Within the systems development life cycle domain, the business analyst typically performs a liaison function between the business side of an enterprise and the information technology department or external service providers. Common alternate titles are business systems analyst, systems analyst, and functional analyst, although some organizations may differentiate between the these titles and corresponding responsibilities.
The International Institute of Business Analysis has the following definition of the role: "A business analyst works as a liaison among stakeholders in order to elicit, analyze, communicate and validate requirements for changes to business processes, policies and information systems. The business analyst understands business problems and opportunities in the context of the requirements and recommends solutions that enable the organization to achieve its goals."
The British Computer Society proposes the following definition of a business analyst: "An internal consultancy role that has the responsibility for investigating business systems, identifying options for improving business systems and bridging the needs of the business with the use of IT."
