By Cheryl Lee, PMP, PMI-PBA Business analysis helps project teams identify business needs, recommend solutions and develop and manage requirements—making it an essential competency of project and program management. And, according to PMI’s Pulse of the Profession in-depth report on requirements management, 53 percent of organizations believe there will be an increase in demand for business analysts (BAs) in the next few years. That’s why PMI is dedicated to supporting the growth of business analysis and why we’re encouraging our members and chapters to begin doing the same. Starting a New Community After witnessing first-hand how projects and programs benefit from a higher level of collaboration between the project manager (PM) and the business analyst (BA) roles, Cheryl Lee, PMP, PMI-PBA, CBAP co-founded and currently serves as chair of the Business Analysis Community within the PMI Southern Ontario Chapter. With nearly 5,000 members and nine special interest groups such as healthcare, technology, and government, the PMI Southern Ontario Chapter presented an excellent opportunity to begin a new community that focused on business analysis. At first, the Business Analysis Community leaned on existing special interest groups within the chapter to gain support. “Each group was very enthusiastic to partner with us,” explains Lee. “Our most recent event was held jointly with the Government Community and focused on the challenges of requirements management within government.” To date, this has been one of the most successful events, with more than 100 participants and the sponsorship of large corporations. Integrating Business Analysts into PMI Chapters Chapters around the world have been asking the PMI Southern Ontario for advice on how to integrate business analysts into their own chapters. Lee shares that the number one obstacle is overcoming a friction between the PM and the BA—a friction that stems from a failure to understand and respect the other person’s role on the project. “PMs sometimes see the BA as an annoying sibling who is slowing down their progress. And Bas sometimes see PMs as the bossy deliverable police,” says Lee. “By expanding the reach of business analysis into PMI chapters, we hope to clarify how PMs and BAs can work together to alleviate these pain points.” One of the ways they do this is by supporting the chapter’s work with local colleges and universities, which aims to help aspiring PMs enter the workforce. “We held a session to highlight the field of business analysis, and it was refreshing to see their curiosity in it,” muses Lee. “Most hadn’t even heard of business analysis before, but the presentation sparked a lot of interest in volunteering with our community and the possibility of a career in business analysis.” The business analysis community of the Southern Ontario Chapter has been in operation for about a year and a half, and the number of volunteers has doubled since the community’s inception and interest continues to grow. The group hosts events and webinars, and continues to work with other communities in the chapter to extend its reach. “It’s a great way to help PMs and BA learn how to develop a true partnership and manage projects more successfully,” concludes Lee. About Cheryl Lee, PMP, PMI-PBA Cheryl has co-founded the PMI Southern Ontario Chapter - Business Analysis Community, and co-authored “Effective PM and BA Role Collaboration” (2015), J. Ross. She is an author, speaker and passionate Business Analysis nerd that never misses an opportunity to help mentor and inspire other PMs and BAs.   LinkedIn Profile: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/cheryllowleeProjectManagement.com http://www.projectmanagement.com/profile/CherylLee