Business Analysis Curriculum

Business Analysis Curriculum

Based on BABPK 3.0

Business Analysis Success (3.0)

Creating the Strategic Context for Mission-Critical Projects

Version 3.0 of the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® emphasizes the importance of value creation in the role of the Business Analyst. The BA still must gather accurate requirements from business users. To maximize the positive impact of recommended solutions, the BA must also understand the strategic context for a given project and guide solution design. Success for the BA should be measured by the value an implemented solution adds for the organization and its customers.

You will learn how to:

Apply strategy and organizational tools to define the business need
Understand and apply IIBA Knowledge Areas and Business Analysis Core Concepts Model
Create a business case
Identify and analyze stakeholders
Create a roadmap for BA activities and outcomes

Who Should Attend:

Business analysts, systems analysts, requirements professionals, business product owners, project/program managers and PMO directors, team leaders, development managers, process improvement professionals, management consultants, and IT management at all levels.

Course Outline:

Overview and Framework
Key Definitions
Knowledge Areas
Requirements Development Overview

Project Selection
Defining the Business Need
Evaluating Project Alternatives
Creating the Business Case

Stakeholder Management
Identifying Stakeholders
Understanding Stakeholder Needs and Influences
Engaging Stakeholders

BA Planning
Applying the Business Analysis Approach
Planning the BA Tasks
Developing the Communication Strategy

Eliciting & Documenting Requirements

Collaborating to Capture the True Business Needs

The Business Analyst has been described as the person who bridges the divide between IT departments and the business organizations they support. For all of the tools and techniques to elicit requirements, nothing is more important than making the most of human contact between these two interdependent groups. This seminar discusses several useful approaches to gathering requirements, focusing on the facilitation of collaborative sessions and the clear translation of business needs into requirements.

You will learn how to:

Practice new tools and techniques that will strengthen elicitation and collaboration results
Develop a framework for improved stakeholder collaboration
Maintain stakeholder engagement and commitment throughout requirements elicitation and documentation
Identify and create use cases and user stories
Write good requirements
Ensure focus on business value delivery

Who Should Attend:

Business analysts, designers/systems analysts, requirements professionals, business product owners, business architects, project/program managers, team leaders, team facilitators, process improvement professionals, development managers, management consultants, and IT specialists.

Course Outline:

Good Requirements
Business rationale
Requirements classification
Creating the road map

Elicitation and Collaboration
Understanding the difference
Stakeholder analysis
What to elicit

Techniques
Process analysis techniques
Interviews, focus groups, surveys
Brainstorming
User stories
Use cases
When, why and how to use the techniques

Writing Requirements
Transitioning from elicitation to requirements
Requirements tips and guidelines

Requirements Analysis and Design Definition

Converting Business Needs to Solutions

The ultimate objective of a business analysis, process improvement or information technology project is to improve business results. This seminar will present proven approaches to analyzing current conditions, business needs and technology enablers. Verification and validation techniques will be used to assure proposed solutions meet the needs of users and customers.

You will learn how to:

Help evaluate requirements for completeness, correctness and alignment with business needs
Create models that improve communication of business need and potential solutions
Manage requirements throughout the life cycle
Identify solutions which fulfill the business needs
Evaluate and recommend “best” solution(s)
Enhance skills which further foster collaboration and creativity

Who Should Attend:

Business analysts, systems analysts, requirements professionals, business product owners, business architects, project/program managers and PMO directors, team leaders, development managers, process improvement professionals, RFP developers, and IT specialists.

Course Outline

Elaborating the Requirements
Envisioning the future
Additional modeling techniques
Process, Context, Data
Acceptance criteria
The requirements package

Getting the Right Requirements Right
Evaluating the requirements
Evaluating the requirements package
Alignment with the business value
Requirements review techniques

Solution Design
JAD sessions
Leading creativity
Identifying solutions
Evaluating options

Managing BA Deliverables
Requirements management plan
Requirements prioritization
Requirements traceability
Change management

Solution Deployment & Evaluation

Delivering Business Value

Creating an elegant, business-focused technology or process improvement solution is a worthy accomplishment; assuring that the solution is properly implemented and generates value on an ongoing basis is equally important. The skills and knowledge delivered in Solution Deployment & Evaluation help assure that mission-critical solutions live up to their potential.

You will learn how to:

Trace value from inception to fulfillment
Set the stage for a successful solution implementation
Assess the organization’s readiness for change
Identify barriers to realizing the full return on investment
Identify business-driven performance measures
Address gaps in value fulfillment
Validate achievement of the desired business value

Who Should Attend:

Business analysts, designers/systems analysts, requirements professionals, business product owners, project/program managers, team leaders, testing/QA managers, process management professionals, management consultants, change management professionals, and IT specialists.

Course Outline:

Confirming the Solution
Requirements allocation and traceability
Solution validation
Defect management
Solution Implementation
Transition requirements
Readiness assessment
Implementation and support
Performance Evaluation
Value metrics
Performance analysis
Root cause analysis
Value Delivery Optimization
Process optimization
Organizational optimization
Change management
BA “art”
Sustaining the value delivery