1. Introduction to Business Analysis

• • Importance of Effective Business Analysis
• • Role of the BA
• • Standardization and Adaptability

2. Requirements Planning

• • Role of the BA in Requirements Planning
• • Vision and Scope Document
• • Types of Requirements
• • Stakeholders
• • Business Analysis Plan

3. Requirements Elicitation

• • Role of the BA in Requirements Elicitation
  • • Investigative approach
  • • Iterative approach
• • Techniques
  • • Interviews
  • • Focus groups
  • • Requirements workshop: Requirements meeting
  • • Requirements workshop: JAD session
  • • Brainstorming
  • • Observation
  • • Survey
  • • Prototype
  • • Document analysis
  • • Business rules analysis
  • • Reverse engineering
  • • Product trials

4. Requirements Analysis

• • Need for Analysis
• • Using Analysis to get Stakeholder Feedback and Verify and Validate Developing Requirements
• • Value of Modeling Techniques in Analysis
• • Modeling Techniques
  • • Organizational model
  • • Location model
  • • Process/flow models
  • • Use case models
  • • Data models
  • • State model
• • Types of Requirements
• • Business Rules Analysis
• • Prioritizing Requirements
• • Verifying and Validating Requirements

5. Requirements Documentation

• • Formal and Informal Documentation and the, Level of Detail Required
• • Writing for Usability and Comprehension
• • Common Requirements Document Defects
• • Components of a Formal Requirements Document
• • Requirements Verification and Validation
• • Requirements Sign-Off

6. Requirements Management and Communication

• • Throughout the Project and to Decommission
• • Change Management
  • • Define a baseline
  • • Define a change management process
  • • Identify the Change Authority
• • Traceability and Its Uses
• • Requirements Attributes
• • Requirements Communication

7. Solution Validation and Acceptance

• • Testing and Non-Testing Methods
• • Purposes of Validation
  • • Find defects
  • • Prove compliance to requirements
• • Test Cases and Test Suites
• • Challenges in Testing
• • Structured Testing
• • Role of the BA in Solution Validation: the V Model
• • Solution Acceptance and Project Close-Out

8. Enterprise Analysis

• • Definition and Causes
• • Role of the BA on the Enterprise Analysis Team
• • Steps in Enterprise Analysis
  • • Define the business need
    • • Techniques for root cause analysis
  • • Assess capability gaps
    • • SWOT analysis
  • • Determine the solution approach
  • • Define the solution scope
  • • Define the business case
    • • Contents of business case
    • • Who does what?: the BA's limited role in developing a business case

9. Competencies, Best Practices, and Life Cycle Models

• • Competency Proficiency
• • BA Necessary Competencies
  • • Analytical thinking and problem solving
  • • Behavioral characteristics
  • • Business knowledge
  • • Communication skills
  • • Interaction skills
  • • Software application knowledge
• • Best Practices
  • • Use iterative analysis
  • • Focus on process improvement
  • • Apply progressive elaboration
  • • Check as you go
  • • Use the investigative approach
  • • Adopt traceability
  • • Formalize business analysis through standardization
  • • Improve communication through modeling
• • Life Cycle Models
  • • Waterfall
  • • Incremental
  • • Agile
  • • Effects on business analysis

10. BA Fundamentals

• • Communication Skills
• • Leadership Skills
• • Problem-Solving Skills
• • Business Knowledge
• • IT Knowledge

11. Case Studies

12. Exercises