Professional Business Analyst vs. Business Analysis Professional

Are you a business analyst? If you answer ‘NO’, 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 Linked In 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 for what a Business Analyst is.

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 is not 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.

It doesn’t mean that “every detective should be a journalist“. This second statement is not true. For some individuals, being a professional detective is their job. They are 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 Definition

Beforehand, let’s acknowledge that these definitions may vary depending on the context. I’m using the term role as a generic concept.

Role: A character assigned or assumed.
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

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 (doctor) might play the detective to get the diagnosis for a patient, just as Indiana Jones (archaeologist) might do to figure out where the sacred chalice is hidden.

Job: A regular remunerative position.
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

What creates some confusion in communication is that sometimes we refer to detective as a role, and other times, we are talking about detective 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 name Business Analysis Professionals 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.” (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.

Questioning again

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 are not involved in defining the change direction of your business. Other people are doing that, and you will be just affected by those decisions you were not involved.

I strongly recommend you consider changing yourself and engaging in this role. 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 organizations 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.

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References

• The BABOK Guide (Business Analysis Body of Knowledge)
• The IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis)
• All Product Owners should be Business Analysts LinkedIn post
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary
• Lois Lane is a fictional character from the comic book Superman with her first appearance in Action Comics #1 (Jun 1938)
• Dr. Gregoy House is a fictional character from the TV series House
• Indiana Jones is a fictional character from the movie franchise Indiana Jones
• Sherlock Homes is a fictional character from the English literature created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle