carmelfarrugia wrote However, irrespective of whether a BA is external or internal, I believe that there will always be a case whereby one could potentially (at a cost) design a better system...  I got a sneek feeling that the management thinks that by hiring an external BA the BA will get the magic wound and design an innovative system

Of couse the best system is the one that meets the minimum organisational requirements and goes no further.

Hello dude,

An alternative definition for Business Analyst that has emerged is by the CSBA Body of Knowledge, that defines "Business Analyst position as uniquely placed in the organization to provide a strong link between the Business Community and Information Technology (IT)." The role of Business Analyst has evolved from someone who was a part of the business operation and worked with Information Technology to improve the quality of the products and services being delivered by the IT organization to someone who apart from gathering Business Requirements, also assists in Integration and Acceptance Testing, supports the development of training and implementation material, participates in the implementation, and provides post-implementation support. Business Analysts today are also involved in the development of project plans and often provide project management skills when these skills are not available in other project participants.