The Business Analyst should remain involved in the project even after the technical team takes over. The Business Analyst reviews the technical designs proposed by the design team for usability issues and to assure the requirements are being satisfied.
Once the solution is developed into software the Business Analyst is uniquely qualified to assess the software and determine how well it meets the original project objectives.
Some organizations have a Quality Assurance team that is responsible for software testing and quality review. The Business Analyst should work closely with this group to assist with the entire testing process. Testing is based on requirements, so the Business Analyst’s intimate knowledge of the requirements allows accurate design of test cases.
Whether or not a Quality Assurance team is available, the Business Analyst can assist with User Acceptance testing, the time when the Business Area Experts are asked to approve the software for implementation. As the software is tested, the Business Analyst can clearly document and report defects and variances from requirements. They can also assist the development team with identifying where the defects were introduced and correcting them.