How does the Business Analyst role change on an Agile project compared to projects using other software development methodologies?

How does the Business Analyst role change on an Agile project compared to projects

using other software development methodologies?

The role of the BA should actually change very little between different software development

methodologies, although the tools and techniques used by the BA can vary according to the needs

and attributes of any given project or development lifecycle. The core responsibilities of a BA on a

software development project include requirements elicitation, requirements analysis and

requirements management – regardless of the project methodology. The type and format of

requirements documentation are just tools, and a good BA has a wide range of tools at his or her

disposal. (A) Accurate and effective elicitation of requirements from stakeholders is one key part of the BA

role on any software project. The BA is responsible for ensuring that requirements are clearly

articulated, resolving inconsistencies and ambiguities, and synthesizing individual requirements

into a unified solution. An Agile project may utilize specific tools and techniques for collecting and

documenting requirements, but the elicitation role still exists on an Agile project as it does on any

other project type. (B) Analysis of requirements is a second key part of the BA role on any software project. The BA is

responsible for addressing gaps and conflicts within requirements, identifying and coordinating

inter-dependencies and relationships between different requirements, and ensuring that

requirements fit seamlessly together to produce the envisioned solution. This analysis role is

equally applicable whether requirements are documented as user stories, use cases or a functional

requirements document. (C) The third key part of the BA role on a software project is requirements management. The BA is

responsible for ensuring that requirements remain linked to business value and business outcomes, tracing and overseeing requirements from initial elicitation through to final delivery, and preserving

the integrity of the business solution from project start to finish. This role is necessary whether the

project is Agile, iterative, waterfall or anything in between.