Course 109:
Advanced Business Analysis

(3 days)

 

Course Description

In these fast-moving times of highly competitive challenges, the business analyst must be prepared to analyze the business itself—not just the software and hardware—to uncover inefficiency, redundancy, and other opportunities to improve the process of delivering a quality product. This course examines the methods the business analyst can use to determine the problems facing the business and derive solutions that will enhance the organization’s ability to respond quickly and efficiently to business challenges. The course is a workshop course designed around two case studies to illustrate advanced concepts in business analysis.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, the participant will know how to:

  • Identify and document the organization’s workflows and processes
  • Determine the best solution to the business problem
  • Present the solution to the business for confirmation, the approval authority for approval, and the implementers for acceptance
  • Elicit and communicate information using effective communication methods such as effective listening, body talk, and presentation techniques
  • Diagram the problem and solution
  • Apply influence skills to guide the successful implementation of the solution

Who Should Attend

Business Analysts who have completed courses in Defining Requirements (#303), Writing Detailed Functional Requirements (#326), and Software Testing (#306).

Features

The course focuses on business process modeling and re-engineering, which inevitably call upon many of the BA skills acquired in the requirements development and specification writing courses. It complements and reinforces the earlier lessons in interviewing and analytical techniques, and expands upon the basic information provided in earlier courses, such as presentation to management, meeting facilitation, and active listening.

Workshops

In this course, the workshops will be based on case studies that your organization will provide, thus making the workshops completely relevant to your BA staff. The workshops will primarily address business process modeling, gap analysis, and documentation, using in-depth interviews as a key information gathering technique.

Course Outline

Unit 1: The Business Process

  • Definition of Terms
    • What Is a Business Process?
    • Business Process Characteristics
    • Example of Business Process
  • Business Process Modeling
    • Purpose
    • When to Do It
    • Why Model a Business Process?
    • Example of a Process Model

Unit 2: The Quality Product

  • Achieving Integrity in the Software Development Life Cycle
    • Defining Integrity
    • Defining Quality
    • The Process of Maintaining Integrity
  • The Case Studies
    • Case Study #1
    • Case Study #2S
  • Eliciting the Information
    • Information Gathering Plan
    • The Interview Process
    • Getting All the Information
    • Listening Between the Lines
    • Applying Mediation Techniques
    • Understanding Hidden Agendas
    • More Effective Communications

Unit 3: Documenting Business Problems

  • Business Problems
    • Zeroing In on Business Problems
    • Categories of Problems
  • Documenting Business Process Structure
    • Basic Process Model
    • Expanded View of Process Model
  • Approaches to Business Process Documentation
    • Workflow Diagrams
    • Domain Models
    • Business Case Models
    • Activity Flow Diagrams
    • Paper Flow
    • Templates, Forms, and Artifacts

Unit 4: Solving the Business Process Problem

  • Business Process Re-Engineering
    • Focusing on the Processes
    • Changing the Processes
  • In-Depth Analysis
    • Drawing and Modeling Solutions
    • Activity Diagrams
    • State Charts
    • Sequence Diagrams
    • Constraining the Design
    • Gap Analysis Process
  • Documenting the Solution
    • Confirming the Quality
    • Using Graphical Information
    • Identifying Alternatives
    • Reviewing the Process
    • Reviewing the Documentation

Unit 5: Communicating the Solution

  • Presentation Strategies
    • Presenting to Different Audiences
    • The Template for Presentation
    • Gaining Acceptance
    • Gaining Approval

Unit 6: Ensuring the Solution Implementation

  • Influence Tactics
    • Role of Influence
    • Networking Influence
    • Handling Politics
    • Upward Management
    • Negotiation Revisited
  • Incorporating Change
    • Iterative Development
    • Incremental Delivery
    • Agile Development
    • Solution-Oriented Development

Unit 7: The Bottom Line

  • The Business Analysis Challenge
  • Effecting Change in the Organization
  • Good Practices to Follow
  • Where to Go for More Information

Please Contact Your ROI Representative to Discuss Course Tailoring!