I. The Business Analysis Profession

Its 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. Well start the workshop by exploring some of those definitions, as well as gaining a clear understanding of where the industry appears to be heading and some emerging common standards for the profession.

• Understanding the Business Analyst role and function
• The competencies of the Business Analyst
• The profession of business analysis

Practice Session

Because Business Analysts work with people throughout their organizations, its imperative they have good teamwork and communication skills. Well begin with a fun activity to explore differences in communication styles, and well also model a few techniques for laying a solid foundation for teamwork on any project.

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. Youll also identify and practice overcoming sources of misunderstanding, which is vital for requirements validation.

• The three most important communication skills for business analysis
• The biggest challenges Business Analysts confront
• Eliciting information
• Clarifying information
• Communication and miscommunication
• 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 fun demonstration of how miscommunication occurs, youll enhance your ability to connect with stakeholders and foster effective communication by clarifying stakeholders contributions and validating information.

III. Analytical Thinking 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.

• Why problem solving is key to business analysis
• Analyzing symptoms and causes
• Identifying and defining the problem
• Developing solutions
• 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. Youll practice team problem-solving techniques and determine, based on your teams performance, ways to further enhance your communication and team collaboration skills.

IV. Interaction Skills for Business Analysis

Its not uncommon for Business Analysts to wonder why they need interaction skills. After all, most projects have a sponsor, a project manager, and at least one manager from the business. But managing interactions is a key Business Analyst role, one thats central to the effective understanding of business problems. This course module explores the importance of interaction, key interaction skills for Business Analysts, and the situational application of those skills in business analysis functions.

• Understanding interaction skills and why Business Analysts need them
• Facilitation and negotiation with stakeholders
• Leadership and influencing
• Teamwork

Practice Session

Following review and discussion of interaction skills and their application to business analysis functions, you and your team will play a fun learning game that allows you to demonstrate, reinforce, and earn prizes for your knowledge of these vital skills.

V. Business and IT Knowledge

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. Well present a model that shows how the IT and business domains should be focused and leveraged throughout the project lifecycle.

• The business domain: what it is and whats relevant to business analysis
• The IT domain: what it is and whats relevant to business analysis
• The systems development lifecycle and the focus on IT and business domains

Practice Session

Working with your team, youll 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. Enterprise assessments are a key best practice in business analysis, and they can be surprisingly straightforward. During this portion of the workshop, well explore some practical techniques that produce keen, relevant, and useful insights for the business organization.

• Enterprise analysis defined
• The role of the Business Analyst in enterprise assessment
• Describing the business environment
• Describing the requirements scope
• Assessing feasibility

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. Youll define and document the business environment, clearly describe the scope of the business, and perform a straightforward identification of business opportunities. Finally, youll assess the feasibility of a set of projects and present recommendations on the project(s) of greatest value to the business.

VII. Project Initiation and Analysis

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.

• Identifying project stakeholders
• Defining and documenting project scope
• Decomposing the application domain
• Analyzing and documenting key processes
• Eliciting functional requirements
• Modeling the desired state

Practice Session

After reviewing a project request for an identified business opportunity, youll work with peers and your instructor to determine and document the project scope with a context diagram. Youll 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 Analysis

Once functional requirements have been discovered and documented, they have to be analyzed to determine their accuracy and completeness and refined where necessary. Well examine the inherent analysis challenges and show you effective techniques to analyze and improve your requirements.

• Requirements analysis defined
• Structuring the requirements
• Refining and writing better requirements

Practice Session

Working with a set of identified functional requirements, you and your peers will analyze them against a set of criteria for effective requirements. Youll practice clarifying and rewriting requirements to improve their specificity and accuracy.

IX. Requirements Communication

After the requirements are analyzed and refined, they have to be validated with business customers, users and management. Communicating these requirements involves much more than information exchange; at its best, its a process of negotiation, validation and consensus building. Well 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.

• Requirements communication defined
• Determining the appropriate requirements presentation format
• Creating the requirements package
• Presenting the requirements
• Conducting a formal requirements review
• Obtaining consensus and signoff of requirements

Practice Session

Working with a requirements from our case project, you and your peers will determine which communication approaches will best meet the needs of various stakeholders. Youll practice categorizing and organizing requirements for maximum value, and youll explore how to develop and present clear, concise requirements documentation appropriate for your projects.

X. Solution Assessment and Validation

The most effective business analysis goes beyond defining project scope and specifying requirementsit includes an assessment of whether the specified solution meets the stakeholders needs. In this final module of the course, you and your colleagues will have a chance to explore the concept of acceptance criteria and some of the validation activities that BAs can perform on projects. Youll review key task for solution assessment and validation, and youll have an opportunity to practice some ways to validate solution effectiveness.

• Solution assessment and validation defined
• Key tasks of solution assessment
• Solution assessment and validation practice

Practice Session

Working with your small group, you will identify ways to assess the validity of a solution and to determine whether the solution meets the stakeholders needs.