Introduction to Business Analysis: Defining Successful Projects

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this course about? In this course, the emerging role of the "business analyst" is defined as an intermediary managing the interests and needs of both the business/project management and IT communities. You learn a logical framework for conducting key business analysis activities throughout the various phases of the business analysis life cycle. This course provides not only best practices and theory but practical tools and techniques that can be applied immediately within your organization. What background do I need? This is an introductory course to business analysis and requires no specific prerequisite technical or business knowledge. However, a familiarity with project management and basic business administration is helpful. Who will benefit from this course? This course is valuable for anyone who needs to apply the knowledge and skills of the business analyst role within their organization. New or experienced business analysts, as well as others who regularly team with business analysts including functional managers, project managers, developers and testers, may benefit greatly. What is business analysis? By definition, business analysis is a set of tasks, knowledge and techniques required to identify business needs and determine solutions to business problems. In today's organizations, business analysts are often referred to as business analyst, business systems analyst, systems analyst and other titles. No matter the title, the primary role of the business analyst remains the same -- to examine the business needs and recommend an appropriate solution approach to meet those needs. Although, technically, business analysis is distinct from financial analysis, project management, quality assurance, organizational development, testing, training and documentation development, it is entirely possible that within streamlined organizations the business analyst may perform some of these related functions as well. In any case, the business analyst often works closely with these other functional areas. Does this course cover business case development? In this course, you apply a business case template, which provides a broad overview, along with practical experience, in preparing key components of a business case and quantifying potential project benefits and costs. For exclusive coverage on developing a business case, you may want to consider Course 212, Building an Effective Business Case. Course 212 supplements the knowledge gained in Course 211 and enables you to apply the business analysis skills from Course 211 toward the construction of a business case. What other templates and practical skills are offered in this course? This course is designed to offer a broad cross-section of the business analysis discipline. The specific templates, tools and techniques offered in this course are immediately applicable to various aspects of business analysis. These practical skills and templates include: Recommended business analysis framework Affinity diagramming technique for gathering and prioritizing business needs Stakeholder identification and analysis Workflow diagramming Writing SMART business objectives Business case template What industry standards are used in this course? Business analysis is a growing and evolving discipline and is still in the process, through the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), of defining and shaping an industry-wide standard of practices - referred to as the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge. Business analysts often rely on both experience and other standards. In this course, leading industry-standards including IEEE, PMBOK, IIBA and PRINCE2™ are referenced when appropriate to support the course topics. Is this course approved by the IIBA? Yes. Learning Tree is an Endorsed Education Provider (EEP) by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA). This course has been approved by the IIBA as supporting core concepts and knowledge outlined by IIBA's Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK®). This course also counts toward the 21 hours of professional development required to take the Certified Business Analysis ProfessionalTM (CBAPTM) exam. The IIBA, an independent, nonprofit professional association for business analysts, created the BABOK, which is a collection of knowledge for professional business analysts. The BABOK reflects what is current generally accepted practice and describes business analysis areas of knowledge, their associated activities and tasks, and the skills necessary to be effective in their execution. How much time is spent on each topic? Content Hours The role of the business analyst 1.0 The business analysis framework 2.5 Analyzing the business landscape 4.5 Defining the project 2.0 Planning and managing the detailed requirements development process 2.0 Developing and delivering the requirements package 3.0 Supporting downstream development 1.0 Times, including the workshops, are estimates; exact times may vary according to the needs of each class. I am interested in learning modeling techniques. Will this course help? This course presents an introduction to the foundation concepts of static and dynamic business modeling. For a more in-depth examination of modeling concepts and techniques, consider taking Course 322, Systems Analysis and Design: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction, or Course 323, Object-Oriented Analysis and Design Using UML: Hands-On, as a follow-on to Course 211. Will I learn to write detailed requirements? The writing of a detailed requirements package is an in-depth process that this course does not cover in detail. Relative to detailed requirements development, this course focuses primarily on planning the detailed requirements development process and communicating the requirements package. The five-step methodology for conducting detailed requirements development is reviewed at a high level. Those interested in learning to actually write well-formed user requirements should take Course 315, Developing User Requirements: The Key to Project Success. Those who wish to develop user and system requirements specifically in a software development environment should consider Course 218, User and System Requirements for Successful Software Development. What kind of workshops does this course offer? Approximately sixty percent of this course is spent on interactive workshops designed to reinforce the business analysis concepts taught and provide you with practical experiences that can be applied as soon as you return to work. These workshops include: Analyzing and prioritizing competing business needs using affinity diagramming Creating graphical business models Writing SMART business objectives Developing requirements plan components Communicating the detailed requirements package to stakeholders And more! Is this course applicable to a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification? Yes. Although this course is not designed as preparation for the exam, it is beneficial to anyone working toward PMI's PMP certification. For those who are currently certified, completion of this course counts as 17 professional development units (60 units must be completed every three years to maintain certification). For more details, please see the Learning Tree PMI Registered Education Provider Q&A. If you are an experienced project manager intending to take the PMP exam, you should take Course 276, Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Exam. In this course you learn essential PMBOK® Guide terminology, tools and techniques. You gain practical test-taking experience through PMI-style practice exams and create your own personal study plan for continued use after the course. How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses? The following courses can help you expand you skills as a business analyst: 212, Building an Effective Business Case provides the skills to analyze, create and communicate a successful business case to meet your organization's unique needs 315, Developing User Requirements: The Key to Project Success provides the skills to write well-formed, testable and verifiable user requirements 381, Business Process Reengineering for Competitive Advantage offers the critical knowledge and skills needed to implement BPR within your organization 219, Hands-On Business and Report Writing: The Art of Persuasion provides the skills to create more effective business documents and reports 319, Technical Writing: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction affords the skills to assess the needs of your users and create technical documents for a variety of environments These courses are also very beneficial: Course 218, User and System Requirements for Successful Software Development Course 292, Communication Skills: Results Through Collaboration Course 294, Influence Skills: Getting Results Without Direct Authority Course 284, Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving

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