Business analyst as project manager: a good idea?
It almost seems like an unwritten law that project managers run IT projects. But does it really have to be like this? Is there no other way? At Equalminds we try to live up to our name by being more pragmatic and less rigid when it comes to the traditional division of roles. As far as we’re concerned, business analysts are perfectly capable of taking charge.
“Instead of maintaining the traditional hierarchical difference between the project manager and business analyst, we’ve allowed these roles to grow closer and even merge,” says Peter Heyns, a business analyst at Equalminds. “Of course, a lot depends on the customer’s corporate culture and whether it’s open to a more fluid division of roles.
Similarities and differences
As a business analyst you’re essentially looking for the answers to the same questions a project manager asks him- or herself on every IT project: what problem do we have to solve here? And, once the problem has been defined, how can we best tackle it? By talking to the business and analyzing the existing business processes, a business analyst ultimately arrives at a number of requirements. A colleague — usually a software developer in the case of Equalminds — will then get to work on this.
Here the roles of business analyst and project manager can differ somewhat, as Heyns knows from experience. “The project manager starts from a strategic vision of an organization and the strategic goals that the management wants to achieve, whether long or short-term. As a business analyst, you work more bottom-up. You start from what’s actually happening on the work floor, analyze concrete business processes, and develop an implementation plan based on that. It’s then up to the project manager to set priorities or take the necessary action.”
To put it bluntly, you could say that the business analyst talks (more) to the business. While the project manager talks (more) to management. So it’s not enough for a business analyst to have an analytical mind. You must also have the social skills necessary to extract the information you need from all the different business profiles you’re dealing with, and then map their varying sensitivities.
Canary in the coal mine
Peter Heyns likes to compare his role with that of the canary in the coal mine. “We always take the lead on a project,” he explains. “We’re always looking to the next step we have to take and how we can best achieve it.” In terms of planning, this constant looking ahead gives the business analyst a distinct advantage. “We have first-hand information about the requirements. And more specifically about how they will impact a project.”
The business analyst normally reports on all these matters to the project manager. In practice, this could be the project manager, sponsor, or product owner. But at Equalminds, it also includes the business analyst. “There’s a lot of overlap and interplay between what a project manager needs and what a business analyst provides,” says Heyns. “It already happens today, even on projects where the roles are more traditionally defined. I take over and continue the work in the project manager’s absence.”
Take ownership
At Equalminds — and the name says it all — we start from a philosophy of equality. Aimed above all at encouraging teamwork. That’s why we support business analysts who want to transcend their role within the organization. And develop their talents at a different level. For example, we encourage our business analysts to think about the timing and budget of a project. Equally, we believe project managers should be able to analyze business processes from time to time. By abandoning compartmentalized thinking, you ultimately get more responsible employees. Who feel more closely involved in the projects they work on, and that can only be a bonus.
