Which role focuses on understanding business needs and aligning technology?

The role of a Functional Consultant is centered around understanding the specific needs of a business and aligning technology solutions to meet those needs. This professional acts as a bridge between the business stakeholders and the technical teams, ensuring that technology implementations are designed to support the organization's goals and processes effectively.

Functional Consultants conduct thorough analyses of business operations, identify areas for improvement, and recommend appropriate technological interventions. They often engage with various departments to gather requirements, clarify objectives, and transform those insights into actionable plans that can be executed by the technical teams. Their expertise lies in both understanding the business context and translating it into technical specifications, making them essential in ensuring that technology solutions drive business value.

In contrast, while a Sales Associate focuses on selling products or services and a Data Analyst primarily analyzes data to inform decisions, neither role is dedicated to integrating business needs with technology. This highlights why the Functional Consultant is the most relevant choice for this question.