Business Analysis

Overview

This is an up-to-date practical approach to Business Analysis course and will give you a comprehensive overview of Business Analysis and how to apply each of the topics covered.

All organizations undergo change and those that are successful at understanding and managing these changes are generally more successful than those that don't. The Business Analyst provides a central role in establishing a clear understanding of the areas under change within the business. Business analysts contribute by analyzing the business objectives, processes and resources and suggest these can be addressed effectively through re-design, improvements and refinements or through the creation of new solutions.

The successful Business Analyst will integrate hard (e.g. business process modelling, working in Agile environments) and soft skills (e.g. business knowledge, stakeholder analysis and management). Business Analysts are therefore responsible for identifying change needs, assessing the impact of the change, capturing and documenting requirements.

Delegates attending this course will be well prepared to:

• Work with users to define, scope and initiate a project
• Work with users to gather and document different types and levels of requirement
• Work with users and delivery teams to develop optimal solutions to defined requirements
• Work within a project or team with an understanding of their role and main responsibilities
• Decompose complex business scenarios or problems
• Validate requirements through various means and assess requirements against defined quality criteria
• Understand and contribute to the business case
• Business Analysts are often change facilitators within your organisation and therefore require a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience. The successful Business Analyst will help the organization reduce waste, create solutions, complete projects on time, improve efficiency and document the right requirements.

Target Audience

The programme is most appropriate for any individual or group needing a practical understanding of business analysis within the context of the effective project.

Approach

The event is facilitated by an experienced trainer with significant business analysis experience and includes practical sessions with individual and team exercises that encourage active delegate participation.

Contents

Introduction to Business Analysis

• Covers the rationale for having Business Analysis

The Business Analyst - Role and Responsibilities

• Introduces the Business Analyst role and how this has emerged. Identifies the roles and responsibilities

The Business Analyst - Competencies

• Identifies the skill set required by the Business Analyst and introduces the SFIA Framework

The Business Case

• Introduces the business case, its importance, structure and place in the project (e.g. PRINCE2) as well as how to identify options that ultimately lead to the benefits being realised

The Work of Analysis

• Looks at strategy, its implementation and analysis of the internal and external environment

Business Analysis Process Model

• Covers the areas such as problem solving, investigation, needs analysis and requirements definition

Approaches to Investigation

• How to interview different types of user and how to capture and assimilate information as well as the use of workshops, observation, scenarios, prototyping and quantitative approaches.

Stakeholders and Management

• How to identify stakeholders and analyse and capture their concerns. This also covers stakeholder management strategies and how to manage stakeholders and their expectations

Business Process Modelling

• Introduces the modelling of business systems and processes and an introduction to BPMN

IT System Modelling

• System function and data with an overview of SOA and why this is necessary in the Business Analysis.

Requirements Management

• Includes the definition of requirements (functional and non-functional), and different techniques for documenting requirements, analysis, validation and change management of requirements

Requirements Quality

• Introduces the development of Use Cases and scenarios and what is required to ensure a quality product

Information Resources

• Consideration is given to how to manage value and classify data resources. Agile methods (e.g. Scrum) are discussed and how BA can benefit from through the adoption of this approach. A brief overview of data modelling is provided along with the current requirements for governance, security and similar issues. The SDLC is included here with insights into controls and other governance mechanisms.

The Business Analyst and Change

• What the Business Analyst needs to consider introducing a new system, the need for change management and the change process itself

Review

• Revisits the key learning points, why projects can go wrong and how the Business Analyst can prevent it

Duration

5 Days (Monday to Friday)

Locations

Our courses are available at various locations in the UK, Ireland, Europe, the Americas, Asia, Australasia and South Africa. We can also deliver the training on-site at your company, or arrange suitable venues to suit your requirements.