Course Length: 3 Days / 21 PDUs

Course Description:
This is an introductory course designed to provide participants with a basic understanding of the benefits, functions and impact 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.

Included:

• Full Student Guide and Business Analysis Templates

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

Prerequisites:
This course is suitable for both novices and experienced people who need to have a clear and systematic approach to Business Analysis.

Workshop:
This course uses a client-supplied project interleaved throughout the course so that participants can apply the concepts and techniques associated with business analysis activities using a real-life example.  The workshop deliverables include:

• RACI Matrix
• Context Diagram
• Business Process Model
• Business and Stakeholder Requirements
• Business Rule Matrix
• Use Case Diagram and Specification
• UI Mock-up
• Test Case

Learning Objectives:
After completing this course, participants will:

• Understand why and when to involve the business analysis function.
• Learn a working vocabulary to enable effective communication with those who perform that role.
• Plan, manage, analyze, document, and communicate requirements
• Conduct effective interviews, group workshops, and questionnaires
• Effectively capture and document business rules
• Develop Use Cases and UI Mock-ups
• Know how to ensure requirements are met

Course Topics

DAY 1

Section 1: Introduction to Business Analysis

• What is business analysis?
• Good business analysis practices
• Benefits of business analysis
  Ice Breaker Exercise: Ball Toss Game

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

• The business analysis process
• The BA Body of Knowledge (BA-BoK)
• BA role vs. project manager role
• BA competencies
• The BA career path
  Workshop: Review Workshop Project (customer-specific project)

Section 3: Supporting the Project Portfolio

• The project portfolio
• Strategic enterprise analysis
• Solution Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
  Workshop: Perform Stakeholder Analysis

Section 4: Developing the Solution Vision and Scope

• Defining solution vision and scope
• Conducting a outcomes workshop
• Validating solution scope against the expected outcomes
  Workshop: Conducting a Brainwriting session
  Workshop: Creating a context diagram

DAY2

Section 5: Understanding Requirements and Business Rules

•  Business, Stakeholder, Functional, non-functional requirements
• Requirements vs. specifications
• Requirements vs. business rules
• Using a decision matrix to capture business rules
• Risk management and risk response strategies
  Workshop: Defining Business Requirements and Business Rules

Section 6: Business Process Modeling

• What is Business Process Modeling?
• AS-IS vs. TO-BE modeling
• Models and the BRD
  Workshop: Creating a “to-be” Business Process Model

Section 7: Planning and Eliciting Requirements

• The Requirements Work Plan (RWP)
• Components of the RWP
• Elicitation techniques
• Preparing for change
  Workshop: Elicit Stakeholder Requirements (Conduct an interview)

Section 8: Use Case Analysis

• What is a Use Case?
• Writing scenario-based requirements
• The Use Case Diagram
  Workshop: Drawing a Use Case Diagram

DAY 3

Section 8 (cont’d): Use Case Analysis

• The Use Case Specification
• Writing the Main, Alternate, and Exception Flows
  Workshop: Writing a Use Case Specification

Section 9: Analyzing and Documenting Requirements

• Analyzing requirements
• Characteristics of effective requirements
• UI Prototyping
  Workshop:  Creating a UI Mock-up

Section 10: Assessing and Validating Requirements

• Validation and verification
• Types of testing
• Creating a master test plan
• Test scenarios and test cases
  Workshop: Creating a Test Case

Section 11: Additional Resources

• Useful books and links on Business Analysis

Download PDF:

BA01-Business Analysis Essentials – 3 days