Essentials of Business Analysis
A Lean Toolset For New and Experienced Business Analysts
A business analysts investigates business needs and proposes solutions to business problems. In order to succeed, business analysts require a unique combination of skills that combine an understanding of both business and technology.
This course is a revised version of our popular Essentials of Business Analysis. The revised course is still based on real-world experience and lessons learnt by practising business analysts but now incorporates some new advice for business analysts working in an agile environment.
Participants leave the course with a clear understanding of what is expected from a business analyst in a modern business environment and and the skills necessary to fulfil those expectations.
Course Features
- Draws material from the certification syllabi of International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), Project Management Institute (PMI) and British Computer Socienty (BCS)
- Summarises the vast body of business analysis best practice into a straightforward Business Analysis Process Model which provides a clear strategy for succeeding at business analysis
- Includes a wealth of supplementary course material offering advice on workflow modelling, describing software features, refining use case diagrams,creating a glossary of terms and populating a product backlog. The material also includes a number of mind map templates and feasibility checklists.
- The revised course structure includes a clear mapping of topics to IIBA's BABOK, a reworking of the BCS Business Analysis Process Model on which the course is based and new content describing the role of business analysis agile environments
- The course is suitable for graduates, developers and others moving into a BA role for the first time as well as experienced business analysts who need to update their skills, attend a "refresher" course or simply get some new ideas
Participant Benefits
- Develops the essentials knowledge and skills required to investigate business systems, identify business needs and specify the requirements of a software solution
- Improved panning and execution of business analysis tasks following a clear process model
- Gain a better understanding of the role of a business analyst in both traditional and agile environments and prepares business analysts staff for a possible transition to agile
- Explore strategies for better aligning IT with an organisation's business needs
Who Should Attend
- Those who want further develop their careers as Business Analysts, Business Systems Analysts, Systems Analysts or Functional Analysts
- Those who want enhance their careers with the knowledge and skills necessary to perform Business Analysis such as Product Owners, Product Managers, Software Engineers and Software Developers
- Those who need to coach, plan or manage teams of Business Analysts such as Scrum Masters, Project Managers and Program Managers
- Those who need to participate in or guide Business Analysis activities such as Business Stakeholders, End-User Representatives and Project Sponsors
Course Duration
- 2 days full time
Course Agenda
Introduction to Business Analysis
- The Business Analyst's Roles and Responsibilities
- The Holistic Approach to Business Analyst
- The Business Analyst's Skill Set
- Business Analysis Projects
- Business Analysis and Project Roles
- Business Analysis Deliverables
- The Project vs. Product Focus
- Requirements at Different Levels
- Business Needs, Solution Features and Requirements
- Requirements and the Traditional Software Development Life Cycle
- Requirements and Agile Software Development
- Agile Software Development and the Role of the Business Analyst
Business Analysis Process Model
- Business Analysis Standards and Certification
- International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) - BABOK
- British Computer Society
- Project Management Institute (PMI) - PMI-PBA
- The Business Analysis Process Model
- Investigate the Situation
- Consider Perspectives
- Analyse Needs
- Evaluate Options
- Define Requirements
- Modelling and Business Analysis
- Modelling Hard Systems
- Modelling Soft Systems
- Classifying Business Analysis Models
- Logical vs. Physical
- As-is vs. To-be
- Modelling Workflows
- Modeling Software Solutions
- Roles and the Business Analysis Process Model
- Traditional Software Development Life Cycle
- Agile Software Development
Investigating the Situation
- Defining Initial Scope
- Traditional vs. Modern Business Structure
- Defining the Business Areas
