Understanding Business Analysis Beyond Requirements is essential to grasp how the role of business analysts is evolving in modern organizations. In this episode of The Brazilian BA Guest, Fabrício Laguna interviews Sharon Burke, a seasoned business analysis leader, who shares her perspective on value creation, communication, and the real impact of business analysts in today’s world.
With decades of experience across consulting and corporate environments, Sharon brings a grounded and practical view of what business analysis truly means—and why it goes far beyond traditional definitions.
Watch the other episodes in this podcast series featuring interviews with experts from around the world.
From Systems Development to Business Analysis
Sharon Burke’s career began in the 1980s with a degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from Acadia University. She entered the industry through a cooperative education program and began working in development roles before gradually moving into consulting and analysis.
At that time, the term business analyst was not widely used. However, many of the activities associated with modern business analysis were already present: analyzing problems, understanding systems, and bridging the gap between technology and business needs.
Her journey through consulting firms and corporate environments reflects the natural evolution of the discipline from technical execution to a more strategic and value-oriented role.
While tools and terminology have evolved, the essence of the job has remained consistent: helping organizations solve problems and create value.
Business Analysis Beyond Requirements: a Value-Driven Discipline
For Sharon, the core of business analysis lies in adding value to organizations. Rather than focusing strictly on documentation or requirements gathering, she sees business analysts as facilitators who enable conversations that move the business forward.
She describes the role as one that involves:
- Understand the current state of the organization
- Identify opportunities and problems
- Facilitate discussions between stakeholders
- Help organizations progress toward their strategic goals
In this sense, the BA is not just a technical role but a champion of change and opportunity within the organization.
The Gap Between Job Descriptions and Real Work
One interesting point raised during the conversation is the difference between what organizations say they hire business analysts to do and what BAs actually end up doing.
While job descriptions focus on requirements gathering and documentation, real-world practice demands much more:
- Investigating root causes
- Challenging assumptions
- Identifying capability gaps
- Influencing decisions
In practice, however, each engagement is unique. Business analysts often move beyond predefined scripts, applying analytical thinking to identify root causes and uncover capability gaps in organizations.
This flexibility can create ambiguity about the role, but it also gives BAs the freedom to focus on delivering real value.
How the Practice of Business Analysis Has Changed
Sharon recalls a time when analysis frameworks were executed through detailed manuals and structured methodologies, sometimes documented in large binders or diagrams drawn on whiteboards and transparencies.
Today, enterprise architecture tools, modeling platforms, and digital collaboration technologies allow analysts to explore scenarios and simulate outcomes much faster.
Despite these technological advances, the core analytical capabilities remain the same. What has changed is the speed at which insights can be generated and shared.
Agile Isn’t the Goal. Outcomes Are.
The rise of agile practices has significantly influenced the way analysis work is performed. Instead of large sequential documentation efforts, many organizations now deliver solutions in smaller increments.
However, Sharon notes that many teams understand agile terminology but struggle with true implementation. Words like sprint, backlog, and scrum can easily become jargon if stakeholders do not clearly understand how these practices connect to business outcomes.
This reinforces the importance of maintaining a clear outcome-driven mindset, ensuring that stakeholders understand the benefits they will receive from the initiative.
The real focus should remain on:
👉 Clearly defining outcomes
👉 Gaining stakeholder buy-in
👉 Building confidence through delivery
Find out more about the outcome-driven mindset by reading Please Hold – The Power of Outcome-Driven Thinking, a fun business novel for anyone driving real change at work and beyond.
Essential Competencies for Senior Business Analysts
When it comes to building strong teams, Sharon emphasizes that technical skills are secondary to human capabilities.
1. Analytical Thinking
Senior business analysts should naturally apply structured thinking and analytical frameworks when approaching problems.
2. Communication Skills
Communication is the most critical skill for a BA. Analysts must be able to initiate conversations, facilitate discussions, and ensure stakeholders remain engaged.
3. Facilitation and Leadership
Business analysts often lead conversations without formal authority. Their ability to create collaboration and guide discussions is essential.
Interestingly, Sharon believes technical knowledge or specific tool expertise can be taught more easily than communication and behavioral skills.
Are Great Business Analysts Born or Made?
The discussion also touches on whether business analysts are born or developed.
Sharon suggests that while many skills can be taught, certain behavioral traits such as curiosity, confidence in conversations, and willingness to explore the unknown often come naturally.
However, people who are motivated to learn can still develop many of the competencies needed to succeed in the profession.
The Impact of AI on the Value of Business Analysis
Looking ahead, the future of business analysis will undoubtedly be influenced by artificial intelligence.
Sharon describes the current moment as similar to shaking a snow globe: everything is moving rapidly, and organizations are still trying to understand both the risks and opportunities introduced by AI.
She highlights two important perspectives:
Opportunities
- Summarizing large volumes of information
- Extracting insights from workshops and discussions
- Accelerating analysis work
Risks
- Inconsistent answers from AI tools
- Fabricated or unsupported conclusions
- Governance and compliance concerns, especially in regulated industries
This creates a new responsibility for business analysts: not just using AI, but evaluating its impact and risks within the organization.
Use the FABR Framework Checklist to identify risks related to AI Transformation in your organization.
Business Analysts as Drivers of Meaningful Change
Ultimately, Business Analysis Beyond Requirements is about embracing a broader role—one that focuses on value, relationships, and outcomes.
As technology evolves, business analysts will increasingly play a critical role in helping organizations navigate uncertainty.
Rather than being replaced by AI, analysts may benefit from tools that provide frameworks, templates, and analytical support, allowing them to contribute value faster and focus on strategic conversations.
In this sense, the future of business analysis is not about tools replacing analysts. It is about analysts becoming more effective facilitators of change.
Acknowledgment
I want to thank the International Institute of Business Analysis for supporting this initiative.
As part of the IIBA community and serving as Senior Advisor to the President & CEO, it’s a privilege to help bring forward the voices of practitioners shaping our profession.
References
- Connect with Sharon Burke on LinkedIn
- Book mentioned: Outcomes over output – Why customer behaviour is the key metric for business success (Joshua Seiden)
- Listen to this and other episodes on The Brazilian BA Guest on Spotify
- Read the summary and watch other episodes of The Brazilian BA Guests on the Current State of Business Analysis
- Connect with the global Business Analysis community at iiba.org
