Importance of the business analyst in the projects
What are the cases in which the presence of a business analyst is needed in a project? In projects of small size and reduced complexity, the project manager may have to play this role if he has the capacity and the skills. Otherwise, in complex projects , when sophisticated analyzes are needed, the presence of a specialist can be decisive. However, there are at least 5 reasons why it would be good to keep the two roles separate:
The project manager needs to focus on management . In a project there are enough administrative tasks to justify a full-time Project Manager. This is particularly true for the most complex projects, with longer duration and financial impact. Ask a Project Manager to also play the role of business analyst is to ask too much because the latter role requires adequate training on business analysis techniques.
Someone needs to translate business requirements into functional requirements . The analysis of the requirements presupposes that within the team there are those who are able to grasp the opportunities and alternatives that emerge from the collection of the expectations and needs of the various stakeholders. No one better than a business analyst can translate business requirements into functional requirements and provide a glimpse of the various possibilities for integration.
The client must be guided in specifying the requirements better . Customers rarely arrive at the work table with detailed information on the requirements. Fully defining the requirements as a basis for development is not a small effort and the Business Analyst is in the best position to do this and help the client clarify the ideas through reasoning based on facts and objective information.
The business analyst can also take care of the management of the tests . Once it has helped define the requirements, the business analyst can intervene in designing the test plan that will verify the compliance of the various deliverables with the requirements agreed with the client. You can also preside over the tests by providing your recommendations.
The business analyst can guarantee a critical and independent vision . Often the project manager may need to compare his point of view with respect to the project and its progress with someone who is the bearer of an alternative vision. If well managed, the relationship between project manager and business analyst can be a useful source of ideas and options where the project manager alone can glimpse one-way streets. Naturally, this presupposes the ability of both of them not to radicalize themselves on their own ideas but to start from them in order to create new scenarios.
Posted by: Web Digital Media Group