Abstract
[Context] Agile methods are now used in the majority of software projects, but the definitions of such methods rarely include the role of a business analyst (BA). [Objective] This paper investigates the responsibilities assigned to BAs participating in agile software projects. [Method] We identified potential responsibilities through a systematic literature review (3 databases) and interviews with 6 practitioners. The most commonly mentioned responsibilities were further evaluated in a questionnaire survey study with 72 respondents. [Results] The combined findings from the SLR and interviews resulted in 89 unique responsibilities grouped into 7 areas. 49 of these were ranked according to the frequency with which they were assigned in the survey respondents' organizations. [Conclusions] Our findings show that BAs typically support Product Owners (rather than taking on that role) and focus on requirements engineering, business needs, and working closely with development teams.
Paper Type
Full Paper
DOI
10.62036/ISD.2024.84
On the Business Analyst's Responsibilities in an Agile Software Project - A Multi-Method Study
[Context] Agile methods are now used in the majority of software projects, but the definitions of such methods rarely include the role of a business analyst (BA). [Objective] This paper investigates the responsibilities assigned to BAs participating in agile software projects. [Method] We identified potential responsibilities through a systematic literature review (3 databases) and interviews with 6 practitioners. The most commonly mentioned responsibilities were further evaluated in a questionnaire survey study with 72 respondents. [Results] The combined findings from the SLR and interviews resulted in 89 unique responsibilities grouped into 7 areas. 49 of these were ranked according to the frequency with which they were assigned in the survey respondents' organizations. [Conclusions] Our findings show that BAs typically support Product Owners (rather than taking on that role) and focus on requirements engineering, business needs, and working closely with development teams.
Recommended Citation
Kwiatkowski, M. & Jarzębowicz, A. (2024). On the Business Analyst's Responsibilities in an Agile Software Project - A Multi-Method Study. In B. Marcinkowski, A. Przybylek, A. Jarzębowicz, N. Iivari, E. Insfran, M. Lang, H. Linger, & C. Schneider (Eds.), Harnessing Opportunities: Reshaping ISD in the post-COVID-19 and Generative AI Era (ISD2024 Proceedings). Gdańsk, Poland: University of Gdańsk. ISBN: 978-83-972632-0-8. https://doi.org/10.62036/ISD.2024.84