Below are two main differences between Product Management and Business Analysis. Product Managers are focused on developing Products; Business Analysts are focused on developing Capabilities. For Product Managers, the ultimate goal is the Product. While it’s critical for the Product Manager to understand why and how people use the product, the Product Manager generally does not define how people use it, while Business Analysts are responsible for defining the requirements for a business capability.
Product Managers are responsible for the Product Roadmap, Business Analysts are not. The Product Roadmap is one of the core responsibilities of the Product Manager. This means the Product Manager is answering the question: what’s next? What’s on the horizon? What direction are we taking this product? The Business Analyst is working within a project, and taking the direction and scope as a given (or possibly making scope recommendations). There’s more in common between Product Managers and BAs than there are differences and the transformation from a Business Analyst to a Product Manager is quite easy and smooth so if you are thinking of taking a plunge into product management role, look no further, dive in and enjoy the transition.