"First, the “IN THE PAST” part of the graphic is wrong in that the Business Analyst really did not exist (depending on the time the authors intend). The so-called Business Analyst primarily did Systems Analyst work in most companies. In the old days we had Systems Analysts that worked with programmers and there was virtually no push towards a process orientation. Process consultants were scarcely used. Instead, the so-called Business Analyst (or Systems Analyst) focused on task optimization or basic automation. Don’t forget, what most people call a process is really only sub process or task – not a true process. As time passed, some companies tried to fix the gap between Systems Analysts and Programmers using combined programmer/analysts. This had mixed results. But regardless, Process Analyst’s did little or nothing to improve core processes in most companies. The limitation was both technology and business thinking. The “TODAY” portion of the graphic is not today in most companies. Business Analysts are now common and we have transformed Programmers into Application Developers, but few companies use Enterprise Architects, Process Consultants, and Services Developers. If they do, they do not do things that affect end-to-end processes. The graphic also describes SOA as part of the “TODAY” yet SOA is not active in most companies although some have roadmaps and have started some basic web services moving toward SOA and eventually enterprise SOA (ESA). But with regard to a process orientation, today, we are still limping along with most “Business Analysts” acting a lot like Systems Analysts working mostly with functional users and doing config with little focus on end-to-end processes. Business thinking is STILL the limitation in most companies and even ERP does not do enough to foster true BPM and the new process enterprise. The “IMPORTANT GROWING ROLE” portion of the graphic is quite good. This shows the Business Analyst, Process Consultant, Enterprise Architect, and Application Developer being merged into a Business Process Expert Role. We are talking here about enterprise architecture, SOA, BPM and the like working synergistically as enablers of agility. The new roles for those affected in IT – Business Analysts and Application Developers – will be much different than ever before. How? We will move toward a focus on business strategy, governance and core processes, the enterprise process model, and the business model of the company as the objective of our transformation. This is then all enabled by SOA, enterprise architecture, BI, and BPM. This is much more than the simply collection of user requirements and then delivering." 
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