While this complaint pointed out some organizational issues, it also got me thinking about the role of the Project Manager (PM) and the Business Analyst (BA) in the early stages of a project. The two bodies of knowledge, the BABOK® Guide 2.0 and PMBOK® Guide – Fourth Edition each allude to work being done at the beginning of the project, so it is not surprising that conflict between these two roles can arise.
It’s easy for me to say that spelling out roles and responsibilities helps avoid this conflict. Using a responsibility assignment matrix, such as a RACI, is helpful, but it may not be enough. Looking back it seems to me that as both a BA and a PM, I never spent a lot of time dwelling on this issue. When I was a BA I didn’t have a project manager, so in a sense I was able to avoid conflict. When I became a PM, I was extremely fortunate to work with strong BAs who took initiative to define their own roles. Below I have listed what worked for us and why.
We worked on a project which had both business and technical complexity. We were introducing many new business processes as well as new technology. The project affected many business units within the organization, and the risk was high. Below are a few of the factors that I believe contributed to a smooth relationship between the BA and me (PM), and ultimately to a very successful project:
I completely trusted the BA. But the whole topic trust is the topic for different blog on another day.
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