What is the role of a business analyst?

The role of a business analyst is fundamentally centered around bridging the gap between stakeholders, including business users, management, and technical teams. This position involves understanding the needs and goals of the business and ensuring that these are effectively communicated to the technical teams responsible for developing solutions. By facilitating clear communication and understanding, business analysts help ensure that the final outcomes align with business objectives.

A business analyst typically engages in requirements gathering, stakeholder interviews, and documentation to clarify what solutions should be designed and developed. They act as intermediaries who can translate complex technical concepts into language that stakeholders can understand and vice versa. This is crucial because it helps mitigate risks associated with misunderstandings, ensuring that projects are delivered on time and meet business requirements.

While managing project schedules and timelines, conducting market research, and implementing IT solutions are important tasks in project environments, they are not primarily the responsibility of a business analyst. Project managers often handle scheduling, market researchers focus on gathering competitive intelligence and trends, and IT professionals are usually tasked with implementing solutions. Hence, the focus on the business analyst's role as a bridge between groups underscores the importance of communication and alignment in successful business analysis.