Why do project managers and business analysts always overlap?
Business analysts define what the business needs, while project managers determine how the work is organized and driven forward. When BAs expect project plans and timelines to answer requirements, or when the two roles misunderstand which input comes first, responsibilities clash and ownership gets blurred.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Escalating role disputes to leadership and sponsorsDid this help you?
- 2Running discovery phases independently without analyst inputDid this help you?
- 3Working around uncooperative team members using alternative process workstreamsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My understanding is pretty simple: As a BA, your role is to identify and define what the business needs to reach a solution for the <problem>. Opposite of that, I as the PM determine how the work is organized and drive it forward towards a solution for said business need.”source ↗
“BA: "Well, we need the Project Plan & Timeline to answer those questions. Can you get it done please?"”source ↗
“Their role is the major input into ours and when they don’t understand that or think it’s the other way around, it then causes situations like this.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 8How do I know what my job actually is with no communication?
- 5Doing manager work without the title
- 5How do I deal with non-technical managers and constant interruptions?
- 14How to transition from technical work to management with no background