Credits: 14 PDUs / 2 Days

Course Level: Basic/Intermediate

Prerequisites:
No prerequisites: this course is suitable for both novices and experienced people who need to have a clear and systematic approach to Business Analysis.

Course Objectives:
This is an introductory course designed to provide participants with a basic understanding of the benefits, functions and impact of a Business Analyst has within an organization. The course discusses the business analysis process as it is applied throughout a project to include the pre-project activities that comprise enterprise analysis. Participants also learn how a business analyst supports the project throughout the solution development life cycle, from establishing the solution vision and scope in the analysis phase to validating that requirements have been met in the testing phase.

After completing this course, participants will understand why and when to involve the business analysis function. They will also have a working vocabulary to enable them to communicate effectively with those who perform that role.

Included:

• Full Student Guide and Business Analysis Templates

Intended Audience:
Designed for those individuals new to the Business Analyst role or those who supervise and/or work with business analysts.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the role of the business analyst
• Plan, manage, analyze, document, and communicate requirements
• Conduct effective interviews, group workshops, and questionnaires
• Effectively capture and document business rules
• Know how to ensure requirements are met

Course Outline:

Section 1: Introduction to Business Analysis

• What is business analysis?
• Good business analysis practices
• Benefits of business analysis

Section 2: The IIBA™ and the role of the Business Analyst

• The business analysis process
• BA role vs. project manager role
• BA competencies
• The BA career path
  Exercise: Review case Study

Section 3: Supporting the Project Portfolio

• The project portfolio
• Strategic enterprise analysis
• Solution Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
  Exercise: RACI Stakeholder Identification

Section 4: Developing the Solution Vision and Scope

• Defining solution vision and scope
• Conducting a outcomes workshop
• Validating solution scope against the expected outcomes
  Exercise: Conduct a Brainwriting session
  Exercise: Create a context diagram

Section 5: Understanding Requirements and Business Rules

• Functional, non-functional and implementation requirements
• Requirements vs. specifications
• Requirements vs. business rules
• Risk management and risk response strategies
  Exercise: Identify Requirements

Section 6: Planning and Eliciting Requirements

• The Requirements Work Plan (RWP)
• Components of the RWP
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Elicitation techniques
• Preparing for change
  Exercise: Which techniques would you use?

Section 7: Analyzing and Documenting Requirements

• Analyzing requirements
• Characteristics of effective requirements
• The Business Requirements Document (BRD)
• The BRD vs. the technical specifications document
• BRD validation techniques
  Exercise: Analyzing Requirements

Section 8: Modeling Requirements

• Modeling using BPMN
• AS-IS vs. TO-BE modeling
• Models and the BRD
  Exercise: Modeling
  Exercise: Create a Prototype of your application

Section 9: Assessing and Validating Requirements

• Validation and verification
• Types of testing
• Creating a master test plan
• Test scenarios and test cases
  Exercise: Testing Requirements

Section 10: Additional Resources

• Useful books and links on Business Analysis

Download PDF:

BA01-Business Analysis Essentials – 2 days