What is the difference between a business analyst and a systems analyst?

The main difference between a business analyst and a systems analyst lies in the focus of their work and the level of detail of their tasks.

• Business Analyst deals with analyzing business processes, identifying needs and requirements of the business. Their task is to understand what goals and objectives the organization has, what problems need to be solved, and to formulate requirements for the future system from a business perspective. They work at the level of business values and processes, interacting with clients and users.

• Systems Analyst focuses on the technical side of implementing requirements. They translate business requirements into technical specifications, design system architecture, describe functional and non-functional requirements, and interact with developers and testers. Their task is to ensure that the system meets the requirements and is feasible from a technical standpoint.

In simpler terms, the business analyst is responsible for "what and why needs to be done," while the systems analyst is responsible for "how to implement it."