B2T Training Course Catalog (2012)

Course Catalog

We Get it. We’ll Help You Get it Too.

i n t r o d u c t i o n

results driven Approach – A complete SolutionB2T Training’s approach leads your organization to your desired level of business analysis expertise. With the right level of investment and commitment you can fundamentally transform your organization’s business analysis practice. Our goal is to ensure your staff has the necessary skills to be confident and credible to provide positive impact to your business.

In order to realize the full value of business analysis in your organization, there are four critical areas which will drive real success: Training, Process, Structure, and Culture. Fundamentally, training is necessary to level set the BA skills and achieve consistency in deliverables. While formalized training is a critical first step, learning must continue through practice, mentoring and continued education support to ensure adaptability and realize the desired change. We provide core and advanced courses as a comprehensive training curriculum for the skills needed to be an excellent BA. To support students outside the classroom we provide individualized mentoring, deep dive workshops, and continuing education support with seminars, presentations, specialized training sessions, webinars, blogs, white papers, and additional resources and tools available at www.b2ttraining.com.

The process, or business analysis standards and approaches, should be defined and consistently used across similar project types. Defining business analysis roles and responsibilities with a supporting organization, which may include a community of practice or center of excellence, will provide structure for the BA discipline. Lastly, and possibly the most important, is to have an organizational culture that includes management and stakeholder support. We can review and

map your requirements management and work with you to develop or enhance your business analysis standards. We can provide direction and support for your COP or COE and work with your stakeholders and management to provide guidance and education in the area of business analysis. At any phase of this journey, it may be appropriate to conduct an assessment and we offer a full range of assessments for each of these critical success areas.

Our relationship with you is a long term partnership and we will work with you to capitalize on your business analysis development investment.

B2t training overview and History Since its inception in 2000, B2T Training has focused solely on providing business analysis training and professional development. We bring over 25 years experience to provide the highest quality business analysis training and support for ongoing development of business analysis professionals.

n First comprehensive business analysis training program in North America.

n Instructors, mentors, and course developers that are business analysis experts.

n Founding members of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA®).

n Extensively involved in the development of the IIBA® Business Analysis Body of Knowledge®.

n First BA certification program

We get it. We’ll help you get it too.

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T SB2T Training Curriculum ......................................................................... 3Certification............................................................................................... 4IIBA® BABOK® Alignment .................................................................... 5

n Core CoursesEssential Skills for Business Analysis .................................................. 6Business Process Analysis .....................................................................8Detailing Business Data Requirements ............................................. 10Use Case Modeling and Solution Requirements .............................. 12

n Advanced CoursesDeveloping a Business Analysis Work Plan ...................................... 14Business Analysis in an Agile Environment .......................................16Facilitating Requirements for Business Analysis ............................. 18

n Specialized CoursesOverview of Business Analysis ........................................................... 20Developer’s Introduction to Business Analysis ................................ 21Improving Communication Through Improvisation .......................... 22Managing Business Analysts .............................................................. 23Requirements Validation ....................................................................... 24Decision Modeling Essentials.............................................................. 26Business Analysis Essentials for Project Managers ...................... 28 Self Study Options.................................................................................. 31Mentoring ............................................................................................... 32CBAP® Study Guide ............................................................................. 33

B2T Training • 866.675.2125 • www.b2ttraining.com 2


t r A i n i n g c u r r i c u l u m

B2t training curriculum We provide a cohesive learning experience that takes the extremely complex elements of business analysis and simplifies

them into manageable learning components. All of our courses include hands-on workshops giving students many

opportunities to experience the techniques in class so students can return to their desks with the ability to better do their

job. Students are encouraged to bring their projects to class to help reinforce the concepts being taught. Our curriculum

is developed utilizing business analysis subject matter experts as well as education specialists. This brings together the

knowledge of best practices and techniques, with the emphasis on education and adult learning.

Core CoursesOur core training program is appropriate for new or experienced business analysts. These courses are written for organizations looking to level-set the business analyst role in their companies and for individuals seeking a solid foundational skill set. Our BA Associate program and study guides are based on these courses.

n Essential Skills for Business Analysis – 4 days

n Business Process Analysis – 3 days

n Detailing Business Data Requirements – 3 days

n Use Case Modeling and Solution Requirements – 3 days

Advanced CoursesOur advanced courses are designed for students who have completed the core courses and/or individuals who are experienced in business analysis.

n Developing a Business Analysis Work Plan – 3 days

n Business Analysis in an Agile Environment – 2 days

n Facilitating Requirements for Business Analysis – 3 days

Specialized CoursesThese courses and seminars are ideal for organizations with specific training needs, and provide management and technical teams an understanding of the business analysis role.

n Overview of Business Analysis – 1/2 day

n Developer’s Introduction to Business Analysis – 1 day

n Improving Communication Through Improvisation – 1 day

n Managing Business Analysts – 1 day

n Requirements Validation – 2 days

n Decision Modeling Essentials – 2 days

n Business Analysis Essentials for Project Managers – 3 days


c e r t i f i c At i o n

certificationB2T Training’s certification program validates an individual’s knowledge of critical analytical concepts and skills necessary to perform their role as a business analyst. This certificate is an independent expert verification of your knowledge and skills. Our program has proven to be a valuable measurement of business analysis performance across organizations.

The certification program consists of two levels of certification.

n The first level, BA Associate, covers the core or foundational concepts and skills for business analysis.

n The highest level, BA Certified, includes more advanced concepts and techniques which require knowledge and years of experience to master. An individual achieving BA Certified will be prepared to complete the IIBA® CBAP® certification.

The cost of obtaining BA Associate and BA Certified is included in the cost of attending training. A test out option is available for the core classes. The graphic below illustrates our certification process.

BA Associate™The BA Associate is a certificate program that recognizes business analysts who possess foundational knowledge of business analysis topics and skills taught in our core courses. It is designed for both new and experienced

business analysts “to raise the level of core competencies”. Obtaining the BA Associate certificate requires students to pass all online proficiency exams for our core courses. Upon completion of the core courses and exams you will receive a certificate recognizing your achievement and, with your permission, you will be listed on our Web site in the certification directory.

BA Certified™After obtaining the BA Associate certificate, students are required to attend 2 of the advanced courses. BA Certified is awarded upon successfully demonstrating their skills through the completion of class specific

activities, such as facilitating a session or preparing a BA work plan, and passing a comprehensive final exam. The BA Certified exam covers all topics in the B2T Training curriculum and is aligned with the IIBA CBAP. Completing the BA Certified exam will help prepare students for the CCBA® and CBAP® exams. Students will receive the B2T Training CBAP Study Guide as a resource to prepare for the BA Certified and IIBA® exams.

The cost of obtaining BA Associate and BA Certified is included in the cost of attending training. Being BA Certified entitles recipients the use of the BA Certified logo and the ability to use our organization as a reference. With a student’s permission, certification can also be easily verified on our Web site through the certification directory.Attend 2 of the Advanced Classes

Business Process Analysis3 days

Pass Proficiency Exam

Detailing Business Data Requirements3 days


Use Case Modeling and Solution Requirements3 days


Essential Skills for Business Analysis4 days


Developing aBusiness Analysis

Work Plan3 days

Complete PerformanceBased Activity

FacilitatingRequirements for

Business Analysis3 days


Pass Final Comprehensive Exam

Business Analysisin an Agile

Environment2 days


5

B A B o k A l i g n m e n t

iiBA® Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® and B2t training courses CORE COURSES ADVANCED COURSES

IIBA BABOK – Version 2.0 Business Framework Tasks Essential Process Data Use Cases and Work Plan Agile Facilitating Skills Analysis Solution Reqts BA Planning and MonitoringPlan business analysis approach 3 3 Conduct stakeholder analysis 3 3 3 3

Plan business analysis activities 3 3 3 3

Plan business analysis communications 3 3 Estimate requirements activities 3 3 Plan requirements management process 3 3 Manage business analysis performance 3

ElicitationPrepare for elicitation 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Conduct elicitation activity 3 3 3 3 3 3

Document elicitation results 3 3 3 3 3

Confirm elicitation results 3 3 3 3 3 3

Requirements Management and CommunicationManage solution and requirements scope 3 3 3 3 3 Manage requirements traceability 3 3 3 3 3 Maintain requirements for re-use 3 3 3 Prepare requirements package 3 3 3 3 Communicate requirements 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Enterprise AnalysisDefine business need 3 3 3 3 3 Assess capability gaps 3 3 3 Determine solution approach 3 3 3 Define solution scope 3 3 3 Develop the business case 3 3

Requirements AnalysisPrioritize requirements 3 3 3 3 3 3

Organize requirements 3 3 3 3 3 Specify and model requirements 3 3 3 3 3 Determine assumptions and constraints 3 3 3 3 Verify requirements 3 3 Validate requirements 3 3

Solution Assessment and ValidationAssess proposed solution 3 3 Allocate requirements 3 3 Assess organizational readiness 3 3 Define transition requirements 3 3 Validate solution 3 Evaluate solution performance 3

Underlying CompetenciesAnalytical thinking and problem solving 3 3 3 3 3 3 Behavioral characteristics 3 3 Business knowledge 3 3 3 3 Communication skills 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Interaction skills 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Software applications 3 3 3 3 3


c o r e c o u r S e

essential Skills for Business AnalysisOverviewTo stay competitive in today’s fast paced economy, companies need to deliver innovations that meet business or market needs without spending time on the wrong problem. This foundation-al course supports those efforts by providing students, regard-less of their title, the essential business analysis skills they need to identify the right solutions and drive significant value on their projects. The need for strong business analysis skills is necessary for companies to streamline operations and drive customer satisfaction, therefore this course delivers instruction on a core set of proven tools and techniques for use in busi-ness analysis work. It supports and expands on the standards outlined in the IIBA BABOK® Guide V2.0.

This course explores the breadth of tasks, skills and interactions expected in a business analysis professional role. Students learn repeatable steps and practice techniques to begin a project, stay organized, enable critical thinking, and deliver clear requirements. Students leave knowing how to engage easily with project stakeholders to define the scope of their analysis and which requirements elicitation techniques are appropriate for a variety of projects. This course provides practical tips and hands on exercises to build expertise and confidence using requirements delivery strategies, independent of methodology.

