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 as well as the pre-project activities that comprise strategy analysis. Participants learn how a business analyst supports the project throughout the solution development life cycle, from defining business needs and solution scope to validating that requirements have been met in the testing phase and ensuring the solution continues to provide value after implementation.
After completing this course, participants will fully understand the characteristics of the business analyst role and the components that comprise the profession of business analysis. Students will obtain a solid working vocabulary to enable effective communication about business analysis activities and deliverables across the project team.
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Instructor did a great job, from experience this subject can be a bit dry to teach but he was able to keep it very engaging and made it much easier to focus.
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Prerequisites
No prerequisites: this course is suitable for both novices and experienced practitioners who need to have a clear
and systematic approach to Business Analysis.
Detailed Class Syllabus
Section 1: Introduction to Business Analysis
Business analysis defined
The activities that comprise business analysis
IIBA/PMI and the goals of a professional association
IIBA’s BABOK® Guide and PMI’s Practice Guide in Business Analysis
Exercise: Requirements challenges
Section 2: The IIBA™ and the role of the Business Analyst
Business analyst defined
BA role vs. PM role
Importance of communication/collaboration
The deliverables produced as part of business analysis
The BA career path
Exercise: Review case Study
Section 3: Strategy Analysis and Change
The definition of Strategy Analysis
Components of Strategy Analysis
Identifying stakeholders and business needs
Exercises:
Business Need development
RACI Stakeholder Identification
Section 4: Understanding and Defining Solution Scope
Defining Solution Scope
Project scope vs. product scope
Defining a problem statement
Techniques for defining scope
Exercises:
Conduct a brainwriting session
Create a context diagram
Optional exercise:
Create a Use Case Diagram
Section 5: Understanding Requirements
Define the term requirement
Understand requirement types
Present the requirements process
Requirements vs. specifications and business rules
Exercise: Identify Requirements
Section 6: Planning and Eliciting Requirements
The Requirements Work Plan (RWP)
Components of the RWP
Identifying good questions for elicitation
Active listening
Categories and types of elicitation techniques
Exercise: Planning for elicitation
Section 7: Analyzing and Documenting Requirements
Understanding requirements analysis
The Business Requirements Document (BRD)
The BRD vs. the functional requirements specification
BRD components
The purpose of packaging requirements
Exercise: Analyzing Requirements
Section 8: Elicitation and Process Modeling
Why models are created
Objectives of modeling
What is process management
Understanding process modeling
Modeling using BPMN
AS-IS vs. TO-BE modeling
BPMN subclasses
BPMN simple structure
Prototyping
Business Process Modeling case study
Exercises:
Modeling
Create a Prototype of your application
Section 9: Verifying and Validating Requirements
The difference between validation and verification
Characteristics of good requirements
Risks associated with requirements
Types of testing approaches
Creating a test plan
Requirements traceability matrix
Verified and validated requirements
Exercise: Testing Requirements
Section 10: Additional Resources
Helpful links for obtaining additional business analysis information