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Business
Analysis Fundamentals
Course Outline
I. The Business Analysis Profession
It's only in recent years that business analysis has begun to be
recognized as a profession in its own right. While
people have been performing the Business Analyst role in organizations for
several decades, differing definitions
of the role abound. We'll start the
workshop by exploring some of them, as well as gaining a clear understanding of
where the industry appears to be heading and some emerging common standards for
the profession.
A. Understanding the Business Analyst role and function
B. The role and competencies of the Business Analyst
C. Distinguishing novice and expert Business Analysts
D. The profession of business analysis
Practice Session
Because Business Analysts work with people throughout their organizations,
it's imperative they have good teamwork and
communication skills. We'll
begin with an activity to explore differences in behavioral styles, and we'll
also model a few techniques for laying a solid foundation for teamwork.
II. Communication in the Business
Analysis Context
Many tasks that are integral for successful business analysis
involve significant communication. In this section of
the workshop, you will hone your ability to connect with project stakeholders
at all levels using effective verbal and nonverbal techniques.
You'll also identify and practice overcoming sources of
misunderstanding, which is vital for requirements
validation.
A. The three most important communication skills
B. The five biggest challenges Business Analysts confront
C. Soliciting information
D. Clarifying information
E. Communication and miscommunication
F. Validating information
Practice Session
Working in small groups, you and your peers will practice
choosing appropriate techniques to solicit information from stakeholders at
various levels in an organization. Following a
demonstration of how miscommunication occurs, you'll
enhance your ability to connect with stakeholders and foster effective
communication by clarifying stakeholders' contributions and validating
information.
III. Business Analysis and Problem
Solving
Projects often arise to solve specific business problems. Understanding the underlying problem, though sometimes
overlooked, is key to being able to develop the correct requirements so that
the best solution can be developed. During this
section, you will explore and practice problem
analysis and its application.
A. Why problem solving is key to
business analysis
B. Analyzing symptoms and causes
C. Identifying and defining the problem
D. Developing solutions
E. Understanding the people side of problem solving
Practice Session
Guided by your instructor, you will work with a team to analyze
the symptoms of a problem, define it, and determine root causes. You'll practice team problem-solving techniques and
determine, based on your team's performance, ways to further enhance your
communication and team collaboration skills.
IV. Leadership for Business Analysis
It's not uncommon for Business Analysts to wonder why they need
leadership skills. After all, most projects have a
sponsor, a project manager, and at least one manager from the business. But leadership isn't a job title, it's a role, and one
that's central to the effective analysis of business
problems. This course module explores
the importance of leadership, key leadership skills for Business Analysts, and
the situational application of those skills in business analysis functions.
A. Understanding what leadership is and why Business
Analysts need it
B. Influencing and negotiating with stakeholders
C. Continuous learning
D. Adapting to change
E. Managing stress
Practice Session
Following review and discussion of leadership and its
application to business analysis functions, you and your team will compete In a learning exercise to demonstrate and reinforce your
knowledge
of these vital skills.
V. Business and IT
Knowledge and the Business Analyst
The role of a Business Analyst has often been compared to that
of a bridge providing a connection between two points, in this case the Information
Technology organization and the lines of business that comprise the project
domain. We'll present a model that shows how the IT and
business domains should be focused and leveraged throughout the project
lifecycle.
A. The business domain: what it is and what's
relevant to business analysis
B. The IT domain: what it is and what's
relevant to business analysis
C. The systems development lifecycle and the focus on IT and business
domains
Practice Session
Working with your team, you'll quickly test and improve your understanding of how
the business and IT domains integrate in the Business Analyst role and how they
fit with the systems development lifecycle.
VI. Enterprise Analysis
One of the most overlooked functions of a Business Analysts is
the enterprise assessment, which can also yield some of the most valuable
findings of a project.
A. Enterprise analysis defined
B. The role of the Business Analyst in enterprise assessment
C. Describing the business environment
D. Describing the requirements scope
E. Assessing feasibility
F. Pre-project versus in-project enterprise analysis
Practice Session
Your instructor will
introduce a hypothetical but realistic case project company, and you and your
team will put your analysis skills to the test as you conduct a guided
assessment. You'll define and document the business
environment, clearly describe the scope of the business, and perform a straightforward
identification of business opportunities. Finally, you'll assess the feasibilityof a
set of projects and present recommendations on the project(s) of greatest value
to the business.
VII. Project Initiation and Analysis:
The Business
Analyst's Key Contributions
What most people think of as business analysis is central to
project initiation and the analysis phase. Because of
the depth of skill these activities require, most Business Analysts demand
separate training to develop true mastery. This course
module therefore provides an overview and
introduction to three crucial business analysis activities by
demonstrating common tools for identifying and documenting project scope, for modeling
current and desired states, and for eliciting key requirements.
A. Defining and documenting project scope
B. Decomposing the application domain
C. Analyzing and documenting key processes
D. Eliciting functional requirements
E. Modeling the desired state
Practice Session
After reviewing a project
charter for an identified business opportunity, you'll work with peers and your
instructor to determine and document the project scope with a context diagram. You'll then review a current state model of one key
business process, and, based on identified functional requirements, you will
then work with your team to develop a model for a possible new process design.
VIII. Requirements Communication
Once functional requirements have been discovered and
documented, they have to be validated with business customers, users and management.
Communicating these requirements involves much more than information
sharing; at its best, it's a process of negotiation, validation and consensus
building. We'll examine the inherent communication challenges
and help you confidently choose the best ways to achieve your communication
goals and gain the stakeholder buy-in required for successful requirements
management throughout the project lifecycle.
A. Requirements communication defined
B. Determining the appropriate requirements presentation format
C. Creating the requirements package
D. Presenting the requirements
E. Conducting a formal requirements review
F. Obtaining consensus and signoff of requirements
Practice Session
Working with a set of identified functional requirements, you
and your peers will determine which communication approaches will best meet the
needs of various stakeholders. You'll practice
categorizing and organizing requirements for maximum value, and you'll explore
how to develop and present clear, concise requirements documentation
appropriate for your projects.
IX. Adding Value as a Business Analyst
With the underlying fundamentals covered so far, you can survive
as a Business Analyst. But to add maximum value-and
truly to thrive in your work-you need to be equipped to handle complex project
challenges. During this final course
module, we'll explore six critical issues facing Business
Analysts today and equip you with practical, proven strategies for
sophisticated application of business analysis fundamentals to overcome them...and
a specific plan of action to do so!
A. Managing role conflicts
B. Resolving holes and duplications
C. Solving the right problems
D. Being a catalyst for change: everyday evangelism for Business
Analysts
E. Moving on to requirements engineering
F. The path of least resistance
Practice Session
In a facilitated discussion, you and the other participants in
the workshop will share your own experiences, gain tips and tricks from your
instructor, and begin to identify immediate opportunities for you personally to
apply what you've learned when you return to your workplace.