About this Course

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.

Audience Profile

At Course Completion

Upon completing this course, students will be able to:

•   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

Prerequisites

Course Outline

Section 1: Introduction

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

Section 2: The Role of the Business Analyst

•   The business analysis process
•   BA role vs. project manager role
•   BA competencies
•   The BA career path

Section 3: Supporting the Project Portfolio

•   The project portfolio
•   Strategic enterprise analysis
•   Solution Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

Section 4: Developing the Solution Vision and Scope

•   Defining solution vision and scope
•   Conducting a outcomes workshop
•   Validating solution scope against the expected outcomes

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

Section 6: Planning and Eliciting Requirements

•   The Requirements Work Plan (RWP)
•   Components of the RWP
•   Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
•   Elicitation techniques
•   Preparing for change

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

Section 8: Modeling Requirements

•   Modeling using BPMN
•   AS-IS vs. TO-BE modeling
•   Models and the BRD

Section 9: Assessing and Validating Requirements

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

Section 10: Additional Resources

•   Useful books and links on Business Analysis