A business analyst is always assumed to be someone who simply undertakes the analysis to solve an underlying business problem or achieve an end business goal. What we tend to forget is the decision enabler dimension.
Before we even discuss whether a decision is required, we need to to establish if the business problem is prioritised appropriately and requires organisational wide resources. A seasoned business analyst would overlook the organisation at a holistic level and challenge stakeholders across the business.
Whatever stage of project or change life cycle, a decision is required at every moment in time. In a business there is an unstoppable and continuous cycle of decisions affecting processes, products, customers and various stakeholders. These decisions could be of a different nature, type and size, and sometimes are not fully supported throughout the organisation.
The value addition a business analyst brings is transparency, rationality, clarity and democracy. It is essential that consistency is maintained and that is what a business analyst brings.
Quite often the status quo needs to be challenged because of changing dynamics and the realities unfolded by ground level stakeholders. A business analyst works as a catalyst and unbiased communicator who connects the dots across the organisation hierarchy by bringing facts which were previously unseen. It is in this way, that a business analyst adds value to the decision making process.