- Software Applications vs. Solutions
- Defining Initial Scope
- Business Area
- Software Solutions
- Identifying Business Requirements
- Defining Business Needs
- Strategic Business Needs
- Operational Business Needs
- Business Environment PESTLE Analysis
- Buiness Area PROMPT Analysis
- Buiness Area SWOT Analysis
- Identifying Business Requirements
Considering Perspectives
- Consider Perspectives
- Stakeholder Analysis
- Identifying Stakeholders Using MACROSCOPE
- Analysing Stakeholdera
- Developing Stakeholder Strategies
- Considering Stakeholder Attitudes
- Stakeholders and Scope
- Fuzzy Boundaries
- Different Stakeholder Perspectives
- Modelling Business Area Scope
- Defining Activities
- The Verb-Noun Template
- Examples of Strong, Active Verbs
- Investigating Activity Outcomes
- Activities and Tools
- Software as a Tool
- Functional Decomposition
- Defining the Business Area Mission
- Identifying Tasks
- Grouping Tasks Into Functions
- Knowing When to Stop Decomposing
- Modelling Software Initial Solution Scope
- Context Diagrams
- Actors
- Information Flows
- Business System Scope = Business Area + Software Solution Scope
Modelling Workflows
- Activity Diagrams
- Activities
- Sequential Activities
- Parallel Activities
- Decisions
- Events
- Functional Decomposition
- Workflow Models
- Defining Business Processes
- Classifying Workflow Models
- Logical vs. Physical
- As-is vs. To-be
- Physical As-Is workflow Example
- Logical Workflow Example
- Physical To-Be Workflow Example
Modelling Software Solutions
- Classifying Software Solution Models
- Logical vs. Physical
- As-is vs. To-be
- Solution Options
- Selected Solution
- Modelling Software Solutions
- Solftware Solution
- Modelling Components
- Components
- Required Services
- Provided Services
- Component Diagram
- Modelling Features
- Business Needs vs. Software Features
- Activities and Software Features
- What Area Software Features?
- External User Capabilities
- Internal System Capbility
- Constraint
- Describing Capabilities
- Describing Capability Constraints
- Describing System Wide Constraints
- Defining a Glossary
- Summary Of Naming Features
- Modelling Features Using Use Case Diagrams
- Grouping Features Into Functional Areas
- What Is a Functional Area?
- Logical View of Software
- Groupings of features having a common purpose
- Used to organise requirements
- Why Group Requirements Into Functional Areas?
- Comparing Components and Functional Areas
- Describing Solution Features With User Stories
- User Story Cards
- Capturing Requirements On the Back Of the Story Card
- User Stories and the Three C's
- Card
- Conversation
- Confirmation
Analysing Needs
- Why Model the Current Business System?
- Identifying Operational Business Needs Using POEM Analysis
- Information Analysis
- What are Information Requirements?
- Information Analysis Steps
- Identify Information Flows and Data Stores
- Current Applications
- Informal Applications
- Gaps
- Reorganising Data Elements Into Concepts
- Grouping Concepts Into Subject Areas
- Subject Areas vs. Functional Areas
- Business Rule Analysis
- What Are Business Rules?
- The Business Rules Mantra
- Business Rule Analysis Steps
- Identifying Business Rules
- Current Applications
- Informal Applications
- Gaps
- Creating a Glossary of Terms
- Defining Facts
- Buisness Rules
- Constraints
- Decisions
- Permissions
- Derivations
- Gap Analysis
- Comparing As-Is and To-Be
- Identifying Gaps
Evaluating Options
- Comparing Traditional and Agile Approaches
- Defining Solution Options
- Holistic Solutions
- Benefits
- Assumptions
- Why Model the Proposed Business System?
- Solution Components
- Solution Features
- Evaluating Solution Options Using TESCO
- Developing a Traditional Stakeholder Requirements Document
- Populating Agile Product Backlog
- Product Backlog Items
- Prioritising the Backlog
- Estimating the Backlog
Defining Requirements
- Comparing Traditional and Agile Approaches
- Formal Requirements
- What Area Software Requirements?
- Adding Subject and Obligation To Capabilities
- Desribing Functional Requirements
- Describing Funbctional Constraints
- Describing System Wide Constraints
- Obligations as Attributes
- Other Requirements Attributes
- Interface Requirements and Wire Frames
- The Data Dictionary
- Requirements vs. Business Rules
- Requirements Traceability
- Developing a Traditional Solution Requirements Document
- Working With the Sprint Backlog
- Planning the Sprint Backlog
- Product Backlog Refinement
- Backlog Item Elaboration
- Identifying Transition Requirements