This course teaches business analysis essentials to both new and experienced practitioners. Interactive workshops allow students to practice the techniques as they learn them. The workshop cases and discussions inspire learning insights for every level of experience. This is an excellent course to be held onsite at your organization to level set analysts across the organization. It provides consistent terminology, project participant roles, templates, and suggested standards for an

organization to use as a starting point to add their unique customizations. Students are requested to bring their own projects to class to use in developing a personal post-class action plan to take their project to the next step.

In this course students will learn to: n Analyze and scope the area of analysis, to clarify the level

and complexity of the business analysis effort needed for the project.

n Select the appropriate elicitation technique.

n Analyze and refine business and functional requirements.

n Ask the right questions through the use of interviewing templates.

n Identify the four core components necessary to analyze a business area and provide them in a more consumable format.

n Plan an approach for analyzing, categorizing, and manag-ing requirements. Determine the level of formality required and consider options for documenting and packaging requirements based on project type, priorities, and risks.

n Identify techniques and documentation options appropriate for various software development approaches (traditional, iterative, and agile) and project types (COTS, maintenance, process improvement, new development, etc).

n Define testing objectives and verify requirements are testable.

n Conduct effective requirements reviews.

n Build strong relationships with project stakeholders.

n Anticipate issues, think proactively, and use critical thinking skills to plan stakeholder elicitation sessions.

Intended audience:This course is designed for any individual performing critical business analysis activities; business analysts, project managers, business systems analysts, product managers, product owners, system architect or any other project team member. New practitioners will learn the tasks they are expected to perform and why each task is important. Experienced practitioners will adapt their skills and experience and learn new strategies to improve their requirements activities or ideas to help mentor others. This course may also be appropriate for individuals who manage analysis activities and business stakeholders who need a more in-depth understanding of the requirements process and deliverables.

Prerequisites: None

Earn 28 IIBA CDUs and PMI PDUs

Public Class Pricing: $2395

Public Class Schedule:

Aug 13 – Aug 16, 2012 • Louisville, KY

Sep 10 – Sep 13, 2012 • Chicago-Downers Grove, IL

Sep 17 – Sep 20, 2012 • Des Moines, IA

Oct 1 – Oct 4, 2012 • Atlanta, GA

Nov 12 – Nov 15, 2012 • Las Vegas, NV

Dec 3 – Dec 6, 2012 • Dallas, TX

Visit www.b2ttraining.com for other dates and to register!

4 DAyS


Introduction - 1 hr•Whatisbusinessanalysis?•Reviewthemajortasksperformedbythebusiness

analyst.•Discussbusinessanalysistasksinthecontextof

various development methodologies.•Definetheessentialskillsneededtoperformtheir

tasks.

Project Participants and their Role - 1 hr•Identifyprojectstakeholdersandtheirroles.•Discusshowthebusinessanalystinteractswith

these participants.

Elicitation Techniques - 3 hrs•Learntouseanddeterminetheappropriate

elicitation technique: o One-on-one interviews o Requirements workshops o Surveys o Brainstorming o Document analysis o Focus group o Job shadowing/observation o Competitive analysis o Prototyping o Interface analysis o Reverse engineering•Learntoproactivelyplaninteractionswithstake-

holders to make the most effective use of their time. Scoping the Project from the Business Analyst’s Perspective - 5.5 hrs•Identifywhy the project is being done in order

to ensure that the right analysis effort is being performed and that requirements efforts can be appropriately prioritized. This will help to ensure that the right solution is being identified to address the real problem.

•Getanintroductiontoenterpriseanalysisinordertounderstandtheprojectinthecontextofthegreater organization’s strategic goals.

•Identifythebusinessstakeholderswhowillbeinvolved in the project and how they will impact business analysis.

•Learnthecontextdiagramtechniquetoidentifyandscope “what is”, and more importantly, “what is not” to be analyzed. Analyze interfaces with people, otherorganizations,existingsystems,andothersoftware applications.

•Discusshowabusinessanalystshouldcollect,organize, and maintain requirements for efficient analysis and reuse on future projects.

•Workshop–Scopetheclasscasestudyproject.•Workshop–Reinforcetheanalysistechniquesona

current project

Defining and Detailing Requirements - 4 hrs•Understandwhatarequirementisandwhyitcan

be so confusing. •Learnhowtodefine“excellent”requirements.•Understandthedifferencebetweenanalysis

and design or “business” vs. “technological” requirements.

•Learnhowsoftwaredevelopersuserequirements.•Learntheappropriatepresentationandlevelof

detail necessary for various audiences. •Learnthe4corerequirementcomponents,what

they describe, and why they are important. Breaking requirements into components forces more comprehensive analysis so that requirements are not missed.

o Data (entities, attributes) o Process (use case) oExternalAgent(actor) o Business Rules Requirements Analysis Techniques - 4 hrs•Learntherecommendedapproachtocategorizing

requirements. Why should requirements be categorized?Whouseseachcategory?Whyisitdifficulttocreatedistinctcategories?

o Business Requirements o Solution Requirements • FunctionalRequirements • Non-functionalRequirements o Transition Requirements•Learntheconceptoftraceabilityofrequirements.•Discussthemostcommonlyusedanalysis

techniques to organize and refine requirements. Businessanalystsshouldhaveexpertiseinmanyanalysis techniques to be able to adapt to different types of projects and business domains.

oStructuredtextualtemplates(processdescriptions, data descriptions, business rules, use cases, user stories)

o Entity relationship diagram o Decomposition diagram o Use case diagram and use case descriptions oWorkflowdiagram(BPMN,ANSI,UML,swimlane) o User interface prototyping•Consideroptionsandlevelofformalityforpackaging

requirements and choosing the appropriate documentation techniques for each project.

•Workshop-Putintopracticeseveraloftheanalysistechniques on the course case study requirements.

Conducting a Requirements Review - 2 hrs•Learnhowtoimproveyouranalysisthrough

effective quality reviews.•Learnhowtoconductarequirementsreview:Who

shouldparticipate?Whataretherequiredsteps?Howisasessionconducted?Whatarethecommonchallenges?

•Workshop-Analyzeasamplerequirementspackage.

o Identify missing or incomplete requirements. o Identify potential test cases. o Document issues and develop an approach for

going forward.

Validate the Requirements - 2hrs•Understandtheroleofbusinessanalysisin

validating requirements and software testing.•Introductiontosoftwaretesting:Whyistesting

important?Whatisthebusinessanalyst’sroleintesting?Whatistheprimaryobjectiveoftesting?Whatarethephasesandtypesoftesting?

•Learntoverifythatthebusinessrequirementsarecomplete by identifying test cases.

•Practiceidentifyingtestcasesandrefiningrequirements based on quality assurance principles.

Analysis Communication Skills - 3.5 hrs•Realizehowcommunicationcanmakeyoueffective

or undermine your analysis efforts. Communication is at the core of business analysis.

•Understandyourpersonalcommunicationstyleand learn how your strengths and weaknesses will impact your stakeholder relationships.

•Learnaboutthecommunicationneedsofvariousaudiences in order to more effectively elicit and present the right project requirements.

•Learntoasktherightquestions.Reviewselectedanalysis techniques to frame questions driving stakeholders to reveal core needs and problems.

•Recognizeactivelisteningasthemostpowerfulelicitation communication skill; learn to listen for key phrases that reveal specific types of requirements.

•Improvelisteningskillsbyrecognizingcommonbarriers to listening, understanding verbal and nonverbal messages, acknowledging the message, and responding with appropriate feedback.

•Workshop-Practiceactivelisteningandreceivefeedback from the instructors and other students.

Develop Your Action Plan / Course Summary - 2 hrs•Pullingitalltogether.•OptionalWorkshop-DraftaninitialBusiness

Analysis Communications Plan for a CRM project.•DevelopanActionPlanwithnextstepsonthe

student’s current project.•Studentquestions/discussiontopics.

Appendix - Overview of Application Development Methodologies•Discussvariousmethodologiesforapplication

development. •Learnwhichmodelsareusedineachmethodology: o Waterfall o Information Engineering o IDEF o RAD o Iterative/Agile oBPMN oObjectOriented-UML o Spiral/RUP

Working with Virtual Teams - Optional•Understandwhatconstitutesavirtualteam.•Learnaboutvirtualteamstructuresand

terminology.•Learnabouttechnologyrequirementsforvirtual

teams •Considerbusinessanalysisprocesschangesfor

virtual team work •Effectivelyutilizethepeopleonthevirtual

team

Course Outline

This class is a part of the B2T Training Business Analyst Certification Program. For more information on the program, see page 4.


c o r e c o u r S e

Business Process AnalysisOverviewBusiness process analysis is a fundamental activity in support of critical change efforts, whether you are defining changes to existing business systems, improving your business processes, or acquiring, merging, or splitting business units. Every business is searching for better ways of getting work done. Improving efficiency, decreasing costs, increasing productivity and customer service are goals that are universal. This course provides a business analyst a tool for understanding their core business processes so that they can provide alternative solutions which meet core business needs and consider IT impacts. Management can then evaluate each alternative for its potential return on investment and the cost of implementation.

Innovation is critical in today’s environment and the need to take solutions to market faster is critical. Doing things the way they’ve always done is comfortable, but may hamper operational agility in the future. This course provides students with techniques to help your business look at how things are being done and create solution options to improve the business processes. Creating AS IS and TO BE workflows gives the business analyst a strategic view of business architecture which is essential in Agile, SOA, BPM, and any type of process improvement or COTS project. Workflows are also the foundation for documenting Six Sigma, Lean, and Value Stream process maps.

Evaluating the business process may result in software changes, procedural changes, organizational changes, personnel changes, etc. The best way to improve business operations is to: 1) study the current procedures, 2) find the core or essential work being done, and 3) define how this essential work will be accomplished. This course teaches

a proven approach which gives the business analyst the confidence and credibility to offer and promote the right solution to solve the business problem or opportunity. In this course students will learn to: n Initiate a process modeling effort with clear objectives and

an agreed upon goal.

n Define key terms used by the business domain to improve communications within the business.

n Ask detailed questions to get a complete understanding of current business procedures, business rules, information use, and events that impact the business processes (AS IS).

n Identify and document complex business process steps in an easy-to-review diagram using industry standard notation, BPMN. This notation was specifically developed for more effective communication with business stakeholders.

n Identify areas for process improvement by reviewing AS IS models.

n Develop process re-design strategies and present them for approval (TO BE).

n Decompose complex processes into lower level tasks and sub-processes.

n Identify the most important business component: Essential Processes.

n Conduct a review of a process model to assure accuracy.

