A self-paced practical course for developers, testers, support staff and project team members who want to perform business analysis well. Seven lessons cover the analyst role, understanding the problem and stakeholders, elicitation techniques, process modelling, writing requirements and user stories, data and business rules analysis, and validating solutions and supporting change. Each lesson ends with an exercise based on a realistic IT scenario.
What you will learn
- Describe the role and value of business analysis in IT
- Analyse problems and stakeholders before defining solutions
- Choose and run elicitation techniques
- Model current and future processes
- Write clear requirements, user stories and acceptance criteria
- Analyse data and business rules
- Validate solutions and support business change
Lessons
- The Role of Business Analysis
- Understanding the Problem and Stakeholders
- Elicitation Techniques
- Process Modelling
- Requirements and User Stories
- Data and Business Rules
- Validating Solutions and Supporting Change
Self-paced course from Tech Skills Library. Educational content only; it is not an accredited qualification, licence or credential.
Lessons
The Role of Business Analysis
Understanding the Problem and Stakeholders
Before defining requirements, analysts make sure the real problem is understood and the right people are involved. Problem definition State the problem in business terms: who is affected, what happens, the impact and the desired outcome. Avoid embedding solutions: “We need a new CRM” is a solution; “sales staff spend two hours a day re-entering […]
Elicitation Techniques
Elicitation is drawing out information from stakeholders and other sources. Using the right technique for the situation produces better requirements. Techniques Interviews: one-to-one conversations for detail and sensitive topics. Workshops: group sessions to build consensus and resolve conflicts. Observation: watching people work to see what really happens. Document analysis: reviewing policies, procedures, reports and existing […]
Process Modelling
Process models show how work flows through people and systems. They help stakeholders agree on current problems and future designs. Notation Swimlane diagrams show activities, decisions and handoffs across roles. Standard notations such as BPMN provide consistent symbols; simpler flowcharts may suffice for many audiences. Current state Model how the process works now, including workarounds […]
Requirements and User Stories
Requirements describe what a solution must do and the qualities it must have. Clear requirements make development, testing and acceptance smoother. Types of requirements Business requirements: high-level goals. Stakeholder or user requirements: what users need to do. Functional requirements: system behaviour. Non-functional requirements: performance, security, availability, usability and accessibility. Transition requirements: data migration, training and […]
Data and Business Rules
Many IT changes depend on data and on the rules that govern decisions. Analysing them prevents defects and compliance problems. Data modelling basics Identify key entities, such as customer, account and order, their attributes and relationships. A simple entity relationship diagram helps developers and stakeholders agree. Data quality Assess completeness, accuracy, consistency and timeliness. Poor […]
Validating Solutions and Supporting Change
Business analysis continues after requirements are agreed. Analysts help ensure the solution delivers the intended value. Evaluating options Compare options against requirements, costs, risks and benefits. Recommend the option with the best overall value. Supporting design and build Answer questions, clarify requirements and review designs. Manage changes to requirements through an agreed process. Testing Help […]