Product Manager vs Business Analyst

It's not often I read something on the Silicon Valley Product Group blog that I don't agree with, but as a former analyst by trade I wasn't too sure about this recent article on the roles of product manager versus business analyst.

The thrust of the argument seems to be that 'Business Analyst' is essentially a legacy role which overlaps with and confuses the responsibilties of the agile product owner. On reflection, I think that may be true - a good product owner who has time to focus on the development, engages with detail and undertstands technology probably doesn't need a business analyst.

And there's your problem right there. In my experience at least few product owners are able to fulfil those criteria. They're often appointed to a project from the existing 'business' side, sometimes with little prior technology knowledge. They may have wider responsibilties - departments to run, conferences to attend, 'offline' businesses to oversee. They may not even be co-located. In those situations a good analyst is invaluable, guiding the product owner through the maze of a technology project, being there every day to deal with the developers, focusing on details.

Similarly, developers should have the communication skills necessary to work with the business, but we know this isn't always the case, particularly in the age of outsourcing. The analyst's ability to 'speak both languages' is still very useful. Of course there are analysts and analysts - diligently beavering away on volumninous documentation isn't too relevant in agile development, the agile analyst needs to be a flexible and creative decision-maker.

As I said, a proper product owner as defined by the agile literature probably doesn't need an analyst. But in a world where most organizations can't simply reorganise to suit the ideal then there is still room for the role.