Comparative Analysis of Business Analysis and Business Process Management Capabilities

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BUSINESS ANALYSIS
(BA) AND BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT (BPM)
CAPABILITIES
Paul Mathiesen, Faculty of Science and Technology, Queensland University of Technology,
Brisbane, Australia, [e-mail]
Wasana Bandara, Faculty of Science and Technology, Queensland University of Technology,
Brisbane, Australia, [e-mail]
Houra Delavari, Faculty of Science and Technology, Queensland University of Technology,
Brisbane, Australia, [e-mail]
Paul Harmon, Business Process Trends, 1819 Polk Street #334, S an Francisco, CA 94109,
USA, [e-mail]
Kevin Brennan, International Institute of Business Analysis, 3605 Sandy Plains Road, Suite
240-193, Marietta, GA 30066, USA, [e-mail]

Abstract
Many initiatives to improve Business processes are emerging. The essential roles and contributions of
Business Analyst (BA) and Business Process Management (BPM) professionals to such initiatives have been recognized in literature and practice. The roles and responsibilities of a BA or BPM practitioner typically require different skill-sets; however these differences are often vague. This vagueness creates much confusion in practice and academia. While both the BA and BPM communities have made attempts to describe their domains through capability defining empirical research and developments of Bodies of knowledge, there has not yet been any attempt to identify the commonality of skills required and points of uniqueness between the two professions. This study aims to address this gap and presents the findings of a detailed content mapping exercise (using NVivo as a qualitative data analysis tool) of the International Institution of Business Analysis (IIBA®) Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK® Guide) against core BPM competency and capability frameworks.
Keywords: Business analysis, Business process management, capability, competency, Body of
Knowledge.

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