System or business analysis is generally a liaison function between the business side and the service side of a business. These two titles are the same in function, but not the same in their output even though sometimes they are used interchangeably due to the nature that most companies with this position are IT (Information Technology) related. Both operate using the system development life cycle. A business analyst or "BA" is responsible for analyzing the business needs of their clients and stakeholders to help identify business problems and propose solutions. Analyst often report to project managers, lead analyst or managers involved in the businesses services. Typical responsibilities include analyzing data, defining business requirements, improving business processes, and identifying and resolving issues. As more businesses require IT related processing and services, there is a current increase in demand for this type of work.
Specifically why does a business need a skilled Business Analyst? Businesses waste billions of dollars every year due to failed projects. Creating something that is used is efficient, cost effective, and profitable. Some solutions will be great, but customers will not use them, or they do not meet the business requirements, or cost too much, too complex, or do not meet scope and time constraints. Finding this balance can be difficult and there is not always a clear process to achieve the best results. By having analysts and project managers you create a field based around this concept of having a liaison that justifies the large salaries by saving the company money. Some typical techniques used by a Business Analyst: structured analysis, data modeling, information engineering, mathematical model building, sampling, and cost accounting to ...