Global Business Analysts Day has just passed, recognised on 1 November. This gave us pause to think about the role that Business Analysts (BAs) play and recognise their valuable contributions to the team. The title of Business Analyst is admittedly nebulous. Thus we thought Global BA Day was a great chance to define the work of a BA, highlight some of our successes, and generally pay tribute to the exceptional work of our Business Analysts. 

When Gaia Resources was smaller, BA tasks were often subsumed by the Project Managers. As we grew, those doing the work held such job titles as “Consulting Scientist”, “Archives Specialist”, “Collections Specialist”, and still “Project Manager”.  However, with the frequency of winning complex projects and our commitment to internal reflection and growth, a new team of Business Analysts has been established, allowing better knowledge sharing and procedures. The BA unit includes some of those who previously held the title of “Specialist”. Thus, we maintain our subject matter expertise on each project.

Still, many people ask what is a Business Analyst and what do they do? The way the Business Analyst role has separated from the Project Manager’s role is that the Business Analyst is the one that is across the business as usual of the client. He or she knows the pain points and what potential options our team can offer to provide solutions. This is best achieved by having and utilising subject matter expertise, client engagement, and consultation with the technical in-house staff, such as architects and developers, about what is achievable before relaying options. This active role that the Business Analyst plays in the design of the implementation puts them in a position to define the success criteria along with the client to determine if what is produced is actually fit for purpose. The Business Analyst is directly involved in taking on feedback during the testing phase and determines the required actions to take to fix them. These range from deciding if there is a need to revisit requirements, deciding if a scope variation is needed, and identifying bugs to be remedied. From there, the other members of the team can be informed and act under the direction of the Project Manager.

At Gaia Resources, our approach to projects is to work collaboratively with our clients. As such, the role of a Business Analyst is crucial to developing a rapport that can allow them to truly understand their requirements, and how best we can fulfil those within the scope of a project. With a mixture of subject matter experts and team members with a solid project management background, our newly minted Business Analyst unit has the specialised domain expertise and project delivery methodology to deliver projects that add true value to our clients.

 If you want to know how our Business Analysts can help guide your technical project to success, feel free to get in touch with one of our Business Analysts or start a conversation with us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Sarah