The Comprehensive Business Analysis Part 1 October 26, 2009

The demand for experienced Business Analysts increases as the Business Analysis profession becomes more globally recognized and standardized, and employers acknowledge the value Business Analysts bring to their organizations. The Business Analyst plays an integral role within the business, uniting current industry knowledge, practical tools and techniques to deliver quality project solutions on time and within budget. Whether you are new to the profession or a seasoned Business Analyst, you will benefit from the knowledge and practical application of standard tools and techniques used in many industries today.

This 4-day course, covers the underlying competencies, Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring and Requirements Communication and Management knowledge areas from the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK®). During this course, you will gain insight into the Business Analyst profession, the role Business Analysts play within an organization, the necessary skills required, and valuable applicable tools, techniques and methodologies for immediate use back on the job. This course focuses extensively on how to develop thorough requirements elicitation and management processes while providing you with the opportunity to practice effective oral and written communication, documentation and facilitation skills. You will identify and analyze BA project deliverables within the project lifecycle. In-class exercises will enable you to assimilate learning objectives.

For those preparing for the Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) designation, this and related courses, will help to prepare you for the CBAP®.

This course is based on the Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® version 2.0.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Participants will gain practical skills to:

* Evaluate business analysis underlying competencies to gain an appreciation of how Business Analysts add value to an organization
* Distinguish and give examples of the differences between business analysis and project management
* Examine the profession, global standards, the professional organization and trends in the industry
* Illustrate an effective requirements management process
* Integrate effective writing practices into business analysis communication and documentation
* List and give examples of different requirement types
* Describe the steps required to complete a thorough stakeholder analysis
* Produce the elements of a good Requirements Management Plan
* Prepare documents like:
o Functional decomposition diagram (Work Breakdown Structure, WBS)
o Risk Analysis Plan
o Communication Plan
* Interpret how the business analysis activities contribute to overall product/solution

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

The Comprehensive Business Analysis Seminar - Part 1 is suitable for individuals who are:

* Pursuing a career in Business Analysis
* Business or Information Systems managers or staff who is new to business analysis.
* Experienced Business Analysts requiring better understanding of the role, or desiring formal recognition through certification.
* Project staff or managers currently combining the Business Analyst role with other duties.
* Business staff or managers who are working in Business Analyst environments, needing to interact with project managers and business analysts.
* Preparing to write the Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) and require a refresher on the concepts covered in the BABOK®

MATERIALS

You will receive a course binder containing copies of presentation slides, case studies, exercises and suggested solutions.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Introduction to Business Analysis

* The International Institute of Business Analysis
* The Business Analysis Body of Knowledge
* Definitions of business analysis and business analyst
* Differences between:
o Project management
o Financial Analysis
o Quality Assurance
o Business Analysis
* Key skills of a Business Analyst
* The role of the BA in a project

Introduction to Requirements

* Scope and Requirements
* Where do requirements come from?
* Types of requirements
* Differences between high level and detailed requirements
* Characteristics of a good requirement

Communication

* Business analysis communication
* Benefits of written or oral communication
* Effective writing process
o Planning the communication
o Writing a Draft
o Revising and Polishing communications
* How to adjust communication for different personalities & audiences
* Creating a mind map
* Writing to:
o Persuade
o Inform
o Record information
o Teach
* Facilitation
o Preparing for a Session
o Facilitating a Session
* How to overcome common pitfalls
* Managing information from a session
* Making an effective presentation

Stakeholder Analysis and Communication Strategy

* What is a stakeholder analysis?
* Impact and value of stakeholder analysis
* Steps in completing stakeholder analysis
* Techniques to analyze stakeholders
* Develop a business analysis communication plan
* Affinity diagram technique

Requirement Management

* Why scope/requirements change
* How to manage scope
* Managing changes to requirements

Completing an impact assessment on suggested change

* Value of capturing requirement attributes
* Traceability
* Verification and Validation of requirements
* Problem Tracking

Business Analysis Plan

* Elements of a business analysis plan
* Value of creating a business analysis plan
* Differences between plan driven and change driven approaches
* Decision Analysis
* Requirement gathering strategies
* Functional decomposition
* Creating a Work Breakdown Structure
* Estimating business analysis activities
* Identifying requirement risks
* Developing risk plans
* Writing a business analysis plan