The term “Business Process Analyst (BPA)” and “Business Analyst (BA)” are two professional specializations in the business analysis field. These career options might sound similar but the difference in their responsibilities is quite different.
Business Process Analyst (BPA) vs Business Analyst (BA)
When comparing BPA vs BA, the first thing you need to learn is their meaning;
Business Process Analyst (BPA):
Business Process Analysts are mainly involved in the operational execution of business processes in an organization and their roles and responsibility include understanding what needs to be done to achieve business goals and targets.
You will learn more about BPA if you enroll in business analyst training.
Business Analyst (BA):
Business Analysts are mainly involved in analyzing business-related challenges and offering effective solutions in an organization. A detailed business analyst course guide will teach you all you need to know about the roles and responsibilities of business analysts.
In this section of the guide, we will have an in-depth look at the major differences between Business Process Analyst (BPA) and Business Analyst (BA). This includes understanding the differences in their roles and responsibilities which is teaching you’ll undergo if you enroll in business analyst certification online.
Furthermore, I will break down other major differences between BA and BPA.
The Responsibilities of a Business Process Analyst (BPA)
Here are the basic roles and responsibilities of a business process analyst;
- BPA is responsible for collecting and reviewing data sets which helps in determining how to improve existing business processes.
- BPA is not entirely concerned with analyzing business-related issues but understanding the business process involved in the execution of projects.
- BPA is involved in identifying operational challenges associated with the running of a business while providing effective solutions in the process.
- BPA configure and develop business processes and data structures.
- BPA is responsible for analyzing, developing, and implementing new business process architecture for the benefit of an organization.
- BPA is responsible for recommending solutions that will improve how business processes and operations are executed in an organization.
- BPA understands how to manage problems and challenges that employees face in an organization and also provides effective solutions.
- BPA is responsible for developing and testing business requirements.
- BPA translates business goals and objectives including business requirements into functional system operations.
- BPA is responsible for creating detailed project documentation that guides the proper execution of projects in an organization.
- BPA dedicates time to interact with clients to understand their business needs and requirements when hired.
- BPA works with project implementation teams to refine how logistics operations are carried out after product design and production.
- BPA helps organizations to work within their budget limit when executing projects while they ensure the completion of such projects in due time.
- BPA supports the design and development of business interface enhancement and requirements.
The responsibilities of business process analysts are quite enormous in the field.
The Responsibilities of a Business Analyst (BA)
Here are the basic roles and responsibilities of a business analyst;
- Business analysts work on every business stage by analyzing the problems involved while offering effective solutions through strategic thinking.
- A business analyst is responsible for analyzing a business process and identifying if a business strategy is efficient or not.
- A business analyst offers a role in analyzing and understanding different business domains that business processes are built on.
- Business analyst serves as the bridge that connects development teams and stakeholders with customers and clients.
- A business analyst makes use of tools and techniques that helps the successful execution of projects over a given period without delay.
- Business analysts have a better understanding of business requirements which helps them to prepare requirements documents used for project execution in an organization.
- A business analyst is responsible for creating “use-cases” and “user-stories” that help software product developers and stakeholders understand how a business process is supposed to be carried out.
- Business analysts work on every stage of the software development life cycle to prepare required documents when needed.
You can become a business analyst professional by enrolling in business analyst training which will introduce you to the fundamentals of business analysis as a career. There are business analyst certification online programs that will help you acquire the knowledge and skills needed to work as a business analyst.
This will help you work efficiently with business teams and project development teams in an organization to solve business-related challenges. If you are a certified BA professional, working in a BPA position will not be difficult for you as you can easily transition between the two fields.
Now, let’s have a look at the major difference between BPA and BA.
Major Differences Between BPA and BA
Here are the differences between BPA vs BA in a tabular format;
| Business Process Analyst (BPA) | Business Analyst (BA) | |
| 1. | BPA deals in operational procedures that help the improvement of business processes in an organization | BA identifies problems and offers opportunities for improvement at all levels of an organization |
| 2. | The experience level of a BPA is lower than that of a BA professional. | The experience level of a BA is higher than that of a BPA. |
| 3. | BPA works mainly on the field due to the nature of their job roles | BA works mainly in offices due to the nature of their job roles |
| 4. | BPA makes use of specialized business process modeling tools to design and document business process strategies | BA makes use of specialized business tools to identify business solutions to business challenges |
| 5. | The scope of work of a BPA is usually restricted to BPA activities and duties | The scope of work of a BA includes BPA activities and more |
| 6. | The average salary of a BPA is a lot lower than that of a BA professional | The average salary of a BA is like $5000 higher than that of a BPA |
| 7. | BPA makes use of tools such as Activity Diagram to draw the flowchart of system internal activities | BA makes use of tools such as Data Flow Diagram to draw the flowchart of system internal activities |
| 8. | BPA is mainly focused on business activities occurring outside of an automated system | Business analyst focus on business activities occurring both inside and outside of an automated system |
| 9. | BPA enrolls in certifications such as Six Sigma Certification, BPM Certification, and BA Certification. | BA professionals enroll in certifications such as CSM, BPA, CBAP, and CCBA. |
| 10. | BPA skills and tools set includes; improving business performance through process optimization and understanding how to implement tools such as BPM, ERP, and CRM through strategic thinking. | BA skills and tools set includes; improving business performance and understanding how to implement a series of business analysis tools through detailed business analysis techniques. |
Summary
Business Analysis and Business Process Analysis might appear to be similar in their mode of operation but both professions have been developing practitioners that offer different roles in the business world for years. Business Process Analysis is like a subset of Business Analysis in the sense that recruiters and employers tend to assume that a BA professional should be able to offer the basic responsibilities associated with a BPA professional. However, the responsibilities of business analysts differ from business process analysts because of their skill set.
There is a distinct variation in the roles associated with business analysis careers and their specialization is highly dependent on their skills set, technical tools, and the type of project they are working on. The type of organization they work with can also influence the type of tasks they carry out. The ultimate goal of a business is to make money, and while that is the main goal of most private organizations, there are organizations whose goals differ from those. For instance, governmental organizations and NGOs have objectives that are not centered around making money, so the role of any business analyst that works here will be different.
In conclusion, your interest and educational background are key factors that help to determine which career option to choose between being a business analyst or business process analyst. Both career options offer unique value in the business analysis field because they help in identifying the best opportunities that will make the running of a business successful and also push in achieving targets. There are varieties of business analyst courses that can help you land a BA or BPA position. It is very important to enroll in business analyst training to acquire more knowledge, which will help you boost your skillset and improve your qualifications that can be added to your resume. Ensure you make the most of the opportunity.
