Business Analysis Essentials

This course clearly answers the questions, What is Business Analysis? and What skills do I need to have as a Business analyst?  It is intended for someone new to Business Analysis or interested in a career in Business Analysis.  It is the first of a series of courses with courses designed for anyone from the beginner to the experienced BA.

It is approximately 3 hours long and is divided into 6 lectures.

Lecture 1 - Introduction to Business Analysis

This lecture clearly answers the questions, What is Business Analysis and What skills do I need as a Business Analyst

Lecture 2 - Documenting the Current State

Business problems occur in the current, or AS-IS state.  They can be elusive so we must first understand the current state in order to determine what to change.

Lecture 3 - Root Cause Analysis

Normally people see the symptoms of problems, not the problem itself.  We need to find out what is causing what we see, not just make the symptoms go away.

Lecture 4 - Requirements Elicitation

Once we understand what our Business Problem is, we jump to the future, or TO-BE state and discover the requirements of it.

Lecture 5 - Documenting the TO-BE state

BAs do not build the product.  They communicate it to the Project Manager who is responsible for building the solution.

Lecture 6 - The role of the Business Analyst in the Executing and Closing phases of a project.

Once the requirements are signed off, what is the role of the Business Analyst?