Technical Skills for Business Analysts
An Examination of the Technical Skills Needed to Properly Interact with an IT Development Team
The Business Analyst (BA) is the conduit between two worlds - the business with the need and the users of the solution, and the developers that will actually design, build and implement the IT solution. In order to be truly effective in the role of an interpreter/translator, the BA must be able to speak the languages of both sides.
This two-day course is designed to get the BA up and running with enough technical knowledge to participate in discussions and to facilitate testing of IT solutions. The course will focus on Structured Query Language (SQL), programming concepts and technical jargon, and the technical components of a web application. Configuration Management will also be discussed.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This course will benefit business analysts, executives, functional managers, project managers and programmers interested in expanding their effectiveness, and any other individuals involved in IT project work. While not mandatory, it is recommended that students in this class bring their own laptop computers with Microsoft Access® for use with class exercises.
COURSE FEATURES
Through instruction, dialog, real-world examples and exercises, upon completion of this course, you will:
• Understand the role that a BA must play while working with the technical staff
• Be able to use elements of Structured Query Language to perform basic queries
• Possess an understanding of computer processing, programming and program flow control
• Understand the basic history and structure of the web development environment
• Comprehend the methods and terms involved in software configuration management and version control
COURSE OUTLINE
The Technical Role of the BA
• Definition of Business Analysis
• Why Learn Technical Skills?
• Role of the Technical team
• Technical Terms
Structured Query Language
• Relational Database Concept
• SQL Components
• Basic Queries
• Table Joins
• Database Structures
Programming Concepts
• History
• Application Development
• Enhancing the Default Application
• Visual Basic Coding
• Program Flow Control
Web Applications
• History and Evolution
• Pieces of the Web Environment
• Stateless Nature of the Web
Configuration Management
• Version Control
• Concurrent Development
• Branching and Merging
Duration: 2 days
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.*
Earn: 14 CDUs, 1.4 CEUs**
*The University of Houston-Clear Lake holds class from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
**The University of Pittsburgh does not offer CEUs.
KNOWLEDGE AREAS ADDRESSED
IIBA® Knowledge Areas Addressed:
• Elicitation
• Requirements Analysis
• Requirements Management & Communication
• Solution Assessment & Validation