Creating a High-Impact Work Plan for Business Analysts

What is this course about?

Whether starting from a project's inception or entering a project after it has been established, business analysts must seamlessly integrate their work into the project planning process. To do this successfully requires a well–developed and –executed work plan. In this course, you learn practical project management methods as well as tools and techniques to create or modify a work plan that supports the needs of the project and its stakeholders.

Who will benefit from this course?

Business analysts, those who perform the functions of a business analyst or anyone who wants to make a successful contribution to a project. Those who are charged with planning their work or the work of a small team also benefit.

What background do I need?

No special background is required for this course. Some practical knowledge of working with stakeholders (users, customers, clients) to uncover and define organizational issues, determining the feasibility of implementing solutions to these issues and working to define the requirements for the solution is helpful.

Is the course for people new in the role of project management?

Yes. This course teaches best practice techniques for professionally planning a project or portion of a project. In addition, you will learn to tailor your work plans depending on the size and complexity of the project.

What additional benefits do attendees gain from this course?

Working in small groups encourages cross-fertilization of ideas from many different businesses. Attendees also gain confidence in presenting project management issues to a critical audience.

How is this course structured?

This course is structured around a dynamic style of learning created by Learning Tree called RealityPlus^TM - an immersive experience that engages you in authentic tasks performed individually and in small teams. Through a video-enhanced, real-world case study and role-playing activities, you are immersed throughout the course in an evolving project planning exercise designed to meet the specific needs of the business analyst.

In addition, you use a learning instrument to assist you in recognizing your own, preferred communication style, the preferred style of your stakeholders, and how to "flex" your style to improve communication with the needs of others.

The RealityPlus learning method is presented in a safe environment where you gain new skills and practice the most effective techniques to bring back to your job. At the end of your course, you are prepared to immediately and successfully apply these new skills within your organization.

Which industry standards are used in this course?

The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA^TM), defines an industry-wide standard of business analysis practices – referred to as the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge^® (BABOK^®).

Business analysts often rely on both experience and other standards. In this course, leading industry-standards including the BABOK^®, IEEE, and the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide) are referenced when appropriate to support the course topics.

How does this course differ from Course 296, Project Management: Skills for Success, and other project management courses?

Course 296 offers a broad overview of project management and offers the skills needed for those preparing to take on the role of a project manager.

This course is taught from the point of view of a business analyst or someone charged with planning, managing and working with a project manager to integrate their work plans into an overall project. It focuses on the specific skills necessary for a business analyst to do his or her job more efficiently and effectively.

How much time is spent on each topic?

What kinds of activities are included in this course?

The course provides individual and team workshops that give you the opportunity to apply the concepts, templates, tools and techniques presented in the course. The workshops and evolving case study provide practical experience in building and presenting a business analysis work plan.

You quickly reach the proficiency level to handle basic project planning activities. For example, as part of your plan, you learn to produce network diagrams, Gantt charts, work breakdown structures and resource assignment matrices.

Approximately 60 percent of course time is devoted to the workshop sessions, which include:

• Defining the traits of successful project contributors
• Creating a Project Charter
• Developing a stakeholder communication plan
• Creating well defined project tasks
• Calculating the critical path
• Estimating tasks within appropriate tolerance
• Securing resource commitments from stakeholders
• Assessing and communicating risks
• Presenting your work plan
• Creating a personal action plan for future use
• Communicating successfully with all stakeholders

Is this course applicable toward a Project Management Institute (PMI) certification?

Yes. Though this course is not designed as preparation for an exam, it is beneficial to anyone working toward, or maintaining, a PMI certification. Most PMI certifications require a specific number of PDUs in order to obtain and maintain the credential. Completion of this course provides 17 professional development units (PDUs).

Learning Tree offers several courses that help you prepare for PMI certifications, including Course 276, Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP)^® Exam, which prepares you for PMI's most popular certification. For more details on these courses and PMI certifications, please see the Learning Tree PMI Registered Education Provider Q&A.

Is this course endorsed by the IIBA^®?

Yes. Learning Tree is an Endorsed Education Provider (EEP^TM) 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^®). Completion of this course counts as 17 continuing development units (CDUs) that will assist you in qualifying for or maintaining the Certified Business Analysis Professional^TM (CBAP^®) certification. For more information about CDUs and how to register them with the IIBA^®, please see the Learning Tree IIBA^® EEP^TM Q&A or http://www.theiiba.org.

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 generally accepted practices and describes business analysis areas of knowledge, their associated activities and tasks, and the skills necessary to be effective in their execution.

Is this course only for planning the requirements process?

No. This course is for planning the variety of roles played by the business analyst, including assisting stakeholders with problem definition, constructing a business and supporting downstream development (e.g., change management, testing, training, etc.). The material is applicable to a wide range of project types.

Is this course a Microsoft Project course?

No. This course is taught independently of any particular toolset. You are, however, provided with a variety of templates that can be modified to suit your needs back on the job.

You learn to tailor the tools you use to accommodate various project types and stakeholder concerns.

How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses?

These courses can expand your business analysis skills:

• 211, Introduction to Business Analysis: Defining Successful Projects offers the foundational knowledge of the role and function of the business analyst
• 212, Building an Effective Business Case provides the skills to carefully analyze initiatives to construct a clear business case that enables organizations to make better decisions
• 315, Developing User Requirements: The Key to Project Success provides the skills to write well-formed, testable, verifiable user requirements
• 901, Introduction to Business Intelligence: Designing a Successful BI Program details the critical variables needed to implement an effective BI program that maximizes your organization's business opportunities
• 340, Project Management for Software Development  provides the tools necessary to organize project objectives, create realistic plans, and build and manage an accomplished team through every phase of the software development life cycle (SDLC)
• 3503, Preparing for the IIBA® CCBATM Certification Exam provides the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare for the CCBATM certification exam