology and often alienated business stakeholders due to their complex symbols.
As IT teams adapted to CASE tools, personal computers (PCs) became widespread, turning anyone into a possible programmer, designer, and user. IT departments, previously focused on a central mainframe, faced the challenge of managing countless independent desktops. With the advent of client-server technologies, the software development landscape radically shifted. Traditional methodologies were revised to accommodate new distributed systems, and the growing sophistication of users led to a surge in software requests.
Business units, frustrated by slow, cumbersome IT processes, began seeking their own solutions. They hired consultants, often called Business Analysts, to address their automation needs, bypassing IT. This created problems for IT, which had to support software outside its purview, leading to inconsistent and often unprotected data across small databases. Consequently, the internal Business Analyst role dwindled, resulting in systems that failed to address the core business issues, increasing maintenance costs and necessitating frequent rework.
New methodologies like RAD (Rapid Application Development), JAD (Joint Application Development), and object-oriented tools emerged to address these challenges. Into the new millennium, the Internet revolutionized technology once more. Business users, eager to leverage online advancements, increasingly drove technology initiatives, leading organizations to fill Business Analyst roles from operational sectors rather than IT. Thus, Marketing Directors, Accountants, Attorneys, and Payroll Clerks began assuming Business Analyst positions.
Additionally, the quality movement?"resurgent since the 70s with TQM?"gained momentum as companies sought to minimize costs associated with missed requirements in global expansions. Quality standards, like those from ISO (International Standards Organization) and CMM (Capability Maturity Model) from Carnegie Mellon, became crucial. Six Sigma offered a disciplined, data-driven approach to improve processes and eliminate defects, emphasizing the need for skilled Business Analysts acquainted with business, IT, and quality practices.
Future of the Business Analyst Role
Today, Business Analysts hail from both IT and business domains, bringing a blend of skills. Titles and structures vary across organizations, but a core set of tasks remains consistent for all Business Analysts, regardless of their origins or industries.
The Business Analyst role is increasingly vital as project teams become globally distributed.
Outsourcing and globalization have necessitated clearer, more comprehensive requirements definitions. While once a luxury, a structured approach is now essential for success in this environment. Typically, organizations retain the Business Analyst role internally, leading to increased training for IT staff in business analysis.
Shift from "Software" to "Business System"
Most Business Analysts currently focus on software development and maintenance, but their skills apply to broader business systems. A proficient Business Analyst can recommend procedural, personnel, and policy changes alongside software advice, contributing to an overall improvement of business systems.
Evolution Driven by Business Needs
Future productivity will rely on reusability of requirements, making Requirements Management a key skill for Business Analysts as organizations enhance this critical expertise. Often seen as "Agents of Change," Business Analysts, with their in-depth knowledge of organizational goals, guide adaptation to significant shifts that support business objectives. Pursuing a Business Analyst career is both exciting and stable as U.S. companies continue to influence the global economy.
Training for the Business Analyst
A successful Business Analyst possesses diverse skills ranging from communication to data modeling. Their educational and professional backgrounds vary widely, encompassing IT and business stakeholder fields.
Due to this diversity, it is challenging for a Business Analyst to master all necessary skills. Consequently, companies find it hard to source proficient Business Analysts externally and are increasingly training existing employees in structured, consistent methodologies. When seeking formal training, organizations should prioritize vendors renowned for expertise in business analysis, scrutinize the quality and recency of training materials, and match instructor experience to organizational needs. Given this emerging profession, instructors should actively practice business analysis to offer the most relevant insights.
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