When did IBM integrate the business analysis discipline?
IBM was avant-garde in this regard. It was one of the first groups to identify customer requests as business analysis needs. This demand is directly related to the upsurge of outsourcing in computer development at the end of the 1990s. The use of outsourcing incited companies to strengthen their upstream analysis: a company that outsources to India or China cannot get away with not doing an in-depth analysis of business requirements, unless it wishes to lose a lot of time and money. IBM has been using the business analyst title for this function since 1998 , while leaving it under the IT specialist umbrella. In 2003, we set up the first business analysis community within IBM, and in 2004, we attended the first BA World in Toronto. IBM Canada now employs more than 300 business analysts. Where do business analysts work in IBM? We have two types of organization. There are business analysts who work with the Global Services unit and provide customer services. Then there are many gradually
