Business analysis is the discipline of identifying business needs, determining solutions to business problems, and for a specific project eliciting, documenting, and managing requirements. Proper application of business analysis on a project dramatically increases the chances of successfully completing the project and obtaining the project benefits. This 3-day course provides the fundamental knowledge needed for doing business analysis activities on projects, both Waterfall and Agile.
The course will cover the types of project requirements and key business analysis processes. Effective techniques for eliciting and analyzing requirements will be discussed. Course topics also include writing good requirements, managing changes to requirements, communicating requirements, and tracing scope back to requirements. Implementing the solution, including organizational readiness, defect handling, and benefits achievement will also be covered. This course will prepare you to immediately start implementing business analysis best practices on projects.
This course will benefit new business analysts, project managers, project team members, and functional managers interested in learning how to apply business analysis practices for managing project requirements on Waterfall and Agile projects.
After successful completion of this course, attendees will be able to:
- Define the types of project requirements
- Prepare a basic plan for business analysis on a project
- Elicit project requirements using various techniques
- Write clear and unambiguous requirements
- Prepare a requirements documentation package
- Analyze & prioritize project requirements
- Validate the project solution
- Confirm benefits achievement
- Understand the BA’s role on an Agile project
Module 1: Business Analysis Fundamentals
- What is Business Analysis?
- Key Business Analysis Processes
- International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA)® A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide)
- Project Management Institute (PMI)® Business Analysis for Practitioners: A Practice Guide®
- Skills & Expertise Needed for the BA Role
- IIBA® and PMI® BA Certifications
- Types of Requirements
Module 2: Business Analysis Planning
- The Business Analysis Approach
- Stakeholder Analysis
- Communications Planning
- Planning for Requirements Management
- Managing BA Performance
Module 3: Requirements Elicitation
- Key Steps for Elicitation Preparation
- Elicitation Techniques (Interviews, Brainstorming, Survey, Group Events, Observation, Prototyping)
- Elicitation Results Confirmation
Module 4: Requirements Management and Communication
- Guidelines for Writing Good Requirements
- Requirements Package Preparation
- Traceability of Scope Back to Requirements
- Requirements Baseline
- Requirements Change Management
- Communication of Requirements
Module 5: Requirements Analysis
- Verification & Validation of Requirements
- Organization & Prioritization of Requirements
- Analysis Model Techniques (Scope, Process Flow, Data, Rules, Interface)
- Use Cases
- Solution Documentation
Module 6: Solution Evaluation & Validation
- When & How to Validate the Solution
- Organizational Readiness Assessment
- Acceptance Criteria Evaluation
- Solution Implementation & Defect Handling
- Benefits Achievement Confirmation
Module 7: The Business Analyst’s Role in Agile
- Agile Overview
- Agile Roles and the BA
- User Stories
- Agile Myths
This course addresses all the knowledge areas in the IIBA® A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide
This course addresses the following knowledge areas from the PMI® A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide):
- Project Integration Management
- Project Scope Management
- Project Schedule Management
- Project Communications Management
- Project Risk Management
- Project Stakeholder Management