Intended audience:This course will be beneficial to any person, in any size organization, hoping to improve their business processes. The techniques presented can be used without any sophisticated software to quickly identify areas for improvement and fix broken processes.

Prerequisites: We recommend that students first attend our Essential Skills for Business Analysis class or have experience in project scope definition, eliciting requirements from subject matter experts, and understanding how business requirements fit into the entire systems development effort.




Aug 14 – Aug 16, 2012 • Atlanta, GA

Oct 1 – Oct 3, 2012 • Chicago-Downers Grove, IL


3 DAyS


Introduction - 1 hr•Definebusinessprocessanalysis.•Solidifystrongprojectobjectivesandgoals.•Learntheimportanceoftheglossarytoprocess

modeling.

AS IS Workflow Analysis - 5 hrs•Utilizeworkflowanalysistounderstandthecurrent

business process (AS IS). o Discuss key terms in process modeling and their

subtle differences (process, sub-process, function, activity, essential process, task, procedure).

o Discuss the reasons for creating AS IS diagrams and models.

•LearntocreatedetailedBusinessProcessModels. oLearnthekeyBPMNsymbolsandtheirusage

(tasks, connections, events, gateways). o Discover and analyze tasks in the business

domain. o Identify events within the business process

including delays, communications, and triggers. oDecomposecomplexprocessesintosub-

processes and create related diagrams. o Use data artifacts to collect and analyze

information currently used by the business o Collect metrics or measurements to establish the

business process baseline.•Learnanapproachtomanagingyourworkloadona

large business process modeling project.•Workshop:CreateanASISBusinessProcess

Model for the course case study and present it to the class.

Discovering Business Rules - 3 hrs•Learntolistenforbusinessruleswheneliciting

business process requirements.•Understandhowbusinessrulesdrivebusiness

decisions.•Learntoaskdetailedquestionstoclarifybusiness

rules.•Considerseveralapproachestoorganizing,

documenting and getting confirmation on business rules.

•OverviewoftheDecisionModel.•Usedecisiontablestorepresentcomplexbusiness

rules.•Workshop:Identifybusinessrulesfromcasestudy.

Essential Business Process Modeling - 3 hrs•Learntoidentifyessentialbusinessprocesses.An

essential business process is a core requirement of the business area necessary to re-design the process for improvement. Each process must be clearly defined, consistently named, and completely described.

•Learntoextractessentialprocessesfromdetaileduser descriptions and the AS IS process models.

•Learntoidentifyredundantandreusableprocesses.

•Useaninterviewingtemplatetodocumentbusinessnarratives for each essential process.

Process Analysis - 3 hrs•Learntoorganizeandcommunicateessential

business processes using a process outline or a decomposition diagram.

•Learnseveraltechniquestodefinebusinessprocesses: top-down, bottom-up, and event driven.

•Learntodecomposebusinessprocessesintosub-processes and tasks.

•Workshop:Identifyandpresentessentialprocessesfor the class case study.

TO BE Workflow Analysis - 5 hrs•ReviewASISModelsandtransitiontoaTOBE

Model. o Evaluate the business value of each process step

followingtheprinciplesofSixSigma,Lean,Value Stream Mapping, etc.

o Identify areas for improvement from the AS IS Models.

• UseRootCauseAnalysistofindthetruereason for each problem.

• Reviewcurrentprocessmetrics. • Examinehandoffsandcommunications

between process participants. o Prioritize areas for improvement. o Brainstorm on TO BE alternatives. o Create TO BE models with a re-design of the

business procedures supporting the essential processes.

•Collaboratewithstakeholderstodevelopalternative solutions and evaluate each one.

•Useasolutiontabletodefinedesiredfunctionalityand priorities. This table can be used as the backlog for future projects.

•Performgapanalysistoanalyzegapsbetweenthe AS IS Process and the recommended TO BE Process.

•Identifytransitionrequirements.•Workshop:CreateaTOBEBusinessProcessModel

for the course case study and present it to the class.

Develop Your Action Plan / Course Summary - 1 hr•DevelopanActionPlanwithnextstepsonthe



Course Outline


c o r e c o u r S e

detailing Business data requirements OverviewMissing a critical piece of data or incorrectly defining a data element contributes to the majority of maintenance problems and results in systems that do not reflect or support the business needs. Business users often fail to articulate their business data needs because they are so inherent in their work that it is difficult to uniquely identify each data requirement. A business analyst, skilled in data elicitation and definition, can save the business significant time and cost for any project.

This course teaches students an in-depth approach to data modeling: identifying and defining all necessary data components using both textual templates and an entity relationship diagram. This course teaches business analysis techniques for eliciting, analyzing, and documenting data requirements to both new and experienced practitioners. Additionally, this class will tie together other analysis techniques by highlighting the impact of data on the other core requirement components. Eliciting information needs often uncovers additional processes and business rules. Every business process uses data and almost all business rules are enforced by or govern data.

Students will be given data templates with a suggested documentation structure for defining Business Data Requirements. It supports and expands on the techniques in the IIBA BABOK® Guide V2.0. Mentor-led workshops require students to practice the techniques as they learn. Students are encouraged to bring their own projects to class.

The course provides business analysts the knowledge to:

n Identify core data requirements beginning with project initiation.

n Identify relationships between data elements and their impact on the business.

n Identify excellent data requirements at the appropriate level of detail.

n Detail the data requirements (using a data dictionary and data model).

n Detail complex data related business rules.

n Use data requirements to verify and communicate a more complete understanding of the business domain

n Assist with the transition of business data to database design.

n Utilize easy normalization techniques (without all the mathematical theory).

n Validate data requirements with activity (process or use case) requirements.

Even if your organization has a data administrator or data warehouse team who is responsible for documenting and managing the organization’s information needs, every project uses a subset of that enterprise information in its own unique way. Business analysts must understand the importance of data in all of their projects and include data requirements in their business requirements documentation. Failing to document which data elements need to be used in a calculation, or displayed on a report, leaves the developer the responsibility of choosing the correct pieces of business data from hundreds if not thousands of available fields. These missing requirements often lead to expensive and lengthy project delays during the testing phase.

Intended audience:This course is designed for business analysts, project managers, systems analysts, data administrators, database administrators, or any other project team member practicing business analysis. This course may also be appropriate for individuals who manage or mentor business analysts.

Prerequisites: We recommend that students first attend our Essential Skills for Business Analysis class or have experience in project scope definition, gathering requirements from subject matter experts, and understand how business requirements fit into the entire systems development effort



Public Class Schedule: Nov 12 – Nov 14, 2012 • Chicago-Downers Grove, IL


3 DAyS

11

Introduction - 1 hr•Whatisbusinessdataandhowdodata

requirementssupportyourprojectsolution?•Whatisthedifferencebetweenbusinessdataand

databasedesign?•Reviewthe7characteristicsof“excellent”

requirements.

Entities and Attributes - 5 hrs•Reviewtheprojectinitiationandscopeanalysisto

identify initial business data needs.•Understandthebasicbuildingblocksofthe

business data: entities, attributes, and relationships.•Learntodefineentitiesandattributeswithbusiness

goals in mind. Utilize suggested naming guidelines for consistency and readability.

•Identifycriticalattributesforeachentityhighlighting their data types, valid values and other attribute characteristics.

•Discussentityuniqueidentifiers.•Differentiateuniquebusinessfactswithinagiven

attribute.•Workshopusingcasestudytoidentifyanddetail

entities and attributes.

Entity Relationships and Diagramming Conventions - 4 hrs•Learnhowbusinessdatarequirementsare

displayed in an entity relationship diagram.•Detectthebusinessrulesofdatabyidentifyingkey

relationships between entities. •Definerelationshipsandbusinessrulesinmore

detailusingnamingconventions.Learnrelationshipcardinalities and understand their impact on your solution functionality.

•Reviewcommondiagramnotationsfordatarelatedbusiness rules.

•Workshoptoidentifyanddetailentityrelationships.Create a logical entity relationship diagram that accurately reflects the business domain.

Detailing the Data Requirements - 5 hrs•Detailrepeatingdataelements.Breakdown

attributes into their components using proper naming conventions and clearly document the requirementswithexampledatavalues.

•Identifyanddefineadvancedentitytypestodriveeffective analysis.

•Detailcomplexdatabusinessrulesandidentifyadditional attributes to describe the business relationships (many to many relationships).

•Detailanddifferentiatebetweensub-typeentities.•Reviewtechniquesfordocumentingdata

conversion requirements, interface requirements and performing gap analysis.

•Workshoptorefineandupdatetheentityrelationship diagram to reflect newly discovered data requirements.

Transition from Business Data to a Physical Design - 2 hrs•Learnhowtolinkthedataandprocesselementsto

identify missing or incomplete requirements. Each essential process must use data, and each data element must be used by at least one essential process.

•Learnhowbusinessdatatransitionsintodatabasedesign.

•Reviewthedatarequirementsforcompleteness,understand how logical components are translated to physical components, and develop a strategy for maintaining the business requirements.

•Scopethedesignareausingsubjectareas.•Understandde-normalizationandtheeffecton

database design. Workshop - Identify and document complete data requirements for a new case study (Student’s projects may be used for this workshop.) - 4 hrs•Identifyanddocumententities.•Identifyanddocumentattributes.•Identifyanddocumentdatarelatedbusiness

rules.

Appendix - Data Normalization - Optional•Whatisdatanormalizationandwhyisitimportant?•Whataretherulesofnormalization?


Course Outline

B2T Training • 866.675.2125 • www.b2ttraining.com


c o r e c o u r S e

use case modeling and Solution requirements OverviewUse case modeling is a commonly used analysis technique which results in functional requirements and a framework for test case development. When the solution to a business problem or opportunity involves a software component, the solution team must determine how software will best support the business. A use case diagram clearly depicts the scope of the solution to be designed which can help set expectations for stakeholders as to the complexity and interactions with the system.

