[Sigia-l] What's your role?

[ruth at ruthkaufman.com]

> On 1/12/05 1:56 AM, "Stewart Dean" <stew8dean at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Business Analyst / Information Architect - same job - just different
>> deliverables and nomenclature.
>
> yep, same job, just different deliverables, different focus (business
> needs
> vs user needs), different activities (studying financial reports vs
> studying
> users),

This assumes that business analysis does not include an analysis of users.
One could argue that any user of a web site or application has some
relationship with an organization and is, therefore, fair game for
business analysis. If businesses aren't analyzing their users, then
they're bound to  experience some kind of churn down the road. There is
also plenty of evidence that information architectures commonly reflect
business "needs" (more likely, assumptions or perceptions) at least as
much as they reflect users' needs. This may be something we're all working
to change as practitioners (or not), but feel free to scrutinze the depths
of ibm.com to see what I mean.

I think Business Analyst and Information Architect are different roles not
because they are concerned with different subjects (business v. user), but
because they are concerned with different processes. I've seen the roles 
merged in small- to mid-sized companies and on small- to mid-sized
projects. But I bet a jobs reference book could easily distinguish between
them. I submit that a business analyst gathers and analyzes data (business
and user data, alike) and draws conclusions which may be documented as
requirements, while an IA designs information schemes in support of
requirements and in accordance with standards and best practices.
Something like that.

Regards,
Ruth