Business Analysis vs Business Analytics: Key Differences

And what do they have in common

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“Business analysis” and “business analytics” sound almost identical. No wonder these terms get confused. Let’s do some analysis on both terms to make the distinction clear. Read on or check out my video on the same topic.

Definitions

First, consider what we mean when we use the term “business analysis”.

Business analysis is a practice of analyzing business problems and opportunities and enabling enterprise change.

What about “business analytics” then?

Business analytics enables generation of analytical insights from data to help business stakeholders make better decisions.

There is an overlap — both of these disciplines enable solving business problems and rely on data & technology. However, their scope, methods, and outcomes have several key distinctions.

Outcomes

The main outcomes of business analysis are captured business requirements and a shared understanding of requirements by all stakeholders.

Business analysis tackles a wide variety of business problems. Solutions to these problems may include:

• A new computer application.