This class focuses on the business analysis work of defining functional, non-functional, and transition requirements which describe the solution and roll out needs. In addition to use case diagrams and descriptions, this course provides guidelines for developing system and user interfaces, a checklist for non-functional requirements, and strategies for developing an implementation plan. These are critical components in fully defining your solution requirements.

This course supports and expands on the techniques in the IIBA BABOK® Guide V2.0. Specific techniques for communicating the business requirements to the solution team, tracing each business requirement to the supporting solution component, assessing the solution applicability and planning for a smooth transition to the solution are explored in detail in this course.

Mentor-led workshops require students to practice the techniques as they learn. Students are encouraged to bring their own projects to class.

In this course students will learn to:

n Use business requirements to identify, evaluate and present alternative design solutions which meet customer needs.

n Prioritize requirements for inclusion in the software development phase using plan-driven (traditional) and change-driven (iterative and agile) techniques.

n Elicit, analyze, and communicate functional requirements that specify how users will interact with the software and how the software will respond.

n Create a use case diagram to clarify solution scope.

n Deliver consistent, detailed use case descriptions.

n Incorporate usability principals when developing prototypes.

n Determine the impact of interfaces and develop interface requirements.

n Identify non-functional requirements appropriate for each project.

n Learn to assess organizational readiness and build a transition or rollout plan to smooth the implementation of new software for the business.

Intended audience:This course is designed for business analysts, systems analysts, or any other project team members responsible for developing functional, non-functional, and transition requirements. Students are encouraged to bring examples of their requirements documents to the class for review and feedback. This course may also be appropriate for individuals who manage business analysts. Developers and solution implementers will benefit from an understanding of how functional and non-functional requirements are elicited and analyzed.

Prerequisites: We recommend that students first attend our Essential Skills for Business Analysis class or have experience in project scope definition, eliciting requirements from stakeholders, and understanding how business requirements fit into the entire systems development effort. We also recommend that students attend Business Process Analysis before attending this class.




Sep 17 – Sep 19, 2012 • Atlanta, GA


3 DAyS


Introduction - 1 hr•Definesolutionandtransitionrequirements.•Reviewrequirementscategoriesand

classifications.•Discussthedifferencesbetweenbusinessand

functional requirements.•Discussrequirementsimplicationsbasedonthe

type of solution being developed (COTS, in house development, maintenance, BI).

•Learnaboutthesoftwaredevelopmentapproachesused by the team (change driven vs. plan driven) as it relates to solution requirements.

Determine the Solution Scope - 4 hrs•Definethesolutionscopemodel.Useapproved

business requirements to define a solution and allocate the solution components to each requirement (traceability).

•Learnafive-stepapproachtobringingthebusiness domain stakeholders and implementation stakeholders to consensus about the definition of the solution scope:

o Determine the functionality desired. o Elicit the business priority of each function. o Assess technical priority and estimated cost of

the desired functionality. o Break project into phases or iterations. o Obtain approval.•Createasolutionscopemodelusingausecase

diagram: o Define actors involved with the application. o Identify actor interactions. o Determine use cases within each phase or

iteration.

Defining Functional Requirements - 4 hrs•Learntoidentifyusecases.•Outlineeachusecaseforahigh-level

understanding of broad behavior. •Identifyprimarypath,alternatepath,andexception

paths. •Decomposelargeusecasesintosmallersub-sets,

identifying reusable use cases where possible. •Learnhowandwheretodocumentsystemuser

messages. •Learntocreatedetailedusecase

descriptions.

Designing User Interfaces - 2 hrs•Learntoidentifywhereprototypesarenecessary.•Createanddocumentprototypes.•Learntodocumentreportrequirements,including

ad-hocandpredefined.Learnthedefinitionofbusiness intelligence.

•Learntodocumentfieldeditsandscreenfunctionality.

•Incorporateusabilityprincipalsintouserinterfaces.

Analyze Interface Requirements - 3 hrs•Identifyrequiredinterfacesbasedonthephase/

iteration plan.•Understandthemosteffectiveinterfacestrategyfor

each design solution.•Writeinterfacerequirementsforeach

interface.

Identifying Non-Functional Requirements - 2 hrs•Identifyrequirementsnotpreviouslyaddressed

by business, functional, or technical requirement categories:

o Performance requirements o Security requirements o Quality requirements o Scalability•Considerwhichnon-functionalrequirementtypes

are important for your project.•Discussthebusinessanalystroleinthe

development of these requirements.

Develop Transition Requirements - 3 hrs•Identifyrequirementsforasmoothrolloutofthe

solution to the business o Consider scheduling and timing issues o Determine the timing of interface transition and

data conversion o Consider parallel operations vs. cutover o Develop an implementation plan Develop Action Plan/Course Summary Workshop - 2 hrs•ReviewBusinessAnalysistasksandskillslearned.•Workshop:Whatwouldyoudo?Determineanalysis

approach based on case study.•DevelopanActionPlanwithnextstepsonthe

student’s current project.


Course Outline


A d vA n c e d c o u r S e

developing a Business Analysis Work PlanOverviewHaving trouble getting started with your business analysis work? Unsure about how much time to request from your project manager?

Developing a business analysis work plan will prevent major problems by ensuring that all of the appropriate stakeholders are involved and the requirements will be analyzed and presented using the most effective communication approaches. This class teaches students to consider all of the project and stakeholder characteristics before deciding on appropriate deliverables and producing a time estimate. The work plan also helps the business analyst develop realistic time estimates based on the chosen deliverables. These estimates provide detailed justification for negotiation with project managers and project sponsors. During class students are presented the Business Analysis Planning Framework™ and are given worksheets to guide their planning efforts.

Students are encouraged to bring their own project initiation documentation for a current or past project to the class. During the workshops, students will develop their business analysis work plan. If students do not have a project, a class case study is available and should be reviewed prior to the first day of class.

Regardless of when the BA joins a project or the project type, this class will guide planners to deliver an intelligent business analysis work plan to the project manager and have a detailed roadmap upon which they can immediately begin to execute. The business analysis work plan may be a single sheet of brief notes on a small project or a more

formal document on larger projects. Regardless of the output produced, an excellent business analyst thinks through the plan before starting work.

This course supports and extends the techniques in the IIBA’s BABOK® Guide V2.0.


n Use project characteristics, people, and process to determine what business analysis tasks are needed for a project.

n Create a business analysis work plan which includes tasks and time estimates for the business analysts and other stakeholders.

n Determine the appropriate level and formality for a plan.

n Use the business analysis work plan as a negotiation tool to get approval for business analysis work on a project.

“Rowing harder doesn’t help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction.”

- Kenichi Ohmae, management consultant

Intended audience:This course is intended for anyone who is interested in learning a practical approach to planning the necessary business analysis tasks for their project.

Prerequisites: Business analysts registering for this course must have attended Essential Skills for Business Analysis, or have at least 2 years experience in requirements elicitation, analysis, and documentation using structured techniques. Contact B2T Training if you would like to pass out of these prerequisites.




Oct 22 – Oct 24, 2012 • Chicago-Downers Grove, IL


3 DAyS


Introduction - 1 hr• Businessanalysisplanning. o Overview of business analysis planning activities. o Discuss the relationship of the project manager

and the business analyst in planning.•UseoftheBAPlanningFramework™approachto

planning. o Project - Understanding the project

characteristics. o People - Identifying stakeholders and planning for

communications. o Process - Planning the analysis activities.•Rootcauseanalysisandthefishbonediagram.•Thebusinessanalysisworkplan.

Planning for Different Types of Projects - 4 hrs•Introducetheconceptsofplan driven vs. change

driven approaches to projects.•Planningarounduniqueprojectcharacteristics: o A large development project. o Enhancement or maintenance projects. o A COTS (commercial off-the-shelf software)

project. o A reporting or data warehouse project. o A process improvement or re-engineering effort. o An infrastructure upgrade (getting a new e-mail

or operating system).•Planningaroundmethodologyandprocess

characteristics: o An outsourced or off-shore development project. o Iterative style development methodology. o Agile style development process.•Groupworkshop:Discussplanningconsiderations

for case study projects. Project - Understanding the Project Characteristics - 4 hrs•Let’sgetstarted-Achecklisttoassessthecurrent

state of the project and to help get started.•TheProjectOverviewWorksheet-Istheproject

clearlydefined? o Business objectives o Problems/opportunities o Requirements scope o High-level business processes•TheBusinessImpactWorksheet-Whatis

the relative importance of the project to the organization?

o Size (number of stakeholders, number of business processes involved, number of business rules).

o Importance (estimated cost, potential benefits, criticality of business area, level of key stakeholders).

o Risk analysis (project, business, technology).•Enterpriseanalysis-Understandinghowthis

project fits into the organization’s overall strategy.

•Groupworkshop-Assesstheprojectandscorethebusiness impact of a sample project.

People - Stakeholder Analysis and the Communication Plan - 4 hrs•Whyplanforstakeholderinteractions?•Assesstheprojectsponsor•Identifybothprimaryandsecondarystakeholders: o Searching for all stakeholders, not just the

obvious ones o Understanding each stakeholder’s area of

concern o Documenting stakeholder’s needs o Consider the characteristics of each stakeholder

group•Determineeffectivecommunicationpracticesfor

each stakeholder group: o Is this group providing requirements, using

requirements, or supporting the project work?

o Which elicitation technique(s) will be most effective?

o What requirement presentation format will be mostcomfortableforthisgroup?

•TheStakeholderAnalysisWorksheet o When and where will communications with each

stakeholderbemosteffective? o What are the best communication techniques for

eachstakeholder?•Groupworkshop-Identifyandanalyzethe

stakeholdergroupsforanexampleprojectandidentify the appropriate communication techniques.

Process - Planning the Analysis Activities - 3.5 hrs•Plantheanalysisactivities o Step one - Assess which requirements

componentsareneeded? o Step two - Determine which deliverables are

neededusingtheDeliverableListWorksheet o Step three - Develop an approach for creating

each deliverable using The Deliverable Worksheet

•Consultwithorganizationalstandards/methodologies for required deliverables.

