Want Vs. Need

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

One of the instructors in my business analysis course said to our class that a BA's role is to ensure that if the business customer asks for a horse, the IT team delivers a 🐎, and not a camel 🐪.

This is indeed the heart of what we do as a business analyst.

But as I’ve progressed in my career, I feel that this definition can be further nuanced.

A junior or associate BA's role is to ensure the above.

A senior BA’s role is to ensure that if the customer asks for a horse, they need a horse, not a camel.

A principal BA’s role is to ensure that if the customer is asking for a horse, they do need a horse. But why bother with a horse when a cow 🐄 will be a much better solution to their problem?