The primary role of the Business Analyst (sometimes known as the Functional Analyst) is to represent the interests of the business throughout the solution design and development process. The secondary role is to function as an interpreter for business and technical staff, translating concepts and terminology and generally bridging gaps in understanding.
Under normal circumstances, someone from the business community fills this role, since deep knowledge of the business requirement is indispensable. Ideally, familiarity with the technology and the development lifecycle allows the individual to function as the communications channel between technical and business users.
Responsibilities
- Ensures that the delivered solution fulfills the needs of the business and should be involved in decisions related to the business and functional requirements.
- Collects or defines end-user requirements.
- Assists in determining the solution project scope, time and required resources.
- Provides support and analysis of data collection, mapping, aggregation and balancing functions.
- Analyzes profiling results, reference data sets and data quality scorecards.
- Assists in resolving data exceptions.
- Performs requirements analysis, documentation, testing, ad-hoc reporting, user support and project leadership.
- Produces detailed business process flows, functional requirements specifications and data models and communicates these requirements to the design and build teams.
- Conducts cost/benefit assessments of the functionality requested by end-users.
- Prioritizes and balances competing priorities.
- Plans and authors the user documentation set.
- Assists in the identification and definition of business terms and entities to be covered in the business glossary.
Qualifications/Certifications
- Possesses excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Ability to work effectively with both business and technical stakeholders.
- Works independently with minimal supervision.
- Has knowledge of the tools and technologies used in the solution.
- Holds a certification in industry vertical knowledge (if applicable).
- Possesses expert knowledge of the business areas impacted by the project.