Creating the Business Analysis Work Plan - 3 hrs•Stepone-Createthebusinessanalysistasklist•Steptwo-Estimateanalysistime oUsinghistoricalandexpertdatatoestimate o Tracking actual time to estimate •Stepthree-Finalizethebusinessanalysiswork

plan •Groupworkshop-developatasklistofanalysis

and requirements activities for a sample project.•Intelligentnegotiationskills.•Gettingsignoffontheplan.•Baseliningtheplanandinitiatingchangecontrol.

Ongoing Requirements Management - 1 hr•WhatisRequirementsManagement? o Using a requirements repository o Develop a requirements management plan oReusingexistingrequirements oReusingexistingdata o Identifying requirements attributes•Planforrequirementstraceability oLearnabouttraceabilitymatricesand

requirements links o Understand the purpose of forward and backward

traceability o Determine which requirements should be

“traced” o Determine the appropriate approach for

managing traceability oExercise:Performimpactanalysisusing

traceability

Course Summary - 0.5 hr•Finalthoughts•PlanningWorksheetMap•OptionalExercises

Appendix - Advanced Project Initiation Requirements - Optional•Advancedprojectinitiationrequirements:•Learntechniquestoidentifystrongproject

objectives. •Learnatechniquetohelpsubjectmatterexperts

scope a project with unclear boundaries. •Groupworkshop-scopeanunclear

project.

Appendix - Advanced Topics - Optional•Developingacost/benefitanalysisforabusiness

case•Evaluatingsoftwareapplicationsforpurchase

(COTS)


Course Outline



Business Analysis in an Agile environment OverviewAgile environments are causing a shift in how a business analysis professional works. There are some new rules. While some agile teams do not have a formal role called Business Analyst, business analysis skills are needed on agile teams. BAs possess unique skills including clear communication, organization, facilitation, requirements elicitation, critical thinking, and requirements analysis and management skills. Additionally agile teams often expect team members to cross over and perform tasks traditionally done by other specialized roles. Since most business analysis professionals are experienced at assisting in extra responsibilities and are trained collaborators, they can make excellent agile project team members.

This course is designed to show how business analysis fits in an agile environment and highlights the reality that business analysis activities are absolutely necessary. For the Business Analysis practitioner you will understand how the skills you have will help you become a valued agile team member.Students will gain knowledge and skills by practicing techniques and soft skills needed to operate effectively in a requirements-driven agile environment.

Students will learn:

n Agile approaches, key principles, practices and terminology focusing on Scrum.

n How to transfer traditional skills, techniques and tasks of a Business Analyst to an agile environment to add value to the team.

n How the entire team gets engaged with requirements and how the BA facilitates this process.

n The importance of planning in an agile environment and how to assist product owner and team during each of the levels of agile planning

n How to assist the product owner to develop and prioritize the product backlog and how changes are managed.

n How to facilitate eliciting the appropriate level of requirements detail pre-iteration, during an iteration, and post iteration.

n To develop user story requirements and specify acceptance criteria to assist the product owner, domain stakeholders, and the team to build a quality product or system

n To use formal and informal methods of communication requirements, adjusting the level of detail and elaborating requirements iteratively as needed while developing “just enough” documentation.

n New techniques that are useful for agile environments such as, commitment based planning, product visioning, user story writing workshops, estimating with story points, purpose based leadership and more.

Intended audience:This course is designed for business analysts, systems analysts, product owners, project managers or any other project team member involved with requirements on an agile project. This course may also be appropriate for individuals who manage business analysts and need a more in-depth understanding of the process and skill set a business analyst can bring to an agile project.

Prerequisites: This is an advanced class. We recommend students first attend our Core classes or have equivalent experience.


Public Class Pricing: No public classes currently scheduled.


Sep 17 – Sep 18, 2012 • Dallas, TX


2 DAyS

17

Introduction - 1 hr•Reviewcommonprojectapproaches•Discusssolutionrequirementseffortsforvarious

types of projects•Reviewrequirementscategoriesand

classifications

The Agile Environment - 3 hrs•Overviewofagileprinciples,methodologiesand

terminology.•LearnvaluesandprinciplesfromAgileManifesto.•Learnhowplan-driven(traditional)vs.change-

driven (iterative, agile) development approaches impact business analysis tasks and priorities.

•DiscussbusinessandITbenefitsforusingalightagile framework.

•Workshops: o Scrum simulation. o Create list of challenges and benefits moving from

a traditional environment to an agile environment. Roles in an Agile Environment - 1 hr•Understandthevariousrolesinanagile

environment.•Understandwhatactivitiesareperformedbythe

roles used in an agile environment. •Workshop:Comparisonofrolesandactivitiesin

traditional and agile environments.

Writing User Stories - 2 hrs•Learnhowtowriteuserstories.•Writeuserstoriesattheappropriatelevelofdetail

followingguidelinesof3Cs(card-conversation–confirmation)-andINVESTtechniques.

•DevelopaProductandSprintBacklog.•Learnhowtoidentifynon-functionalrequirements

and acceptance criteria in an agile environment.•Workshops:Multipleworkshopsonwritingand

organizing user stories. Agile Planning and Estimating - 3 hrs•Learnthelevelsofagileplanningandhowthe

business analyst is involved.•Learnthedifferencebetweentraditionalplanning

and agile planning.•Definetheproductvisionandprojectpurpose.•Learnhowtoestimateonagileprojectsusingstory

points and planning poker.•Conductiterationplanningmeetings.•Workshops: o Create a product vision. o Release and iteration planning. o Planning poker session to estimate size of stories.

Applying BA Skills in the Agile Environment - 3.5 hrs•Learntodevelopandmaintainaproductbacklog.•Learnhowtouseface-to-facecommunicationto

replace formal requirements documents where appropriate.

•Useinformalmodelstocommunicaterequirements.•LearntotransfertraditionalBASkillstoanagile

environment.•Workshops: o Create list of ideas how a business analyst

can best be utilized on an agile project based on scenarios.

o Deriving user stories from traditional models. oUseexamplestoelaboraterequirementsand

generate acceptance criteria. •DevelopanActionPlanwithnextstepsonthe

student’s current project.


Course Outline




facilitating requirements for Business Analysis OverviewThe art of bringing people together, face-to-face or remotely, to elicit requirements and gain consensus on solutions is a critical success factor for all business analysis professionals. This course teaches facilitation techniques that can be used for structured sessions and “facilitation-on-the-fly.” This course goes beyond traditional facilitation training by focusing on facilitation techniques specific to gathering business and functional requirements.

This class is limited to 8 students, allowing each student the opportunity to practice facilitating multiple requirements sessions in a “safe” environment with personalized feedback. Students will spend 60% of class time participating in interactive, real-world business case studies and performing each key role in at least one session.

The workshops in this course require students to plan the requirements workshop, develop the correct questions to ask the group, and facilitate the group to a consensus on the requirements using one of the learned techniques. Students will conduct a requirements workshop for at least one requirement deliverable (i.e., context level dataflow diagram, workflow diagram). This course supports and expands on the techniques in the IIBA BABOK® Guide V2.0.


n Facilitate using proven techniques for eliciting detailed business, functional and non-functional requirements.

n Identify when and how to use each technique.

n Develop confidence and a skill set to conduct requirements workshops.

n Actively practice learned skills and techniques.

n Use a requirements planning session template.

n Prepare the participants for the requirements session.

n Perform each facilitation role through role playing each session.

n Conduct the session to stay focused on the core requirement that was planned as a deliverable.

n Select which facilitation technique to use for each core requirement being gathered.

n Complete checklists for managing and conducting the session.

n Facilitate a requirements workshop.

Intended audience:This course is designed for experienced, knowledgeable business analysts involved with requirements elicitation and analysis. Students are expected to understand the purpose of business and functional requirements.

Prerequisites: We recommend that students first attend our Essential Skills for Business Analysis class or have experience in project scope definition, eliciting requirements from subject matter experts, and understanding how business requirements fit into the entire systems development effort.




Dec 3 – Dec 5, 2012 • Atlanta, GA


3 DAyS


Introduction - 1 hr•Learnguidelinesforrequirementsfacilitators.•Setsessionrulesandmanagethesession.•Learnreactivetechniquestouseduringthe

session: o Encourage participation. o Manage group focus. o Manage group conflict. o Consider remote facilitation techniques.

Student Workshop - 1.5 hrs•Conductamini-requirementsworkshop.•Practicetechniquesusedforrequirements

workshops.

Session Feasibility - 1 hr•Determinewhenrequirementsworkshopsare

appropriate: o Determine need/requirements deliverable

desired. o Determine commitment level. o Determine risks.•Practicedeterminingsessionneedusingreal-world

scenarios.•Reviewthecorerequirementscomponentsand

discuss how they are best gathered.•Learnwhennot to use requirements

workshops.

Planning and Preparing for a Facilitated Session - 4 hrs•Planthesession: o Determine the number session(s) needed and the

length of the session(s). o Document the purpose of the session. o Identify potential participants. o Define session requirements deliverables. o Document the plan using session planning

templates.•Prepareforasession: o Outline the goals and requirements deliverables. o Select session participants and determine if pre-

session interviews are appropriate.•Learnfacilitationtechniques: o Brainstorming o Consensus building o Flowcharting o Force field analysis o Hip pocket techniques oNominalgroup o Root cause analysis o Storyboarding o Facilitating across distance•Developfocusedquestionstogatherrequirements: o Direct o Open-ended o Clarifying oLeading o Re-focusing•Createadetailedagendaforthefacilitationteam.•Learngroup-orientedfacilitationtechniques.•Createaformalagendaforthesessionparticipant.•Orientthefacilitationteam.•Preparethefacilities.

Student Workshop - 3.5 hrs•Eachstudentwillpracticeelicitationtechniquesin

a requirements workshop.•Personalfeedbackwillbeprovidedtodriveskill

development.

Conducting the Session - 1 hr•Learnthestagesofgroupdevelopment/productivity.•Facilitatedecisionmaking–worktoward

consensus. •Conductingthesession: o Introducing the session. o Managing the session. o Creating a follow-up action plan. •Review/approverequirements

deliverables.

Student Workshop - 8 hrs•Planandconductarequirementsworkshop.•Useoneormoreofthelearnedfacilitation

techniques.•Producetherequirementsdeliverableusingoneof

the facilitation techniques.•Personalfeedbackwillbeprovidedtodriveskill

development.

