How does a business analyst differ from a systems analyst and why do you need two specialists for digital transformation projects

How does a business analyst differ from a systems analyst and why do you need two specialists for digital transformation projects

Hello, Habre! I am Volodymyr Khrypun, head of the competence center for the development of BPM systems at the First Cargo Company. Today we will discuss with you how a business analyst differs from a system analyst and why you need two specialists for digital transformation projects. The article will be useful for managers, products, and project managers. It is necessary to explain to everyone, whether someone wants to understand for himself, what is the difference between business and system analysts.

Often, all project participants want to optimize labor costs and budget. And a very bright thought that occurs with every second product or RP: “Let’s have one analyst who will do everything!” This idea occurs 9 times out of 10 for top-level managers, leaders, and owners. As a result, deadlines are missed, and the budget is doubled. Why this is happening and will continue to happen, we will discuss below.

I will convey the main idea of ​​this article through an analogy, and then we will deal with it objectively.

Imagine you are participating in an all-around competition. It is necessary to overcome the distance in the shortest possible time. And you, as a team manager, can recruit any number of athletes that the budget allows. You know in advance what kind of terrain you have to overcome. Suppose it will be a plain, a lake and a steep cliff.

Everything is clear with a vertical rock. More precisely, it is clear that nothing is clear – we need trained specialists who will quickly climb up and at the same time not crash into a cake. Therefore, we take a professional rock climber to the team 100%. But with the plain and the lake, not everything is clear – after all, everyone knows how to swim and run. There is a great temptation to take one athlete to the team, and to save money and time, paint the interface blue. This is how development teams are formed, where there are dedicated developers (climbers) and analysts (business and system analysis in one bottle).

However, athletes who specialize in a certain type of sport always outperform all-rounders in terms of results. Why so? It’s simple – those who specialize in a specific type of sport hone their technique down to the smallest details and nuances – this gives an incredible advantage. A person who has been swimming in open water for 10 years knows how to overcome a wave so that it does not take his breath away, knows how to get out of the water so as not to lose his way; constantly adjusts the stroke so as not to get caught in the hand of algae. At the same time, while he was swimming in ponds and lakes, he missed a lot in cross-country running and easily twisted his leg, catching on a tree root. Yes, he knows how to run, but it will be difficult for him to achieve outstanding results in running. Or he will have to give up swimming and take up running.

And what is the difference between business analysis and system analysis?

  1. Work results.

  2. Artifacts for the project.

  3. Typical tasks performed by specialists.

  4. Knowledge and skill.

Difference in work results:

Business analyst

System analyst

Answers the question “WHAT?”

Answers the group’s question “HOW?”

1. What results does the business customer want: What is it?

1. How to change the system to get results?

2. How does he plan to get these results: What will be done in the system?

2. How to configure the system so that the user can perform the desired set of actions?

The difference in artifacts for the project (product):

Business analyst

System analyst

A document that captures goals and metrics.

Business requirements detailed description of the process: diagrams, description of each step, use scenarios.

Prototypes (Figma) – it is relevant when the process is automated for the first time, whether there are different implementation options.

Project solution – how the process can be implemented to obtain the desired results.

Production for development – what changes and who in the system should make them.

System settings No | Low Code – changes in the system through the interface.

Senior: in 100% of cases acts as a methodologist – organizes the process of collecting requirements so that the business customer can clearly formulate his vision and image of the result. It is relevant in those cases when the process is automated for the first time – previously we worked in Excel and by mail, but we are planning in the system.

Senior: in 100% of cases, he designs the system, considers the risks associated with the implementation options, determines the effective way of implementation from the point of view of the stability of the system and compliance with business requirements.

The difference in typical tasks performed by specialists:

Business analyst

System analyst

1. Interview, interview and interview again. Preparation for the interview, conducting the interview and recording the results of the interview.
2. Preparation and coordination of projects with the business customer.

1. Analysis and design of the solution.
2. Implementation of decision No | Low Code.

The key is communication with the business and accurate recording of what has been learned.
Works with people

The key is the analysis of how to implement the required business process in the system.
Analyzes the system.

The difference in knowledge and skills:

Business analyst

System analyst

1. Conducting requirements gathering interviews.

2. Creating a register of business processes.

3. Description of business processes in one of the standards: IDEF0 and IDEF 3, EPC, BPMN 2.0

4. Description of implementation options: cases, usage scenarios.

5. Prototyping.

1. Creation of system models – object model, transformation model, UML.

2. Preparation of statements for development: a document with a description of which system objects should be transformed and how.

3. System configuration: Creation of executable BPMN 2.0 business processes, business rules and other No|Low Code configuration.

Analogy:

Business analyst

System analyst

Diagnosis The main task is to understand what is happening now and what should happen in the future. The best analogy in medicine is an MRI diagnosis. It cannot cure any disease by itself, but it can determine exactly what the cause is.

