IT Success!: Towards a New Model for Information Technology

8.4. The changing role of the business analyst

As we saw in Chapter 3, the role of the business analyst (sometimes also known as the systems analyst) under the traditional model is to sit down with business users in an attempt to understand their requirements, and ultimately produce a signed-off SoR which will be then be 'tossed over the wall' for IT to build. The added value during this process can vary significantly depending on the person, from a mere note-taker to an active participant capable of challenging clients and proposing alternative ways of doing things. Both extremes exist. The former is quite dangerous though, because by not challenging unrealistic or technically unfeasible requirements, the note-taker generates false expectations and eventually sets up his IT colleagues for a fall.

Under the new model, as we saw in Chapter 5, the traditional SoR obtained during interviews is replaced by process and data models obtained during cross-functional, interactive workshops. And since all the required IT participants are present during these sessions – project manager, business analyst and even software developers – it is clear that the traditional role of the business analyst is no longer applicable. So how should this role evolve under the new model?

The main change is that the business analyst is no longer divorced from the technical side of things, i.e. he must be well grounded in producing software solutions, with a background in either software development or the ...