Session Follow-Up - 1 hr•Producethefinalrequirementsdocument.•Sharesessionfeedback.•Determinethenextstepstofinalizethe

requirements.


Course Outline

20 B2T Training • 866.675.2125 • www.b2ttraining.com

S P e c i A l i z e d c o u r S e

overview of Business Analysis OverviewIn order for business analysis to be successful in organizations, both the IT and business community must embrace the business analysis process. This seminar presents the business analysis role to managers and others who lead and work with business analyst professionals. The seminar can be used as a working session to discuss how your organization will implement the business analysis process and approaches for eliciting, analyzing and communicating requirements.

Both large and small organizations are realizing the benefits of using business analysis professionals on all of their application development projects. A business analysis professional acts as a liaison between business people who have a business problem and technology people who know how to create automated solutions. Improving the communication between your business areas and your IT team significantly increases the quality of the systems developed.

By understanding business analysis you will be able to maximize the impact your individual business analysis professionals and overall business analysis practice will have on your organization.


n The positive impact a strong business analysis practice can have on your organization.

n The key characteristics of a successful business analysis professional.

n Tips for managing and working with business analysis professionals.

n Current industry trends impacting business analysis.

Intended audience:This seminar is a management overview of business analysis for managers, supervisors, and project managers who work with business analysis professionals.

Prerequisites: None

This course is customized for each organization’s unique environment to maximize the effectiveness of the business analysis practice.

0.5 DAy

Introduction - 1 hr•GroupExercise:Identifyproblemsandopportunities

that can be addressed by business analysis practices.

•Discusspositiveimpactsgoodbusinessanalysispractices have on organizations.

Business Analysis Role - 1.5 hrs•Learnthescopeofthebusinessanalysisrole.•Understandhowtheroleisusedintheindustry.•Discussthekeycharacteristicsofasuccessful

business analysis professional. Tips for Managing Business Analysis Professionals - 0.5 hr•Supporttherequirementselicitationprocess.•UnderstandthemostproductiveBAwork

environments.•Learntheimportanceofrequirementsreviewsand

collaboration.

Current Industry Trends - 0.5 hr•ProvideoverviewoftheInternationalInstituteof

Business Analysis (IIBA®). •LearntheProjectManagerandBusinessAnalysis

partnership framework.•DiscussconsiderationsforthePM/BAcombined

role.•UnderstandAgiledevelopmentapproachesandthe

impact on business analysis.

Develop Your Action Plan / Course Summary - 0.5 hr•DevelopanActionPlanwithnextstepstoimprove

your BA practice.•Studentquestions/discussiontopics.

Course Outline



developer’s introduction to Business Analysis OverviewDeveloping great solutions requires great requirements. While requirements are the primary responsibility of the business analyst, achieving the right solution requires collaboration with the technical team. Part of the collaboration is understanding how the role of the developer and business analyst can align their efforts and expertise. Setting expectations for each project participant is a key component to an effective process.

This class provides an overview of the business analysis role and a detailed review of the requirements provided to the development team. It is helpful to understand the categories of requirements, the interaction during solution scoping, and the types of deliverables and the communication formats used for each type of requirement.


n How the role of business analysis benefits the development team.

n Tips for collaborating with the business analysis professional.

n What is business analysis.

n What is a requirement.

n The types of requirements that are being elicited and communicated so developers can design and implement the best solution.

n How to identify the solution options and solution scope.

n How to proactively utilize business analysis deliverables.

Intended audience:This course is designed for software developers, software architects, or any other project team member who will be using requirements documents for their development work. It is useful for both new developers and experienced developers. Developers will learn how Business Analysts elicit, analyze, and communicate requirements.

Prerequisites: None

This course is customized for each organization’s unique environment to maximize the effectiveness of the business analysis practice.

1 DAy

Introduction - 2 hrs•Whatisbusinessanalysis?•Reviewthemajortasksperformedbythebusiness

analyst•Reviewprojectparticipantsandtheirroles•Increasingthevalueaddofbusinessanalysisto

development•Whatisarequirement?(businessvstechnology)•Requirementscategoriesandorganization oBusinessrequirements(Contextand

decomposition diagrams, process descriptions, data, business rules)

o Solution requirements (Functional and Non-functional)

o Technical requirements o Transition requirements•Traceability.

Determining the Solution Scope & Use Cases - 2 hrs•Developer’sparticipationindefiningsolutionscope•Discussdesignoptions•Identifytechnicalpriorityofthedesired

functionality•Breakcomplexprojectsintophasesoriterations•Reviewwhousesthesoftware•Usecasedescriptions•Userstories

Consuming Business Analysis Deliverables - 3 hrs•ReviewadditionalBAdeliverablesavailableto

developers o Entity relationship diagram o Workflow diagrams •ASISvsTOBE•ANSI•BPMN•UMLActivity o Interface requirement documentation •Userinterface–Prototyping•Systeminterfacedocumentation(checklist)•Setexpectationsforfeasibility,standards,and

design oNon-functionalorsupplementaryrequirements

documentation •ReviewquestionsBAsaskaboutnon-functional

requirements o Transition requirement documentation

Course Outline



improving communication through improvisation OverviewTalking and reacting in the moment is the core of what you do as a project manager and business analyst. Much of what happens on a project is unscripted. To propel to the senior level of your profession you need to continually improve your creative thinking skills and how you interact and communicate with your stakeholders. It just so happens that improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one’s immediate environment.

This highly interactive and fun session focuses on key improvisation lessons that will help you be a more attentive and flexible business analyst and project manager. You will walk away with lessons to help you stay in the present, temporarily suspend judgment, keep conversations moving forward and listen generously.

In this course students will: n Understand how improvisation can help them be better

communicators

n Learn to think on your feet and keep a conversation moving forward

n Learn lessons that will help you be an advocate for your stakeholders

n Gain confidence and trust in yourself and others

n Participate in teamwork activities to be a true team player

n Practice presenting to the class to improve presentation skills

Intended audience:This course is beneficial to any person, in any size organization, hoping to improve their communication and collaboration skills. In addition to individuals, this workshop is ideal for teams.

Prerequisites: None



No public classes currently scheduled.


Introduction/Getting Ready - 1 hr•Whatisimprovisationandhowitappliesto

business analysis and project management.•Thefundamentalskillsimprovisationdevelops.•Tipsforimprovisationworkshop.•Warm-upactivities.

Active Listening - 1.5 hrs•Participateinimprovisationexercisestoimprove

your ability to be an active listener.•Discusshowthelessonslearnedinexercisesapply

to business professionals.•Learnthecommonbarrierstolistening.

Teamwork/Collaboration - 1 hr•Participateinimprovisationexercisestoimprove

your ability to be a better collaborator and team player.

•Discusshowthelessonslearnedinexercisesapplyto business professionals.

•Learnthe5traitsofaneffectiveteam.

Thinking on Your Feet - 1.5 hrs•Participateinimprovisationexercisestoimprove

your ability to think on your feet and be present in the moment.


•Learntipsforimprovingyourabilitytothinkonyourfeet.

Presentation Skills - 1 hr•Participateinimprovisationexercisestoimprove

your presentations skills and feel comfortable presenting in front of a crowd.


•Learn3keyactionstoimproveyourpresentationskills.

Developing Your Action Plan/Course Summary - 1 hr•Reviewthefundamentalskillsandhowtheyapply

to business analysis and project management.•DevelopanActionPlanwithcommunication

improvements you can make.•Studentquestions/discussiontopics.

1 DAy

Course Outline



managing Business Analysts OverviewBy understanding how to best manage business analysis professionals you will be able to maximize the impact your individual BAs and overall business analysis practice will have on your organization.

Both large and small organizations are realizing the benefits of using business analysis professionals on all business and IT projects. A business analysis (BA) professional acts as a liaison among many different stakeholder groups to facilitate the right solutions. For example, the most common use of a BA is aligning business people who have a business problem with technology people who know how to create automated solutions.

In order to realize the maximum value a business analysis discipline can bring to an organization, BAs require consistent support, encouragement, and coaching to empower them to fulfill this critical role. Additionally, for business analysis to be successful in organizations, both the IT and business community must embrace the business analysis process. The most important support group for the BA is their direct manager.

In this course students will:

n The positive impact a strong business analysis practice can have on your organization.

n The key characteristics of a successful business analysis professional.

n Strategies for managing and working with business analysis professionals.

n Current industry trends impacting business analysis.

Intended audience:This seminar is for managers, supervisors, and project managers who manage or direct business analysis professionals.

Prerequisites: None





1 DAy

Introduction - 1.5 hrs•Identifyproblemsandopportunitiesthatcanbe

addressed by business analysis practices.•Discusspositiveimpactsgoodbusinessanalysis

practices have on organizations.

What Makes a Good BA - 1.5 hrs•Learnthescopeofthebusinessanalysisrole.•Understandhowtheroleisusedintheindustry.•Discussthekeycharacteristicsofasuccessful

business analysis professional.

Strategies for Managing Business Analysis Professionals - 3 hrs•SupporttheBAthroughoutthebusinessanalysis

process. •UnderstandthemostproductiveBAwork

environments for: oLeadorSeniorBA o Intermediate BA oJuniororNewBA•Learntheimportanceofrequirementsreviewsand

collaboration.•HowtomotivateyourBAs.•CoachingBAsaboutleadership.•UnderstandAgiledevelopmentapproachesandthe

impact on business analysis.

Current Industry Trends - 0.5 hrs•ProvideoverviewoftheInternationalInstituteof

Business Analysis (IIBA®). •LearntheProjectManagerandBusinessAnalysis

partnership framework.•DiscussconsiderationsforthePM/BAcombined

role.

Develop Your Action Plan / Course Summary - 0.5 hrs•DevelopanActionPlanwithnextstepstobetter

manage your BAs.•Studentquestions/discussiontopics.

Course Outline



requirements validation OverviewThis course takes you through the steps to ensure that business requirements are validated, that the solution is usable and meets the business needs. Validating requirements improves the likelihood of project success, making sure that we are building the right solution. The cost to correct a software defect may be as high as 2,900 times the cost to correct a requirement. Finding missing requirements and requirements inconsistencies decreases the overall length and cost of the project.

Business analysis and quality assurance professionals must use risk assessments to prioritize requirements and requirements validation activities. The highest risk areas of the business must be addressed first. This course teaches business and quality analysts to design efficient requirements validation tests to make the best use of limited resources and time.

