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Business functional analyst vs business analyst-consultant

The differences between business functional analysts and business analyst-consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a business functional analyst, becoming a business analyst-consultant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a business analyst-consultant has an average salary of $90,127, which is higher than the $89,264 average annual salary of a business functional analyst.

The top three skills for a business functional analyst include java, business process and ERP. The most important skills for a business analyst-consultant are strong analytical, business process, and data analysis.

Business functional analyst vs business analyst-consultant overview

Business Functional AnalystBusiness Analyst-Consultant
Yearly salary$89,264$90,127
Hourly rate$42.92$43.33
Growth rate9%11%
Number of jobs116,341166,560
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age4344
Years of experience64

What does a business functional analyst do?

A business functional analyst's role focuses on helping companies utilize and implement software and systems in various operations. They conduct initial assessments, gather and analyze data from different departments, perform risk assessments, and create plans for system implementation and integration. They also conduct extensive research and analyses to determine the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems, developing solutions to optimize operations. Moreover, besides performing analytical tasks, a business functional analyst may also provide technical support to staff by troubleshooting complex issues and performing corrective measures when necessary.

What does a business analyst-consultant do?

A business analyst-consultant is responsible for overseeing the project management and ensuring that the operations meet the agreed-upon project deliverables. Business analyst-consultants closely coordinate with the clients for their specifications and requirements, monitoring the resources and processes for the project completion, and aligning those to the clients' budget goals. A business analyst-consultant helps the development team on strategizing techniques for brand promotions with minimal costs with maximum quality and productivity. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on identifying business opportunities to drive revenues and increase profitability.

Business functional analyst vs business analyst-consultant salary

Business functional analysts and business analyst-consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Business Functional AnalystBusiness Analyst-Consultant
Average salary$89,264$90,127
Salary rangeBetween $65,000 And $122,000Between $66,000 And $122,000
Highest paying CityPalo Alto, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyThe Children's PlaceBNY Mellon
Best paying industryFinanceFinance

Differences between business functional analyst and business analyst-consultant education

There are a few differences between a business functional analyst and a business analyst-consultant in terms of educational background:

Business Functional AnalystBusiness Analyst-Consultant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityNorthwestern University

Business functional analyst vs business analyst-consultant demographics

Here are the differences between business functional analysts' and business analyst-consultants' demographics:

Business Functional AnalystBusiness Analyst-Consultant
Average age4344
Gender ratioMale, 49.5% Female, 50.5%Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 23.8% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage8%12%

Differences between business functional analyst and business analyst-consultant duties and responsibilities

Business functional analyst example responsibilities.

  • Manage integrated functionality & technology dependencies, usability, reliability, performance and support requirements of legacy CRM and web applications.
  • Train the business team on Sharepoint.
  • Provide SME knowledge to analyst and technical team on ordering business.
  • Provide cross functional diagrams through the use of Visio to represent user/system interaction.
  • Develop Visio models to show data and process flows for current and future processes.
  • Employ SDLC for the purpose of monitoring the project and also follow the step-by-step procedure.
  • Show more

Business analyst-consultant example responsibilities.

  • Create process flow charts in VISIO and perform analysis to automate manual daily load processes.
  • Monitor and manage project KPIs relative to the definition, design and delivery of business & functional requirements.
  • Manage UAT for provider locator website and call center replacement implementations.
  • Lead requirements discovery for third-party off-shore development team and facilitate JAD sessions to solidify requirements and build consensus for application design.
  • Manage integrated functionality & technology dependencies, usability, reliability, performance and support requirements of legacy CRM and web applications.
  • Create flow charts in VISIO documenting system and departmental dependencies and recording results on Citibank's internal SharePoint system.
  • Show more

Business functional analyst vs business analyst-consultant skills

Common business functional analyst skills
  • Java, 12%
  • Business Process, 10%
  • ERP, 4%
  • UAT, 4%
  • Test Cases, 4%
  • User Acceptance, 4%
Common business analyst-consultant skills
  • Strong Analytical, 10%
  • Business Process, 8%
  • Data Analysis, 7%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Business Analysts, 6%
  • Process Improvement, 5%

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