Goals of the roles

- Many wonder if one person can be both the project manager and the BA on a project. It's an important question to ask and there are many factors that go into the answer. There are times when this can work and also times I wouldn't recommend it. Let's look at the essence of what each role does. A project manager is responsible for delivering the work of the project. This often includes defining the work and delivering the work within a budget and schedule with agreed upon quality levels. A business analyst is responsible for ensuring what the project delivers is valuable and meets the needs of the business and customers. Without one of these roles, chaos can break out, lackluster results can ensue, or simply the project fails. If a project has a PM and no BA or no one performing the BA role or perhaps the BA role isn't done well, the project is at a high risk of building the wrong thing. This is realized when users get the product and react that it's not what they needed. Often it's too late and too much has been spent before leaders realize that there has been waste in building the wrong thing. On the flip side, if a project has a BA and no PM, or no one performing the PM role, or the PM role isn't done well, the project has a high risk of running into schedule and budget issues and the analysis takes too much priority over the budget and schedule, or potentially decision-making is impeded by focus on other areas. Depending on the project approach and methodology, various factors and roles can influence these dynamics. Each project is different and the context can change everything. For example, some projects follow a traditional approach with formal plans and formal documentation and the size and complexity of the project can be a big factor. The larger the project, the more a PM and/or multiple BAs are needed. If the project is quite small, one person may be able to play both roles. Having both roles represented is critical and hopefully can lead to some healthy conflict when what needs to be built conflicts with the budget and schedule needs. This is a healthy conflict where both roles can balance the decision making process and help business leaders make critical decisions. This duo of PM and BA is an awesome duo to provide projects with the balance to succeed.