A specialist of a certain profile who determines how we can achieve the desired state. The best analogy in medicine is a doctor of a narrow profile, for example, a neurologist or an orthopedist. When there is an accurate MRI, the study can prescribe effective treatment. Unhelpful in most cases unless quality studies are available.

Why would a systems analyst do a poor job as a business analyst?

A systems analyst focuses on how a particular system works and always keeps two types of constraints in mind: it can’t be done or it’s too difficult to do. As a result, instead of figuring out WHAT should be the result, he thinks HOW to squeeze the customer’s requirements into the system’s capabilities. As a result, instead of understanding what the business customer needs, he begins to tell how the system works.

Why would a business analyst do a poor job as a systems analyst?

To answer the HOW question, it is necessary to disassemble the system into its components. It is necessary to study hundreds of pages devoted to one narrow topic, to design a solution based on system limitations. All this will take time. On the one hand, business analysts can do it, on the other hand, it is not effective. Imagine that a diagnostician, who has studied and trained to diagnose problems based on MRI for 10 years, begins to understand how to treat a torn shoulder ligament. Yes, he can handle it, but there is an orthopedic doctor who has studied how to restore joints for 10 years and has already restored hundreds of shoulder ligaments. A business analyst does not pay due attention to a specific system, so he does not know all its features and capabilities. At best, he will know the system superficially.

What is the most common mistake made by systems analysts doing business analysis, and what is its cost?

At the very first meeting with the business, solutions are designed, as a result, the goals of the business process and its features are not understood. In business, the illusion is created that in front of them are knowledgeable and experienced people. As a result, they did not do what the business needed. Business says that he talked about everything. Only there is no invoice, because they immediately designed solutions, and did not understand what was needed and for what. As a result, three months and the development budget were spent on the prototype. The same result can be obtained in one week of work of one business analyst.

What is the most common mistake made by business analysts who had to deal with system analysis?

Business analysts offer one solution, which they reached first – most often it is not optimal for the system and in the future the system will be impossible to maintain or will have to be redesigned. This error is related to the specifics of the professional experience of business analysts – they often analyze business processes in general, without being tied to a specific system. The main thing in their work is to figure out what to do and describe it qualitatively, but it is not necessary to find the optimal way of implementation. As a result, the business analyst often does not support the system for several years, as the system analyst does, does not refine it, and does not see what inefficient design leads to.

And what about those who spent their entire careers in business analysis and systems analysis?

They, like all-rounders, seem to know how to swim and run… It’s just that you can’t entrust them with a difficult task. Because if you need to run a marathon quickly, you will attract a marathoner, and if you need to swim across Baikal (35 km), then a swimmer. Multitaskers can be useful for solving small tasks, but not ambitious projects.

Can business analysis and system analysis be done by one employee?

In short, this is a risky move. But in reality, it all depends on the situation.

I will analyze a few situations that we have had in PGK over the past year.

The business customer and employees from the business, who are part of the working group, have been working within the framework of the same regulation for several years, which describes several business processes in detail. All employees of the working group are boring, in the sense of this term – everything is written in them, there are checklists for controversial situations. And in cases where there are different options for the development of events based on the information and decisions made at a certain step, there are text instructions in the style: “If A and B, then you need to take checklist B and do E, Z, Z.” In general, this is when representatives of the business as a whole can explain their process in a few minutes, and they have a volume of 200 pages of instructions, tips and cheat sheets for beginners. Moreover, this volume is regularly revised, outdated ones are removed, and changes are added. Such teams are one in a hundred. Last year we had a project with one such team.

In this case, involving a business analyst in the project is clearly ineffective. It is desirable, but you can do without it. So we did this project without business analysts. The project was completed on time and within the agreed budget.

The situation is different. The business customer and the employees from the business, who are part of the work group, are new to the company, and the process is new to the company. The business customer has an image of the result, there is a “skeleton” of the process, but otherwise everything rests on many years of experience in the industry, which is mostly written in the head. The documents include several letters, an Excel file, and an employee who explains to the newcomers how to live and what to do to make the process work. At the same time, everything works well, and everyone is satisfied with the results. The vast majority of such teams in any business, in my opinion, it is natural. I’m not saying that it’s good, but it seems that it’s a normal human desire to do less, get more results.

If such a project does not have a sufficient number of qualified business analysts, then deadlines are guaranteed to be disrupted and the project team will go after the additional budget. Unfortunately, this happened to us several times.

Now I do everything possible and impossible to involve business analysts in projects – I even write articles for Khabr 😉. On one of the last projects, in order to identify the necessary skills, interviews were prepared regarding competencies, cases – out of 30 applied as Senior business analysts, we approved three. As a result, the project was completed on time and according to the approved budget.

And what do you think, should business and system analysis be separated into two roles in digital transformation projects? In what cases do you think it is appropriate?

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