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Foundations of Business Analysis Training

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Foundations of Business Analysis Training with Michigan Technology Services

Michigan Technology Services offers instructor-led Foundations of Business Analysis training, as well as other Business Analysis courses, through a partnership with an International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA®) Endorsed Education provider.

In a pre-Covid world our training would take place at our location in the Farmington Hills/Novi area, 20 miles outside of Detroit, or at your location anywhere around the world. Our Business Analysis workshops are now offered online/virtually, reducing your need to travel.

About this Course

Why do more than 50% of projects fail to meet their original objectives? Why do we continue to see the number of troubled and canceled projects on the rise? According to PMI’s Pulse of the Profession® In-Depth Report, 47% of failed projects fail to meet goals due to poor requirements management. With a strong correlation between poor requirements practices, failed projects, and wasted dollars, organizations can no longer afford to accept mediocre business analysis skills from those fulfilling the business analysis role.

This course provides students a clear understanding and total immersion into all of the facets of the business analyst role, including a thorough walkthrough of the various domain/knowledge areas that comprise the business analysis profession. Students are provided an opportunity to try their hand at several business analysis techniques for eliciting, analyzing, and modeling requirements. The business analysis work performed in strategy analysis and solution evaluation, which is most often the least familiar to business analysts, is thoroughly presented and explored. Students completing this course will be well equipped with new skills and knowledge that can be immediately applied on current and future projects.

This course is compliant with IIBA’s Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK® Guide) and is aligned with and upholds the practices as discussed in PMI’s Business Analysis for Practitioners: A Practice Guide

Our upcoming public Foundations of Business Analysis workshops are scheduled for Tuesday, January 21 – Friday, January 24, 2025, and, Monday, March 24 – Thursday, March 27, 2025.    The course fee is $ 2,495/student. While we are located in Farmington Hills the Foundations of Business Analysis workshops will be instructor led, live online/virtual.   Tentative date for June 10-13 as well.

Private classes for groups are available upon request. Onsite or online.  Call 248-489-0408 for details.

For complete Business Analysis course outlines and pricing information on other Business Analysis Training classes or to request a class date contact Michigan Technology Services. 248-489-0408

Who Should Attend

This course is intended for beginner to intermediate business analysts who are looking to improve their skills by learning best practices and techniques for eliciting, analyzing, documenting, validating, and communicating requirements.

Course Objectives

After completing this course, students will be able to:

  • Obtain a thorough understanding of the core responsibilities of the business analyst
  • Understand the main professional associations and standards supporting business analysts in the industry
  • Discuss and explore the components of each of the domains/knowledge areas that comprise the work of business analysis
  • Recognize the importance of properly defining the business need prior to engaging in requirements activities
  • Formulate a strong understanding of the concepts that comprise strategy analysis
  • Obtain knowledge of and experience with the important work of stakeholder analysis
  • Decipher between project and product scope and successfully use models to communicate scope
  • Thoroughly understand and identify the various requirements categories and be able to recognize requirements of various types
  • Develop interviewing skills and explore ways to plan and structure interviews
  • Examine different forms of requirements documentation
  • Explore elements of communication, conflict, and issue management
  • Obtain a solid understanding of the concepts and activities involved in solution evaluation
  • Obtain hands-on experience with a number of business analysis techniques for eliciting, analyzing, and modeling requirements

Course Outline

Section 1: Introduction to Business Analysis
  • What is Business Analysis?
  • Benefiting from business analysis
  • Business analysis and project success
  • Challenges of business analysis
  • Discussions:
    • Who performs business analysis functions in your organization?
    • Exploring solutions options
    • Your biggest challenges on past projects
Section 2: A Closer Look at the Business Analyst Role
  • Definition of business analyst
  • Responsibilities of a business analyst
  • The BA/PM roles
  • IIBA/PMI and the goals of a professional association
  • Purpose for having a BA standard
  • IIBA’s BABOK® Guide and PMI’s Practice Guide in Business Analysis
  • Business analysis core concepts
  • Business analysis perspectives
  • IIBA and PMI certifications for business analysts
  • Workshop: Introduction to Case Study
Section 3: Strategy Analysis and Change
  • Define Strategy Analysis
  • When to perform Strategy Analysis
  • Business models
  • Defining the business need
  • Root cause analysis
  • 5 Whys
  • Fishbone diagram
  • Defining business requirements
  • Discussions:
    • Who is involved in strategy analysis in your organization?

