The Comprehensive Business Analysis Seminar Part 2

A major challenge of a business analyst is the ability to extract and document business requirements in plain business language and to get those business requirements translated into technical specifications. Another challenge that BAs often face involves the creation and implementation of business processes.

In this 4-day course you will learn specific business analysis tools and techniques. The use of templates will help you quickly grasp the concepts. You will also learn how to write more effectively, which leads to well-defined, clear, business documents. This course also focuses extensively on how to identify and develop metrics to complete your analysis and also covers some general business analysis skills such as documentation, facilitation, and methodology definition.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Participants will gain practical skills to:

• Identify advantages and disadvantages of different elicitation techniques
• Elicit requirements using eight different techniques
• Design and develop seven types of process models using appropriate notation symbols
• Identify advantages and disadvantages of different documentation techniques
• Document requirements using 11 documentation techniques
• Recognize and utilize six different modeling techniques
• Organize and prioritize requirements
• Create and present a requirement package

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

The Comprehensive Business Analysis Seminar - Part 2 is suitable for individuals who are:

• Business Analysts
• Business managers with six months experience working in business analysis environments or other project environments.
• Project Managers, IS and IT managers, systems integrators, and management or technology consultants.

PREREQUISITE

• Comprehensive Business Analysis Seminar - Part 1
• If you have at least 5 years experience as a Business Analyst with prior exposure to business analysis, requirements planning, stakeholder analysis and writing requirements, you can attend this course without any prerequisites.

MATERIALS

You will receive a course binder containing copies of presentation slides, case studies, exercises and suggested solutions.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Elicitation

• Steps in completing document analysis
• Structured and unstructured interviews
• Preparing for an interview to make it effective
• Question types to use and avoid in an interview
• Organizing questions in an interview
• Questionnaire response types
• Developing an effective questionnaire for elicitation
• Who might attend an elicitation workshop
• Planning an effective workshop
• Using a context diagram to elicit and document scope of a solution
• Using a use case diagram to elicit and document scope of a solution
• Create a quality context diagram and use case diagram
• Purpose and uses of a focus group
• Definition of interface analysis
• Three types of prototypes and their uses
• Types of observation
• Process for preparing for observation
• Data that can be collected during observation
• Types of processes that exist in an organization
• Elements of a process model
• Seven types of process models
• SIPOC
• Functional process flowcharts
• Cross-functional process flowcharts
• BPMN
• Spaghetti Diagrams
• Activity Diagrams
• Data Flow Diagrams
• Identify areas for improvement within a process

Documentation techniques

• Definitions and differences between use cases and scenarios
• Elements of use cases
• Tips for creating useful use cases
• Creating a use case
• Definitions of a state diagram and its elements
• Notation used to create a state diagram
• Tips for creating state diagrams
• Creating a state diagram
• Definitions of a data models that a BA will use
• Differences between conceptual, logical and physical data models and their uses
• Important elements of data models
• Notation used to create two types of data models
• Entity Relationship Diagram
• Class Diagram
• Tips for creating useful data models
• Creating a data model
• Elements of Data Flow Diagrams (DFD)
• How DFDs compare with other modelling techniques
• Steps involved in creating a DFD
• What to include in your data dictionary / glossary
• The difference between operative and structural business rules

Analysis

• Definition of requirements analysis
• When to complete requirements analysis
• Organizing requirements
• CRUD technique
• Importance of prioritizing requirements
• Three prioritization techniques

Requirement Package

• Differences between work products and deliverables
• Definition of requirement package
• Uses for a requirements package
• Usefulness of a structured walkthrough
• Presenting requirements to stakeholders