From http://www.xprogramming.com/xpmag/BizAnalysis.htm :

Customers don't always know how to express what they need, or how to make the whole system hang together. To provide this necessary ingredient, teams sometimes place business analysts or product managers between customer and programmers. '''Business analysts should work as aides to the customer, not as an interface between customer and programmer.''' This keeps rapid accurate feedback in place while providing coherence and consistency to the product.

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I think programmers also often have problems communicating with customers. From my experience, many good programmers do not know how to ask customers the right questions or how to explain issues to customers without talking in technical terms. In those cases, the Business Analysts work as aides to the programmers. Many of you don't like the word "Interface", but if the business analysts can help improve the communication between customers and programmers, then this is the role they have to play.
-- AdamLi

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The ExtremeAnalysis mailing-list is going at http://www.egroups.com/group/extremeanalysis. It was started by AdamLi of ThoughtWorks (right, Adam?).

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As I understand it, an ExtremeAnalyst is someone who's taking the role as a customer, but is employed by the development organization. -- JohannesBrodwall

I think what Ron is saying in the article is that an ExtremeAnalyst does not take over the role of the Customer but does things to enable a customer or group of customers to act as an XP Customer. So it's not TheAnalystIsTheGateKeeper but rather TheAnalystIsTheAide. Subtle but essential difference that I didn't realize before... but I agree with now. -- JasonYip
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See also WhatIsAnalysis

Nobody knows what is XA... all speak and they write on the subject, but still nothing concrete exists on that.

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Another value that someone acting as a customer-aide can have is in the are of usability. I've recently been looking at the connections between UsageCenteredDesign (UCD) and AgileMethods like XP. One of the points the usability experts make is that users and customers (and most developers) aren't really equipped to make good UI decsions, because they're not familar with the principles of what makes a good UI.

It would seem like a good general principle to involve an appropriate expert either as part of a pair, or as a third person in a triple, to help work on tasks that require *unusual* expertise. (?)

-- GeoffSobering