Business Analysis for Project Managers and IT Analysts (PMI-PBA Certification)

The most powerful approach to business evolution is the integration of Business Analysis and Project Management. During a project, business analysts report to the project manager in order to facilitate requirements gathering and analysis, communications, and stakeholder relationship management. Business analysis extends further across a product or service life-cycle than project management, assessing and assuring business value by providing the continuity necessary for business success from strategic analysis through operational maintenance.

This 5-day course teaches the strategic and tactical roles of the Business Analysts and provides interactive coverage of the knowledge and skills necessary to master business analysis work. The course addresses Business Analysis contributions both within and external to projects consistent with the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK® ) and based on the Project Management Institute’s Professional in Business Analysis credential (PMI-PBA)®.

This course qualifies as 35 contact hours for PMI-PBA candidates, or 35 PDU’s for current PMI® credential holders.

Unlike a PMI PBA Bootcamp exam prep class, this Business Analysis training course provides knowledge transfer and practical real-world application content that will help Business Analysts, Project Managers and IT System Analysis perform better and create solutions that will bring value to their organization whether or not the seek a BA Certification. Credential seekers will gain a solid understanding of business analyst best-practices within the exam context and will receive study guides and practice exercises to assist with exam prep.

Introduction

• Defining  the role and tasks of a Business Analyst
• Generating Business Value
• Solutions to business needs, problems, and opportunities
• Stakeholder relationships: business processes, projects and external connections
• Creating and adopting formal business analysis
• The Business Analyst and projects; ideal PM-BA integration
• The PMI-PBA domains
• Certification opportunities
• Process, tool, technique, and deliverables framework

General Functions of Business Analyst

• Needs Assessment and Strategic prioritization
• Business Analysis planning (the day-to-day work)
• Requirements Elicitation
• Requirements Analysis and Specification (includes modeling)
• Requirements Documentation, Validation, and Management
• Business Solution Delivery, Operation, and Maintenance

Needs Assessment

• Problem, opportunity, constraint and triage
• Request analysis
• Solution approaches and business cases
• The product life-cycle
• Prioritization
• Approval and Funding
• Project initiation

Business Planning

• Business analysis Work
• As-is versus to-be
• Product/project life-cycle approach
• Solution context and design
• Stakeholder analysis
• Assurance Design and Acceptance Criteria
• Solution success
• The Business Plan
• Project initiation

Business Analysis – Elicitation

• Question development
• Stakeholder requirements
• Elicitation
• Requirements generation
  • Decomposition
  • Studying
  • Modeling: scope, process, data, rule
• Requirements prioritization
• PM/BA collaboration during Elicitation

Business Analysis - Analysis

• Requirements analysis
• Iterative modification and Change Control
• Requirements classifications
• Tools for thinking, analysis, documentation & presentation
• Advanced modeling
• Characteristics of Excellent Requirements
• PM/BA collaboration during Analysis
• Approval, Verification and Validation

Traceability and Monitoring

• Requirements states
• Traceability Matrices
• Baselines
• Conflict resolution
• Facilitation
• Configuration and Version control
• Confirmation of solution delivery
• Confirmation of business value
• Status and reporting
• PM/BA collaboration and contrasts

Evaluation

• Testing and Test Plans
• Metrics and KPI
• Test cases
• Gaps, deficits, Deltas, and defects
• Acceptance criteria and implementation planning
• PM/BA collaboration and separation
• Go/No-Go analysis
• Product implementation
• Product Transition
• Post-implementation valuation
• Product life-cycle schedule
• Solution Replacement/Phase-out

Project Management and Operations Interfaces

• Project Management methodologies and their relationship to the Business Analyst
• Methodology comparison, contrast, and overlap
• Product life-cycles : Predictive/Waterfall, Iterative/Spiral, Incremental, Adaptive/Agile
• Role of the PM
• Role of the BA
• Working with the PMO
• The Business Analyst and Operations

Basic knowledge of business processes and/or project management.

• New and practicing Business Analysts
• Project Managers
• Product Managers
• System Analysts
• Quality Managers
• Managers tasked with Strategic decisions