Solution Assessment and Validation is one of the key knowledge areas in the IIBA BABOK® Guide V2.0. This course addresses the solution validation tasks in the knowledge area along with giving business analysts the ability to design efficient and effective tests to demonstrate that the application solutions meets their user’s needs.

This course answers many of the key questions about requirements validation including:

n How do we validate requirements?

n Which types of validation and verification processes are appropriate for my project?

n How does the team ensure that the solution meets the business stakeholder needs?

n Where does validation fit in the software development life cycle (SDLC)?

n What is software usability? Why is it important?

n How does the team correct problems when they are discovered?

n How do I work with technical members of the solution team? What do they need from a BA to be successful?

Intended audience:This course is designed for business analysts, quality analysts, project managers, or anyone interested in improving and validating the quality of their requirements.

Prerequisites: We recommend that the Business Analyst has already attended our 4 core courses (or at a minimum Business Process Analysis and Use Case Modeling and Solution Requirements) before enrolling for this course.





2 DAyS


Introduction - 1 hr•Whatarerequirements?•Understandthevalueofacceptanceandevaluation

criteria•Howdowevalidaterequirements?•Whenshouldrequirementsbevalidated?•Whovalidatesrequirements?

Validating and Testing Requirements - 3 hrs•Whatdoesitmeantovalidaterequirements? o Conducting effective structured walkthroughs of

requirements. •Reviewguidelines.•Examineasamplereviewinvitationandresults

form.•Reviewquestionchecklists.•Howdoreviewsimprovefutureprojects?•Workshop:validaterequirementsusingaformal

review o Introduction to usability testing. o Effective user acceptance testing (UAT). o Conduct a post implementation user assessment

to identify lessons learned.•Howtocorrectproblemsthatarediscoveredduring

requirementsvalidation? o Use a consistent problem tracking procedure. o Track defect/problem types to improve

requirements on future projects. o Assess each problem for its type, severity, and

status.

Usability Testing - 2 hrs•Learntheprinciplesofusability.•Learnhowusabilitytestingdiffersfromtraditional

testing.•Discussmethodsofusabilitytesting.•Workshop:Conductausabilitytest.

Working with IT Stakeholders - 3.5 hrs•CommunicatingwithITdevelopmentstakeholders. o Verifying requirements or specification. •Unittesting.•Integrationtesting.•Systemstesting.•Evaluatesolutionperformance-validatenon-

functional requirements.•Validatesolutionagainstrequirements.•Businessrequirements.•Functionalrequirements.•Technicalrequirements.•Regressiontesting-re-testingafterachange. o Testing environments. o Common IT testing methods. •Whiteboxandblackboxtesting.•Positiveandnegativetesting.•Choosingdatavaluesfortesting.•WorkingwithQAstakeholders. o Software quality assurance (SQA) planning and

structure. o Utilizing SQA personnel throughout the

SDLC.

Documenting Requirements Validation Deliverables - 3.5 hrs•Designingarequirementsvalidationplan o IEEE testing templates. oWhatisatestdesign,testcase,testprocedure? o Identifying tests from requirements

documentation. o Using use case descriptions to develop testing

procedures. o Tracking test cases.•Workshop:Validatingrequirementsusingtest

cases.•Tracingtestcasestorequirements-crosschecking

the solution.•Designingarequirementsvalidationplan. o Planning considerations: •Whowillvalidaterequirements?•Howwillthisbeaccomplished?•Wherearethehighestrisks?•Wherewilltestsbeconducted?•Whowillconducttesting?•Whowillreviewtestresults?•Whattestdatawillbeused?

Solution Assessment and Validation BABOK Develop Your Action Plan/Course Summary - 1 hr•Requirementsvalidationsummary.•DevelopanActionPlanwithnextstepsonthe


Course Outline



decision modeling essentials OverviewThe Decision Model provides an efficient new method of eliciting, organizing, managing and testing business rules and logic. It brings to the world of business rules and logic a well-defined structure with the rigor of integrity and normalization principles. The model supports business rule analysis and decision analysis techniques as defined in the BABOK®. It is similar in concept to what the relational model brings to the world of data and it provides business analysts with a new way to succeed by ensuring that critical business rules are not missed. The Decision Model provides for unambiguous creation and sustainable maintenance of business logic, often with minimal IT intervention.

This course introduces business analysts to The Decision Model and provides a practical step- by-step approach for creating them as a new standard business analysis deliverable. It is based on the book, The Decision Model: A Business Logic Framework Linking Business and Technology by Barbara von Halle and Larry Goldberg (Taylor & Francis, LLC, 2009).

This course provides ways to improve and simplify business process models as well as an approach to decomposing business policies, rules, and related statements into reusable pieces of business logic. This model is also an important artifact for improving data quality and supports compliance with regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley.The first day of the course covers concepts and principles with reinforcing exercises. It continues to the second day with an in-depth case study where attendees work to apply decision modeling techniques to a realistic, sophisticated

business situation. Exercises and workshops can be done with paper and pencil. Students will have access to downloadable decision modeling templates for use after class. At the completion of this course, attendees will be able to:

n Create The Decision Model which provides a simplistic business friendly view of complex business rules

n Understand when and how to utilize The Decision Model

n Show how The Decision Model simplifies Business Processes Models

n Prioritize business decisions based on business impact

n Explain to business and technical audiences the benefits and concepts of The Decision Model as a new kind of deliverable

n Discuss the important differences between The Decision Model and previous techniques

n Build skeletal and detailed decision models

n Conduct validation of decision models against integrity principles

n Encourage business creativity in discovering optimum decision model content

n Conduct decision modeling sessions in an iterative fashion

Intended audience:This course is designed for business analysts, business stakeholders, business stewards, project managers, system and enterprise architects involved with elicitation, management, and/or automation of business rules and logic.

Prerequisites: Students should understand the concepts of workflow modeling.





2 DAyS


Introduction - 1.5 hrs•LearnthevalueofusingtheDecisionModel•Understanditsbenefitsforanorganization•LearnhowDecisionModelssimplifyprocess

models

Decision Model Concepts - 5.5 hrs•Learnvariousapproachestodefiningadecision

model•Practicedecomposingdecisionsintotheirsimplest

form•Learnastandardizedformatforrepresentingrules

and decisions•Recognizeanddocumentrulepatterns•Identifygapsandinconsistenciesinrules•Learnastructuredtechniquefordefiningkeyterms•Establishrelationshipsbetweenrulesetsto

promote logic reuse•Learndecisionmodelprincipleswhichguarantee

uniformity, integrity, and technology independence •Exercise:CreateabasicDecisionModel

Utilize a 10 Step Approach to Create a Decision Model - 6 hrsWorkshop:Complexreal-worldcasestudy•Identifythebusinessneedforanalyzingand

documenting a business decision•BuildskeletalDecisionModelstructure•Explorepossibledecisionconditions•Addsupportingdecisionstructures•Solidifytheglossaryoffacttypes•IterativelydetailandstructuretheDecisionModel•Learnapprovalprocess

Course Summary - 1 hr•LearntointegratetheDecisionModelwithother

business analysis deliverables•Discusson-the-jobapplicationofcourseconcepts•DevelopanActionPlanwithnextstepstobe

applied on the student’s current project

Course Outline

28


Business Analysis essentials for Project managers OverviewThe best way to guarantee success of any type of project is to have a strong experienced Project Manager and strong, experienced Business Analyst. These two individuals, working together from the beginning of the project, set the stage for success by accurately planning and clearly defining the expected outcomes. Both roles are necessary because they are each responsible for a different set of tasks and they each possess a set of skills that complement each other. The two roles are closely tied, but exactly what are the similarities and differences, and why does a project need both?

This course discusses the role of Business Analysts and the business analysis skills that a Project Manager should also possess. The business analysis skill set includes critical thinking skills, elicitation techniques and requirements analysis and management. Experienced project managers may already possess some of these skills, but may apply them differently than BAs. Understanding the complexity of the business analysis role will allow the PM and BA to work seamlessly and increase the project efficiency.

Scoping is one of the most critical areas on which the PM and BA should work together. In addition to the project scope, as defined in the PMBOK™, the BA is responsible for defining the scope of business analysis. When these two components of scope are combined they define the entire boundary of the project. In this course, Project Managers will learn how Business Analysts define the scope of the area for which they will be performing analysis. This is just one example of a task with separate roles for the PM and BA. Understanding their unique roles is critical to project success.

In this course students will:

n Learn to analyze and scope the area of analysis to clarify the level and complexity of the business analysis effort needed for the project.

n Learn what is an excellent requirement and the difference between business and functional requirements.

n Learn the four core components necessary to analyze a business area.

n Be introduced to the most commonly used analysis techniques.

n Discuss alternatives for traceability of requirements.

n Plan an approach for analyzing, categorizing, and managing requirements. Determine the level of formality required and consider options for documenting and packaging requirements based on project type, priorities, and risks.

n Identify techniques and documentation options appropriate for the various software development. approaches and project types (COTS, maintenance, business process improvement, new development, etc).

n Understand how validating requirements impacts the project and the components of software testing.

n Review business analysis requirements to improve the quality of your deliverables.

Intended audience:This course is designed for Project Managers who are responsible for reviewing requirements, managing the business analysis efforts, overseeing the testing efforts, or obtaining sign-off on the business analysis deliverables. For PMs who are also responsible for gathering the business requirements, we recommend that they attend all of the core courses on business analysis.

Prerequisites: None





3 DAyS


29

Introduction - 1 hr•Whatisbusinessanalysis?•Reviewthemajortasksperformedbythebusiness

analyst.•Discussbusinessanalysistasksinthecontextof

various development methodologies.•Definetheessentialskillsneededtoperformtheir

tasks.

Project Participants and their Role - 1 hr•Identifyprojectstakeholdersandtheirroles.•Discusshowthebusinessanalystinteractswith

these participants.

Scoping the Project from the Business Analyst’s Perspective - 5.5 hrs•Identifywhytheprojectisbeingdoneinorder

to ensure that the right analysis effort is being performed and that requirements efforts can be appropriately prioritized. This will help to ensure that the right solution is being identified to address the real problem.

