The title “Business Analyst” places clear emphasis on understanding “The Business”. When
Business Analysts were consistently derived from the line of business operations, many felt
(not necessarily correctly) that the Business Analyst would have a solid understanding of
business. As the relationship between Information Technology and their business partners has
changed, so has the ability to consistently identify and recruit knowledgeable business people
into the analyst ranks. Today it is not uncommon to find organizations in which the Business
Analyst has no line of business experience. This lack of direct business knowledge can result
in products which are incompletely or incorrectly specified, test plans which miss critical
issues and implementation strategies which are doomed to chaos.