Business Systems Analysis: It's All About the Business (Part 1)

	Project Management Process Improvement PM 101 Advice, Anecdotes and Case Studies

by Sri Nagarajan, PMP

September 28, 2005

Business Systems Analysts often live in a twilight zone, caught in the nether space between two well-defined and demarcated domains: the world of technology and the world of business. One might almost vote this profession as being the least defined in the current spectrum of organizational roles and responsibilities. The shifting sands that house this profession also have significant project management implications.

In this first article of this two-part series, we will examine some common challenges in defining and deploying business systems analysts within organizations. In the second part, we will delve into the current state and examine the project management and organization implications of this conundrum. We hope that these articles will tickle your thoughts and nudge you toward strategically defining or refining the role of business systems analysts in your organization. The views and opinions expressed here are based on our broad-based reading of industry trends and experiences managing "dual hats", "pointed hats" and "no hats" projects.

Most large organizations have at some time or another in recent years addressed the ticklish issue of nailing down a home for those nebulous resources that are "techno functional." Positioned between the worlds of business needs and technology delivery teams, these resources are an invaluable bridge between business and IT.