A Business Analyst (BA), according to businessdictionary.com, is an

“individual who looks closely at a company or department’s operations to find where the areas of weaknesses are, and helps develop solutions to overcome those weaknesses.”

Clear as mud? Good. Here’s the non-business dictionary answer.

It’s a question we hear a lot: If I want software, I need a software developer—why do I also need a BA?

Software is for business

Here’s the thing. Software developers know software. They don’t know business (usually—of course there are exceptions). In general, our developers are writing software that will make your business more efficient. They write other things, like Apple TV apps, etc., but mostly their work has to do with business. You want a BA involved in your software development process because they know business.

Business is in the details

They say the devil is in the details. But really, the devil is in losing track of the details. And losing track is easy to do. Trust us. But at RoboSource, we believe the essence of your business is in those defining details. Our BAs are tasked with collecting all of those details and keeping track of them. To build effective software, we need to know all about your workflow and how each piece of the process works in the whole. We need to know how you think, and how your employees think. We need to know about your revenue streams, about your decision-making, about how we can save you time, energy, and anxiety while we make your business model as smooth as possible.

When software and business meet

The best software integrates seamlessly into your business. Having both a Business Analyst and a Software Developer involved in your project is how we make sure that seamless integration happens.