Some projects have either a Business Analyst or Systems Analyst onboard, while some have both roles in their projects.
Does a project really need both roles?
To easily understand the differences between a Business Analyst and a Systems Analyst, let’s take a look at their deliverables.
Business Analyst
Business Analyst work with Stakeholders to complete the Business Case document.
They are also responsible for documenting the business requirement in the BRD or the Business Requirement Document.
Read more on the BA task here in this article.
Systems Analyst
On the other hand, Systems analysts are more focused on the technical side and detailed design. They are responsible for the Technical Design or Functional Design document. They work with the BAs, Developers, QAs or System Architects to complete these documents.
Most systems analyst comes from a developer role, so they know how to read codes or to investigate the code if there are bugs or issues during the development and testing phase.
Conclusion: Business Analyst vs. Systems Analyst
While there are some overlaps between the two roles, the main difference is that business analysts look at the bigger picture of the business, while system analysts focus on the technical requirement details.
In some organizations, if there is no System Analyst role in the project, the Development team usually completes the Technical design or Functional design documents with the help of the Business Analyst if the Business Analyst has the required skill. For example, if the BA has some technical knowledge about the system or the software. But this still depends on the BA contract or agreement in the organization.
In this case, the task of each project member should be documented in a Project Charter document.
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