2008-06-03

Who's more unpopular? BA or PM?

I asked the trainer at a recent Business Analyst training session, "Who's the most unpopular person on any software project? The Business Analyst or the Project Manager?" Without hesitation, she answered, "Project Manager."
I thought that was interesting, since I figured the BA probably has to ask everyone a lot more questions than the PM. There's always a risk of sounding stupid.
On the other hand, the PM has to keep the project progressing forward, on time and on budget, which the BA doesn't worry about. That probably guarantees unpopularity.
I guess it comes down to asking the RIGHT questions as a BA. This probably decides if I or the PM would be the more unpopular person on a project.
What are your thoughts? Comment please! :)