•Getanintroductiontoenterpriseanalysisinordertounderstandtheprojectinthecontextofthegreater organization’s strategic goals.

•Identifythebusinessstakeholderswhowillbeinvolved in the project and how they will impact business analysis.

•Learnthecontextdiagramtechniquetoidentifyandscope “what is”, and more importantly, “what is not” to be analyzed. Analyze interfaces with people, otherorganizations,existingsystems,andothersoftware applications.

•Discusshowabusinessanalystshouldcollect,organize, and maintain requirements for efficient analysis and reuse on future projects.

•Workshop–Scopetheclasscasestudyproject.

Defining and Detailing Requirements - 4 hrs•Understandwhatarequirementisandwhyitcan

be so confusing. •Learnhowtodefine“excellent” requirements. •Understandthedifferencebetweenanalysis

and design or “business” vs. “technological” requirements.

•Learnhowsoftwaredevelopersuserequirements.•Learntheappropriatepresentationandlevelof

detail necessary for various audiences. •Learnthe4corerequirementcomponents,what

they describe, and why they are important. Breaking requirements into components forces more comprehensive analysis so that requirements are not missed.

o Data (entities, attributes) o Process (use case) oExternalAgent(actor) o Business Rules

Requirements Analysis Techniques - 4 hrs•Learntherecommendedapproachtocategorizing

requirements. Why should requirements be categorized?Whouseseachcategory?Whyisitdifficulttocreatedistinctcategories?

o Business Requirements o Solution Requirements•FunctionalRequirements•Non-functionalRequirements o Transition Requirements•Learntheconceptoftraceabilityofrequirements.•Discussthemostcommonlyusedanalysis

techniques to organize and refine requirements. Businessanalystsshouldhaveexpertiseinmanyanalysis techniques to be able to adapt to different types of projects and business domains.

oStructuredtextualtemplates(process descriptions, data descriptions, business rules, use cases, user stories)

o Entity relationship diagram o Decomposition diagram o Use case diagram and use case descriptions oWorkflowdiagram(BPMN,ANSI,UML,swim

lane) o User interface prototyping•Consideroptionsandlevelofformalityfor

packaging requirements and choosing the appropriate documentation techniques for each project.

•Workshop-Putintopracticeseveraloftheanalysistechniques on the course case study requirements.

Conducting a Requirements Review - 2 hrs•Learnhowtoimproveyouranalysisthrough

effective quality reviews.•Learnhowtoconductarequirementsreview:Who

shouldparticipate?Whataretherequiredsteps?Howisasessionconducted?Whatarethecommonchallenges?

•Workshop-Analyzeasamplerequirementspackage.

o Identify missing or incomplete requirements. o Identify potential test cases. o Document issues and develop an approach for

going forward.

Validate the Requirements - 2 hrs•Understandtheroleofbusinessanalysisin

validating requirements and software testing.•Introductiontosoftwaretesting:Whyistesting

important?Whatisthebusinessanalyst’sroleintesting?Whatistheprimaryobjectiveoftesting?Whatarethephasesandtypesoftesting?

•Learntoverifythatthebusinessrequirementsarecomplete by identifying test cases.

•Practiceidentifyingtestcasesandrefiningrequirements based on quality assurance principles.

Course Summary - 2 hrs•Pullingitalltogether.•OptionalWorkshop-DraftaninitialBusiness

Analysis Communications Plan for a CRM project.•DevelopanActionPlanwithnextstepsonthe


Appendix - Overview of Application Development Processes and Standards - Optional - as time allows•Discussvariousmethodologiesforapplication

development. •Learnwhichmodelsareusedineachmethodology:o Waterfall o Information Engineering o IDEF o RAD o Iterative/Agile oBPMNoObjectOriented-UMLo Spiral/RUP

Appendix - Working with Virtual Teams - Optional - as time allows•Understandwhatconstitutesavirtualteam.•Learnaboutvirtualteamstructuresand

terminology.•Learnabouttechnologyrequirementsforvirtual

teams •Considerbusinessanalysisprocesschangesfor

virtual team work •Effectivelyutilizethepeopleonthevirtualteam

Course Outline



S e l f S t u d y o P t i o n S

Self Study options Study GuidesB2T Training offers study guides for experienced business analysts who would like to obtain certification.

The study guides help business analysts practice and review material to validate their understanding of business analysis techniques and approaches. Additionally, these study guides are appropriate for business analysts who are considering pursuing training, but are not sure at what level they should begin training. These study guides will help identify areas where business analysts may need to strengthen their knowledge.

Each study guide includes an initial online assessment test and two online practice exams consisting of multiple choice questions that test a business analyst’s knowledge regarding each proficiency area. Feedback provided for each response to the questions gives further assistance and insight for studying.

Additionally, each study guide consists of a textual file that includes high-level content review for each course’s proficiency area, a case study with analysis exercises, and a list of recommended additional study resources. This file will be made available for use to download as a “pdf.”

To purchase a study guide visit www.b2ttraining.com.

Business Analysis Playbook Each project that a business analyst works on is unique and may require different combinations of requirements components. Templates provide a checklist for planning requirements work. The Business Analysis Playbook helps the business analyst choose appropriate templates to use for each project. To assist business analysts in documenting requirements, we offer a Requirements Package Template that is available on the “Downloads” section of our website. The templates in this package provide business analysts with a structured format for eliciting and documenting requirements. Standard, re-usable templates allow for faster and easier requirements review and approval.

The Business Analysis Playbook may be used as a companion to B2T Training’s Requirements Package Template. This “Playbook” serves as a reference tool for business analysts when completing the requirements package based upon the templates. Using this Playbook as a guideline or “map” for the requirements templates

will help business analysts determine what to include in a requirements package, who should prepare which sections of the package, and when and why the requirements components should be prepared. Additionally, the

Playbook provides examples of complete requirements templates.

The Business Analysis Playbook is available for purchase at www.b2ttraining.com.

A “must have”reference tool $19.95


S e l f S t u d y o P t i o n S

education is on going.Go beyond the classroom with easy-to-access online resources!

B2T Training Web Siten BA Blog

n Downloadable templates

n Library

n BA tools

n CBAP Study Guide

Online Communitiesn Business Analysis Times (www.batimes.com)

n LinkedIn BA groups (www.linkedin.com)

n BA Collective (www.bacollective.com)

n Business Rules Community (www.brcommunity.org)

n Business Process Management (www.bpm.com)

n International Institute of Business Analysis (www.theiiba.org)

n Modern Analyst (www.modernanalyst.com)

n Project Management Institute (www.pmi.org)

n Requirements Networking Group (www.requirementsnetwork.org)

Follow us on Twitterhttp://twitter.com/B2T_Training


m e n t o r i n g

Business Analysis mentoring Our classes include one hour of after class business analysis mentoring for each student. Students love having the opportunity to work with an industry expert to apply techniques learned in class to their unique situations during a one-on-one session.

Effective business analysis training and mentoring can help companies raise employee results. Proper business analysis mentoring can give access to new ideas, tips and strategies that will help you build upon the team’s current skills and strengths to give you a competitive edge. Learn how to drive more revenue by leveraging your business analysts.

Mentoring is available additionally as an on-demand service to jump start a new project, a new skill development effort, and to reinforce concepts or techniques. This real time service is provided by our experts at B2T Training onsite or virtually. Virtual mentoring can be purchased online.

Examples of mentoring assistance provided:

n Guidance for selecting the appropriate deliverables for your project

n Assistance in determining and estimating business analysis activities

n Strategies for effectively engaging all stakeholders and project team members

n Coaching you to become a more agile BA

n Provide direction for adapting and customizing templates

n Help with roles, career paths and skill development identification

n Direction for building and sustaining a Community of Practice or Center of Excellence

Contact us at 866.675.2125 or email [email protected] for more information.


c B A P S t u d y g u i d e

cBAP® Study guide v2.0 The CBAP Study guide is the “nucleus” of studying for the exam. This study guide provides tips, suggestions and other guidance needed to help prepare individuals for the CBAP exam.

Get prepared for the CBAP exam at your own pace by:

n Answering questions in each knowledge area to assess where your experience requires more development.

n Learning valuable tips for exam prep and exercises to strengthen your memory skills

n Practicing over 450 sample CBAP exam questions written by CBAPs

n Understanding why an answer is correct or incorrect to reveal areas that may need more targeted conditioning

n Focusing on key BABOK® concepts to maximize your study effects

“After many years of no formal study, I found it almost impossible to concentrate on subject matter that I believed I already knew and had been practicing for years. Your study guide is not an alternative to the BABOK. It led me to read the BABOK several times; each time with an inquiring mind to examine how the authors’ views differed from mine.

High marks on the choice of the 450 questions. The ‘practice exam’ format perfectly prepared me to comfortably pace myself in the exam that I had ample time to recheck my answers.”

Purchase our CBAP Exam Prep

Study Guide v2.0 on our website for

only $149!

B2t training’s Public classesCore Courses

Essential Skills for Business Analysis – 4 days

Business Process Analysis – 3 days

Detailing Business Data Requirements – 3 days

Use Case Modeling and Solution Requirements – 3 days

Advanced Courses

Developing a Business Analysis Work Plan – 3 days

Business Analysis in an Agile Environment – 2 days

Facilitating Requirements for Business Analysis – 3 days

LocationsAtlanta, GA • Chicago, IL • Dallas, TX • Des Moines, IA • Las Vegas, NV • Louisville, KY • Orlando, FL

RECEIVE A 10% DISCOUnT! 1. When you register and pay for three courses. 2. When groups of 3 or more employees from the same company register and pay for one course.

Visit www.b2ttraining.com for the latest public class schedule, pricing information, and to register.

B2t training international Partners

Good Methods GlobalIndiawww.goodmethodsglobal.com

IndigoCubeSouth Africawww.indigocube.ca.za

InterdualBrazilwww.interdual.com.br

netmindSpainVisit www.netmind.es for more information.

PMWorksAustraliawww.pmworks.au

RedvespaNew Zealandwww.redvespa.com

Contact [email protected] if you would like to become an international partner.

11675 Rainwater Drive, Suite 325 Alpharetta, GA 30009

678.366.1363 • fax 678.366.1983

B2T Training Course Catalog (2012)

Documents

Transcript of B2T Training Course Catalog (2012)