Workshops:

  • Create a Business Model
  • Define the Business Need
  • Create a Fishbone Diagram
  • Write Business Requirements
Section 4: Defining a Change Strategy
  • Define change strategy
  • Gap analysis
  • Determining solution options
  • Enterprise readiness
  • Cultural fit
  • Operational and functional analysis
  • Impact analysis
  • Transitioning to the future state
Section 5: Stakeholder Analysis
  • What is a stakeholder?
  • The importance of stakeholder analysis
  • Stakeholder identification
  • Stakeholder types
  • Tips/techniques for identifying analyzing stakeholders
  • Keeping track of stakeholders
  • Workshop: Identify Stakeholders
Section 6: Understanding and Defining Solution Scope
  • Defining solution scope
  • Techniques to use
  • Project scope versus product scope
  • Finding solution boundaries
  • What is a feature?
  • Identifying key features
  • Discussion: Identifying Solution Scope
  • Workshops:
    • Draw a Context Diagram
    • Defining Scope with Features
Section 7: Understanding Requirements
  • What is a requirement (IEEE and IIBA definitions)
  • Project roles involved in requirements activities
  • Requirements types
  • Assumptions and constraints
  • Business rules
  • Decision tables and inference rules
  • Requirements vs. business rules
  • Requirements vs. specifications
  • Discussions:
    • Requirements
    • Business rules
  • Workshops:
    • Define a Business Rule
    • Write Requirements
Section 8: Business Process Modeling
  • Why do we model processes?
  • What is Business Process Management?
  • Using a modeling notation
  • “As Is” vs. “To Be” modeling
  • Why use BPMN?
  • Basic BPM notation
  • Developing a business process model
  • Using a facilitated session
  • Business Process Modeling – A case study
  • Developing a Business Process Model
  • Workshop: Create a Business Process Model
Section 9: Preparing for Requirements Elicitation
  • Types of elicitation techniques
  • Interviewing – what and why?
  • Preparing for an effective interview
  • Selecting the right interviewees
  • Types of questions to ask
  • Sequencing of questions
  • Discussion: Elicitation Techniques You Have Used
  • Workshop: Planning for an Interview
Section 10: Elicitation using Interviews and Workshops
  • Conduct the Interview
  • Establishing rapport with stakeholders
  • Active listening and listening styles
  • Workshops and getting the right people
  • The role of the facilitator
  • The brainstorming technique
  • Decision rules and reaching consensus
  • Avoiding Groupthink
  • Encouraging participation
  • Managing meetings and conflict
  • Workshop: Conduct an Interview
Section 11: Confirming Elicitation Results
  • Defining requirements analysis
  • Prioritizing requirements (MoSCoW, Timeboxing, Voting, etc.)
  • Documenting requirements
  • Other uses for specifications and models
  • Unified Modeling Language (UML®)
  • Explaining user stories
  • The traceability matrix
  • Communicating requirements
  • Workshop:
    • Analyzing Requirements
    • Identifying User Stories
    • Tracing Requirements
    • Obtaining Approval
Section 12: Analyzing Requirements with Use Cases
  • What is an actor?
  • Types of actors
  • Defining actors
  • Locating use cases
  • Use case diagrams
  • Use case tips
  • Defining and identifying scenarios
  • Parts of a use case
  • Defining primary, secondary actors and pre and post conditions
  • Best practices for writing use cases
  • Template:  Use Case Specification

Workshop:

  • Drawing a Use Case Diagram
  • Write the Main Success Scenario
Section 12 (cont’d): Documenting Requirements
  • Scenarios and flows
  • Alternate and exception flows
  • Alternate scenario post conditions
  • Guidelines for Alternate flows
  • Examples of alternate and exception flows
  • Workshop: Writing Alternate and Exception Flows
Section 13: Documenting Requirements
  • How requirements relate to use cases
  • Writing Non-Functional requirements
  • User Interface Requirements
  • Reporting requirements
  • Data requirements
  • Data accessibility requirements
  • Business requirements document (BRD)
  • BRD vs the Functional Requirements
  • Verifying Requirements
  • Quality attributes
  • Purpose of the requirements package
  • BA Deliverables across knowledge areas/domains
  • Planning BA deliverables
  • Workshops:
    • Develop a User Interface
    • Verifying Requirements
Section 14: Managing and Communicating Business Analysis Information
  • Business analysis communication
  • The business analyst’s role in communication
  • Forms of communication
  • 7Cs of communication
  • Symptoms of information overload
  • Information mapping
  • Presentation and common elements
  • Requirements walkthroughs
  • Conflict and issue management
  • Conflict resolution techniques
Section 15: Evaluating the Solution
  • Understanding solution evaluation
  • Verification vs. validation
  • Timing of solution evaluation
  • Planning solution evaluation
  • Performing solution evaluation
  • Using existing metrics
  • Evaluating long term performance
  • Qualitative vs. Quantitative measures
  • Tools and techniques used in solution evaluation
  • Comparing expected vs. actuals
  • When variances occur
  • Proposing recommendations to address variances
  • Communicating evaluation results
Section 16: Additional Information
  • Helpful links for obtaining additional business analysis information

