What Do "Business" Analysts Do?
(Business Analysts, System Analysts, Requirements Analysts, and others)
#   Topic   % of respondents who do this as part of their assignment.
1   Identify and Model Process Requirements*  

80%

   Business Systems Analyst tasks
This chart combines results from multiple sources (including our data).
It reflects about 1700 IT professionals who consider themselves
IT Business/System Analysts.
2   Identify and Model Data Requirements*  

75%

  
3  

Identify Business Rules Requirements*

  

75%

  
4  

Test Requirements**

  

75%

  
5  

Manage Requirements

 

70%

  
6  

Facilitate Requirements Sessions (JAD)

  

65%

  
7  

Help Scope the Project

  

60%

  
8  

Write Use Cases

  

55%

  
9  

Improve Business Processes

  

50%

  
10  

Design Screens (Prototype)

  

40%

  
11  

Write System (technical) Specifications

  

40%

  
12  

Determine Benefit/Cost  

 

30%

  
13  

Lead (manage) Project

  

25%

  
* sometimes we saw this as "Help identify . . ."
** this includes many levels of testing and it would be interesting to split out the percentage by testing type, but alas, the data was not there.

RSG Training Coverage

BA Tasks Identify and Model Process Requirements
  Identify and Model Data Requirements
Identify Business Rules Requirements
  Manage Requirements
Test Requirements
  Facilitate Requirements Sessions (JAD)
Scope the Project
  Write Use Cases
Design Screens
  Redesign Business Processes
Write System (technical) Specifications
  Determine Cost Benefit
  Lead (manage) Project
ID
Seminars
                            
1-10 Gather and Specify Business System Requirements þ ü ü ü     ü            
1-11 Help Business Experts Discover Requirements ü ü ü       ü            
1-12 Write Effective Business Requirements ü ü ü                    
1-13 Prepare and Facilitate  Requirements Gathering Meetings           ü ü            
1-20 Model, Analyze and Improve Business Processes þ ü         þ     ü ü    
1-40 Manage Changing Business Requirements       ü                  
2-05 Model and Analyze Business Data   ü ü       ü            
2-20 Jump-Start Requirements Definition with User Stories ü ü ü ü     ü            
2-30 Develop Business Use Cases             ü ü          
2-40 Lead Requirements Definition Projects ü     ü ü               þ
2-50 Estimate Early in a Project                       ü ü
3-20 Model Business Requirements with the UML ü ü ü         ü          
3-30 Prepare and Facilitate a Successful JAD Session           þ ü            
3-40 Test Business Information Systems       ü þ                
4-10 Introduction to Business System Analysis ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü          
Legend:   þindicates emphasis,   üindicates coverage