Business analysis is the practice of understanding business needs and enabling change, including the recommendation of solutions. Business analysis can deliver value before, during, or after a project or business initiative. Initiatives, where business analysis is applied, can be tactical, strategic, or operational in nature. Business analysis is often used to understand the business's current state and future desired state. 

According to the BABOK® Guide, business analysis can also be performed using a variety of different business perspectives. These perspectives include the following:

• The agile perspective
• The business intelligence perspective
• The information technology perspective
• The business architecture perspective 
• The business process management perspective

It is important to note that these perspectives do not include the full range of potential contexts in which business analysis can be applied.