Professional Business Analyst vs. Business Analysis Professional
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect the perspectives of IIBA.
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This article was originally published on the Brazilian BA website.
Are you a business analyst?
If you answer “no” to this question, give me a chance to challenge you. Read this article to the end and rethink your answer.
The term “business analyst” carries some ambiguity. A few months ago, I posted on LinkedIn that “All Product Owners should be Business Analysts.” That post went viral, with hundreds of comments from supporters and critics. Of course, they had different definitions of business analyst.
If you’re interested, check out the difference between a product owner and a business analyst.
In this article, I’m proposing two different terms to differentiate business analysts based on the distinction between job and role.
- Job: Professional Business Analyst
- Role: Business Analysis Professional
The Detective/Journalist Metaphor
To clarify this distinction, let’s use other types of professionals as an example. The following statement isn't difficult to agree with: Every journalist should be a detective.This means that, at times, a professional journalist must assume the role of a detective, investigating stories, gathering evidence, and solving cases to build a true story. A journalist might even study investigative techniques and learn the basic principles of investigation to become a better journalist.
However, it doesn’t mean that every detective should be a journalist. This second statement isn’t true. For some individuals, being a professional detective is their job. They’re experts in investigation and may even be hired to help journalists, police officers, or betrayed husbands unravel some mystery.
Some professional detectives are experts in specific domains of investigation, such as murders, missing persons, financial crimes, or cybercrimes. Depending on their expertise, they develop different skills and competencies but still share a solid foundation with others who also play the detective role, such as journalists.
Role vs. Job
First off, let’s acknowledge that these definitions may vary depending on the context. I’m using the term “role” as a generic concept. Both of the following definitions are from the Merriam-Webster dictionary:Role: A character assigned or assumed.
That means different jobs can play the same role in different contexts.
For example, the journalist Lois Lane may play the role of detective during the investigation of an incident that will be the focus of a Daily Planet article. Dr. Gregory House (medical doctor) might play the detective to get the diagnosis for a patient, just as Indiana Jones (archaeologist) might do likewise to figure out where the sacred chalice is hidden.
Job: A regular remunerative position.
What creates some confusion is that we sometimes refer to detective as a role. At other times, we talk about it as a job. For example, when someone hires Sherlock Holmes to solve a mystery, being a detective is his job.
Business Analyst Role vs. Job
As with “detective,” the term “business analyst” may sometimes refer to a role or to a job.The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) prefers to use the term “business analysis professional” to encompass everyone who plays a role that “enables change in an enterprise by defining needs and recommending solutions that deliver value to stakeholders while considering context”—from A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK Guide).
That means that, independently of the job, if someone does analysis to support business changes, they are playing the role of a business analysis professional.
Back to the Big Question
So, I must ask you again, using a more specific term: Are you a business analysis professional?If your answer is still “no,” that means you don’t play that role. In other words, you’re not involved in defining the change direction of your business. Other people are doing that, and you will simply be affected by those decisions.
I strongly recommend you consider enhancing your role and engaging in business analysis. Every professional should be a business analysis professional. Adopting the principles of business analysis is a path to enhance your career to a more strategic level and contribute effectively to the organization you work for to achieve better outcomes, regardless of your job.
Consider some formal training, too. The competencies developed through business analysis training are invaluable, making it an essential skill set for success in any professional job.
Want to stay on top of the latest developments and practices in business analysis? Join IIBA to start driving better business outcomes, today.
The images in this article were created using Ideogram AI.
About the Author
Fabrício Laguna, AKA the Brazilian BA, is a business consultant, teacher, professional speaker, and former IIBA Brazil Chapter President. Fabrício is the author and producer of videos, articles, classes, lectures, and playful content. He can explain complex things in a simple and easy-to-understand way. He has over 25 years of experience working with business analysis, methodology, solution development, systems analysis, project management, business architecture, and systems architecture.