What Types of projects Would a Business Analyst Work On?

It’s often said that a business analyst is crucial to the success of a business, working as they do on any given project from inception to completion. But just what are the projects a business analyst works on? That can depend, as every company is unique. There’s no one skill business analysts are known for, and a project that’s right for one organization or stakeholder group may not work for another. So it isn’t easy to come up with “typical” business analyst projects — they can spring from a lot of interesting sources:

• At a company meeting, someone mentions the need for forecast software.
• Out to lunch one day, the CEO says they’d like see a PBX system in place by end of year.
• The company currently uses separate computer systems for multiple departments, and the time has come to put an end to duplication of effort.

The list truly is endless. No matter what the project, business analysts act as the bridge between project management teams and end users. Their job is to work with stakeholders to help them fully understand what they need any given project to achieve. Those needs are then communicated to the project team and as the project makes its way toward completion, the business analyst ensures the needs are met.

Business Analyst Project Examples

No matter what the focus, all projects are about making a change to the way a business operates. The projects a business analyst works on typically have a 6-stage life cycle: discovery, planning, design, build, implementation and warranty. Every stage has different types of activities and requires some form of support. From understanding the big picture to metric measurement, business analysts wear a variety of hats as each project progresses through its stages. Here are just some of the projects business analysts might be called on to handle:

• IT-Focused Projects. If you want to improve business processes, it makes sense to improve the IT systems. The added challenge for a business analyst is understanding not only the technology involved, but what problem the business faces and what the ideal solution will be.
• Operations Focused Projects. These are people-oriented projects that include improving the process flow, updating procedures, and/or moving the location where processes are currently being done. Business analysts will start with a current state analysis, review options, and see the project through to implementation.
• New Opportunity and Strategy Projects. These types of projects are often about changing the way people perform their roles. They can also involve updating the current IT systems. Or they can be a combination of both.

Improved Productivity

Though the position is often misunderstood and sometimes under appreciated, business analysts help improve overall productivity by breaking down the barriers to communication — such as time, distance, or less-than-stellar interdepartmental communication skills — that can occur between stakeholders and developers. There’s no denying they can ultimately help a business make better decisions when it comes to interactions with IT.