The Business-Oriented Business Analyst

Traditionally, business analysts (BAs) who report into business units or functions rather than IT have focused on building deep expertise to support and lead efforts within their functions, such as finance, supply chain, HR, and others. However, disruptive internal and external forces such as globalization and the emergence of business process management (BPM) technology and service-oriented architecture (SOA) have created intense demand for multidimensional professionals with broad business, IT, and leadership skills. Today's business-oriented business analysts must seek out and create their own opportunities beyond their comfort zones, either on a traditional business-focused yet tech-savvy path or on a new emerging path as a business technology analyst. Traditional business analysts should broaden their functional expertise and become adept at process methodologies while gaining a working knowledge of process modeling technologies. Business technology analysts should focus on deepening their expertise in translating business process models into executable logic while establishing a working knowledge of functional areas and process methodologies.