Student Successes

  • I have taken the Scrum Alliance Certified ScrumMaster and Product Owner classes from Michigan Technology Services and thoroughly enjoyed the class content and instructors. I found the ScrumMaster class particularly engaging and energizing as the instructor was top notch. Both classes fueled my passion for agile project management and team dynamics which I have used to drive change in the way my department executes and thinks about running software development projects. I highly recommend Robert and his company.

    - Daniel King, Senior Project Manager – AAA Michigan – Auto Club Group

  • In February of 2015, the Detroit Housing Commission reached out to Michigan Technology Services to request Microsoft Office Excel training for the staff. Within a few days, Rob was able to set up the services at a very reasonable expense. The trainer was superb, knowledgeable and very patient with the students.  It was one of the best trainings that we have ever had.

    - De’Onna Henderson, Director of Asset Management – Detroit Housing Commission

  • We had an excellent experience working with Rob at Michigan Technology Services. He went above and beyond helping us to design three days of onsite customized SharePoint training for our associates. The trainer was beyond knowledgeable and instrumental in the success of the project. If customized training is what you are looking for, we are confident that you need not look any further than MTS for your business training needs.

    - Brooke F., Business Systems Administrator – Gestamp North America

  • The Certified ScrumMaster and Certified Scrum Developer courses that Michigan Technology Services set up for our organization were great. The instructors (Mark and Angela) were outstanding.

    - SF, Senior Software Developer – Hewlett Packard Enterprise

  • The instructors were top notch and made the courses exciting. I have taken Cisco CCNA, Linux and SQL admin classes and I find myself using the knowledge gained every day. If you value getting quality content that will be relevant for years to come, take these courses with Michigan Technology Services.

    - SP, Detroit Network Team Manager – Global Advertising Company

  • I have taken the Scrum Alliance Certified ScrumMaster and Product Owner classes from Michigan Technology Services and thoroughly enjoyed the class content and instructors. I found the ScrumMaster class particularly engaging and energizing as the instructor was top notch. Both classes fueled my passion for agile project management and team dynamics which I have used to drive change in the way my department executes and thinks about running software development projects. I highly recommend Robert and his company.

    - Daniel King, Senior Project Manager – AAA Michigan – Auto Club Group

  • In February of 2015, the Detroit Housing Commission reached out to Michigan Technology Services to request Microsoft Office Excel training for the staff. Within a few days, Rob was able to set up the services at a very reasonable expense. The trainer was superb, knowledgeable and very patient with the students.  It was one of the best trainings that we have ever had.

    - De’Onna Henderson, Director of Asset Management – Detroit Housing Commission

  • We had an excellent experience working with Rob at Michigan Technology Services. He went above and beyond helping us to design three days of onsite customized SharePoint training for our associates. The trainer was beyond knowledgeable and instrumental in the success of the project. If customized training is what you are looking for, we are confident that you need not look any further than MTS for your business training needs.

    - Brooke F., Business Systems Administrator – Gestamp North America

  • The Certified ScrumMaster and Certified Scrum Developer courses that Michigan Technology Services set up for our organization were great. The instructors (Mark and Angela) were outstanding.

    - SF, Senior Software Developer – Hewlett Packard Enterprise

  • The instructors were top notch and made the courses exciting. I have taken Cisco CCNA, Linux and SQL admin classes and I find myself using the knowledge gained every day. If you value getting quality content that will be relevant for years to come, take these courses with Michigan Technology Services.

    - SP, Detroit Network Team Manager – Global Advertising Company

  • I have taken the Scrum Alliance Certified ScrumMaster and Product Owner classes from Michigan Technology Services and thoroughly enjoyed the class content and instructors. I found the ScrumMaster class particularly engaging and energizing as the instructor was top notch. Both classes fueled my passion for agile project management and team dynamics which I have used to drive change in the way my department executes and thinks about running software development projects. I highly recommend Robert and his company.

    - Daniel King, Senior Project Manager – AAA Michigan – Auto Club Group

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