Business Analysis in Practice

OVERVIEW

Up to 40% of the reasons for project failure can be traced to ineffective Business Analysis (Australian Institute of Business Analysis 2010) which is why Business Analysis is gaining in popularity as a professional discipline.  Organisations are beginning to realise that an effective Business Analyst is instrumental in providing a solid foundation for delivery of successful projects, for implementing the most appropriate solution for a business issue or opportunity, and maximising return on investment as a result.

A skilled Business Analyst is able to develop solution requirements that encompass organisational and environment factors such as business processes, systems and organisational culture.  They deliver solutions that are aligned with organisational strategy and can be traced directly and unambiguously to requirements. They also provide essential support during the adoption of organisational change.

Aside from possessing the required technical skills, a truly successful Business Analyst will also possess a range of interpersonal skills that allow them to manage difficult stakeholders and situations.  Key skills for success include analytical and critical thinking, superior communication, leadership, negotiation, facilitation and conflict resolution.

This Business Analysis course has been designed with all of the above in mind.  With the best practice principles of the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK®) V2.0 Knowledge Areas and processes as its foundation, this course builds upon participants’ existing skills and knowledge by way of a guided tour through a series of rigorous and real-life scenarios, problems and issues faced by Business Analysts across the board.

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVE

This course provides participants with a standardised and systematic approach for eliciting, analysing and managing business requirements that form the basis for successful solutions delivered to the organisation.  It uses a real life case study approach in order to plan, manage and execute a detailed requirements development process, to successfully manage stakeholders, and to reduce organisational risk by understanding the impact of change across the business.

Please note: This is not a Software/IT Business Analysis Workshop.

Training Timetable Back to top

In-house and customised training workshops also available please phone 1300 701 314 for details

or CALL US 1300_ 70_ 13 14

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Industry Certified RecognitionBack to top

21 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UNITS (PDUS) AWARDED

Participants who have been awarded the Project Management Professional Certification (PMP®) by the Project Management Institute are eligible to earn 21 PDUs for their participation in this workshop.

PM-Partners group is a Global PMI (Project Management Institute) Registered Education Provider.

Outcomes & Certification EligibilityBack to top

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Successful completion of this course will enable participants to:

• Establish parameters for analysis and solution(s): scope, business drivers, and business needs.
• Contribute to a Business Case that includes a cost benefit analysis.
• Measure and communicate the impact of the current situation and effectiveness of proposed solutions.
• Gather information using appropriate elicitation techniques.
• Document, validate and present high-quality, complete business requirements.
• Communicate effectively with technical and business representatives.
• Gain an overview of the BABOK® knowledge areas required for formal Business Analysis certifications.

TARGET AUDIENCE & PREREQUISITES

• Business Analysists seeking to build upon their existing Business Analysis knowledge and experience (minimum 2 years experience working in a Business Analysis environment required, including conducting end-to-end Business Analysis activities) 
  OR
• Practising Business Analysts who have attended the PM-Partners Business Analysis Fundamentals training or equivalent

How this course is deliveredBack to top

Facilitators possess a wealth of Business Analysis knowledge and long-term hands-on experience.  They will use a comprehensive participant handbook and a case study delivery approach to provide participants with a ‘hands-on’, multi-faceted and challenging learning experience.  Participants will be actively engaged in developing the tools and techniques required to deliver high quality solution requirements that are quantifiable, traceable and fully aligned with organisational strategy.

Our participants are entitled to complementary telephone consultation/advice within 60 days of course completion.  All courses may be conducted onsite or at our premises, with experienced facilitators providing group and/or individual instruction.

All courses are able to be customised to suit your requirements, using a scenario from your workplace as a case study.

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION

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Workshop Content SummaryBack to top

DAY 1

• Setting the Scene
• Understand course objectives.
• Understand the alignment of the course with the IIBA and the BABOK® (BA Body of Knowledge).
• Review of key business analysis concepts.
• Understand the need for a Business Analyst framework and how that links to other business processes e.g. Project Management Framework or the Software Development Life Cycle
• Defining the Business Need and Solution Scope
• Understand the link between enterprise strategy and projects.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify inefficiencies, pain points and opportunities in an organisation.
• Demonstrate the ability to use tools and techniques to define solution scope.
• Understand how to effectively manage scope creep using the change control process.
• Conducting a Cost Benefit Analysis
• Understand how organisations evaluate and select projects.
• Understand the financial elements required for a complete cost benefit analysis.
• Understand the key components of a Business Case
• Planning for Analysis and Change
• Understand steps required to complete a comprehensive analysis plan.
• Understand a change driven (agile) versus plan driven (waterfall) business analysis approach
• Demonstrate the ability to develop a work breakdown structure that supports the analysis plan.
• Understand different techniques available for estimating the cost and time required to complete analysis tasks.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify analysis risks, develop a risk mitigation action plan and manage risks throughout the requirements gathering process.
• Understand the role of the Business Analyst in managing organisational change.

DAY 2

• Managing Stakeholders
• Understand the key stages of stakeholder management.
• Understand a variety of profiling techniques used to categorise stakeholders for the purpose of effective stakeholder management.
• Developing As-Is Models
• Understand the importance of As-Is modelling when developing requirements.
• Demonstrate the ability to use modelling techniques, such as Swim Lane Flowcharts to identify, develop and document requirements.
• Gathering Requirements
• Understand the role of the business analyst in the requirements gathering process. 
• Understand the importance of business rules and their relationship to requirements.
• Demonstrate the ability to conduct a requirements gathering session via stakeholder interviews.
• Understand other methods of gathering requirements such as questionnaires and brainstorming techniques.

DAY 3

• Verifying and Managing Requirements
• Understand the tools available for verifying elicited requirements.
• Understand the key components of a Business Requirements Document.
• Demonstrate the ability to evaluate documented requirements.
• Demonstrate the ability to write comprehensive, quality requirements.
• Understand techniques available to structure and prioritise requirements.
• Understand how to manage changing requirements through configuration management.
• Defining and Validating the Solution
• Demonstrate the ability to trace requirements to original project scope and objectives.
• Demonstrate the ability to develop a To-Be model based on requirements gathered.
• Understand tools available that help evaluate alternative solutions and help establish a solution recommendation.
• Demonstrate the ability to conduct a organisational impact assessment for a proposed solution.
• Understand techniques available for validating requirements.
• Demonstrate the ability to conduct a management presentation to present and validate requirements.

or CALL US 1300_ 70_ 13 14

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