What is (a) business analysis? Definition and examples

A business analysis is an investigation into a company’s operations. The aim is to determine what caused the results it achieved as well as those results’ effects on the business.

Business analysis is also a research discipline. It identifies a business enterprise’s needs and determines solutions to problems related to business. Experts in this field are business analysts.

Business analysis – countable & uncountable noun

Note that in the first paragraph, the term is a countable noun, and in the second, it is an uncountable noun. A countable noun has the word ‘a’ before it while an uncountable noun does not. ‘Water,’ for example, is an uncountable noun, while ‘bottle’ is countable. We can say one bottle, two bottles, etc., but we cannot say one water, two waters, etc.

When the term ‘business analysis’ is uncountable it is a discipline, when it is countable it is an investigation.

Pestle Analysis has the following definition of the term when it is a countable noun:

“A business analysis is an investigation into a company’s operations. The aim is to determine what caused the results it achieved as well as those results’ effects on the business.”

Wikipedia has the following definition of the term when it is an uncountable noun:

“Business analysis is a research discipline of identifying business needs and determining solutions to business problems. Solutions often include a software-systems development component, but may also consist of process improvement, organizational change or strategic planning and policy development.”

What is a business analysis about?

A business analysis is all about gaining a better understanding of how a company operates to achieve its purposes.

During the investigation, you try to define what the business requires to provide goods or services to the external stakeholders.

It is important to find out how the business’ goals and objectives connect. After carrying out the analysis, you need to make a plan showing how the company can achieve its goals and objectives.

Your goals state how you want your business to be while your objectives state how you plan to get there.