The Business Analyst has three related roles:

• To contribute new ideas to the problem solving process
• Gather and analyse data to test the various hypotheses developed
• Draw out relevant, insightful conclusions from that analysis to suggest new hypotheses or lines of enquiry

At Port Jackson Partners, Business Analysts have considerable scope to provide input into the problem-solving process, and to present the results of their analyses to the team. Over time, opportunities to present to the client are also encouraged.

Some of the more common tasks of a Business Analyst are described below.

• Analysts collect information about markets, competitors and the client's own business, both from within the client and externally. The information required is sometimes ambiguous or not readily available. This often requires the Analyst to tailor the analysis to the available information.

• The information is then transformed and condensed in order to draw out its implications for the study. Often new interpretations of, and innovative methods of combining, existing data are required to gain meaningful insight.

• Analysts also construct financial models to test various scenarios and the effects of key assumptions, or to better understand the underlying dynamics of, for example, the business, industry, or production process.

• Many tasks of the Business Analyst require working with client personnel. One of the highlights of the Business Analyst position is the opportunity to meet and work with other talented individuals from client organisations.

• Finally, Analysts present their findings to the team or client personnel. This must be done in a concise, well-structured and meaningful way.

Role of the Directors

The Directors are responsible for the overall direction of a study. They are intimately involved in all phases of the study, ranging from negotiating and scoping the work, to problem solving, communicating and implementing the work.

More than one Director is generally involved in the work so that the client benefits from the collective ideas from all Directors rather than any one individually.

They initially meet with client personnel to explore the issues, and to prepare a "roadmap" for the study. These initial stages invariably lead to various hypotheses, and ultimately shape the overall direction of the study.

The study team then collects facts and performs analyses to support or refute the various hypotheses. The analysis often changes the client's perspective on their own business, giving them new insights on the issues they face. While the team focuses heavily on resolving the specific issue at hand, it is natural for these new insights to lead to other opportunities for improvement.

The Directors and the team regularly meet with client team members to help direct and lead their own efforts as part of the team, and to regularly review progress with senior executives to keep them informed about and seek their input on the ideas generated from the study.

By the conclusion of the study, the Directors have formalised a set of actions and desired outcomes with the senior client executives. Frequently these suggest new strategies or programs to be implemented. We are always prepared to help in the implementation of actions arising from our work.

Role of the Associate

Associates are typically given responsibility, under the guidance of the Directors, to analyse and study a discrete part of the project and increasingly to manage overall progress day-to-day.

The Associate is given broader opportunities to apply and further develop the problem-solving and analytical skills developed as a Business Analyst.

Associates also co-ordinate project work, supervise client and other team members, and become involved in presentations to Senior Client Executives.