Why do more than 50% of projects fail to meet their original objectives? Why do we continue to see the number of troubled and canceled projects on the rise? According to PMI’s 2014 Pulse of the Profession® In-Depth Report, 47% of failed projects fail to meet goals due to poor requirements management. With a strong correlation between poor requirements practices, failed projects, and wasted dollars; organizations can no longer afford to accept mediocre business analysis skills from those fulfilling the business analysis role.
This 4-day Foundations of Business Analysis is one of the most popular classes covering the BA lifecycle in a depth and breadth approach. The class not only provides practical knowledge for attendees, but a total immersion in the BA role. Participants will learn how to perform stakeholder analysis, utilize techniques to elicit the needs of these stakeholders, translate their needs into solution requirements, and confirm these requirements are well-written, correct, and precise. The course is aligned to BABOK* Version 3 and covers the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) knowledge areas on the Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA) exam. The course will provide attendees with 28 professional development hours. IIBA previously required 21 professional development hours to sit for the ECBA exam but they have waived the PD hours requirement.
Audience: This course is intended for beginner to intermediate business analysts who are looking to improve their skills by learning best practices and techniques for eliciting, analyzing, documenting, validating, and communicating requirements.
Course Objectives:
- Obtain a thorough understanding of the core responsibilities of the business analyst
- Understand the main professional associations and standards supporting business analysts in the industry
- Discuss and explore the components of each of the domains/knowledge areas that comprise the work of business analysis
- Recognize the importance of properly defining the business need prior to engaging in requirements activities
- Formulate a strong understanding of the concepts that comprise strategy analysis
- Obtain knowledge of and experience with the important work of stakeholder analysis
- Decipher between project and product scope and successfully use models to communicate scope
- Thoroughly understand and identify the various requirements categories and be able to recognize requirements of various types
- Develop interviewing skills and explore ways to plan and structure interviews
- Examine different forms of requirements documentation
- Explore elements of communication, conflict, and issue management
- Obtain a solid understanding of the concepts and activities involved in solution evaluation
- Obtain hands-on experience with a number of business analysis techniques for eliciting, analyzing, and modeling requirements
- Throughout the course, students work together in small groups on a pre-determined project. Each exercise allows students to apply their learnings throughout the course.
Course Outline:
- Introduction to Business Analysis
- A Closer Look at the Business Analyst Role
- Strategy Analysis and Change
- Defining a Change Strategy
- Stakeholder Analysis
- Understanding and Defining Solution Scope
- Understanding Requirements
- Business Process Modeling
- Preparing for Requirements Elicitation
- Elicitation using Interviews and Workshops
- Confirming Elicitation Results
- Analyzing Requirements with Use Cases
- Documenting Requirements
- Managing and Communicating Business Analysis Information
- Evaluating the Solution
Course Includes:
- Student manual
- 3 value-add handouts including:
- The BABok Guide v3 Quick Reference Graphic
- Elicitation Quick Reference Graphic and Analysis/Documentation Quick Reference Graphic
- Sample ECBA test questions and questions/answers should students wish to take the exam at some point upon class completion.
Prerequisites:
- No prerequisites - This course is suitable for both beginner and intermediate business analysts who would like to increase their skills in order to better elicit, analyze, write and effectively manage requirements for their projects.
Instructors: As with all ITSM Academy training, our partner instructors have successful track records as IT professionals and bring that acumen into the classroom. Utilizing the highest quality content, our trainers blend their real-life experiences into lively classroom discussion.
Exam & Certification: This course aligns with standards set by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA). As with all IIBA courses, the exam is NOT INCLUDED with class. Should candidates wish to take the exam, visit the IIBA website to apply to take the exam. Fees are determined based on whether the attendee is already an IIBA member. The current IIBA Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA) exam has 50 situation-based and multiple choice knowledge-based questions and must be completed in 75 minutes, and candidates must pass each knowledge area individually.
Professional Education Hours: Individuals attending this class will earn 28 professional education hours (e.g., CPDs, PDUs, CPEs, CEUs) upon completion of this course. These professional education hours can be submitted to associations such as the Project Management Institute and ISACA, if applicable.
Learners should only commit to classes they are prepared to attend. ITSM Academy Open Enrollment Class Terms and Conditions.
