If you don't have a BA you will be forced to invent one

Just like a PM, Tester, or Architecht any team that doesn't have a formal BA identified will end up creating the role in some round-about way.

This post from Joel on Software about a "Program Manager" is a case in point. It's pretty much just a rediscvery of the need for a BA - which is just frustrating. Every development method or team that thinks it can do without a BA really just makes-do with a bad one named something else, and then blames the user for their problems.