Business Analysis Concepts & Principles (Updated March 2021)

Learn the six phases of the software development lifecycle and its key methodologies, and see how a detailed, team-based plan guides software from idea to maintenance.

Explore the six SDLC phases—planning and requirement analysis, defining requirements, designing architecture, building, testing, deployment, and maintenance—and see how initiation and budget shape Nina's house project.

The lecture covers planning and requirement analysis in the SDLC, showing how a business analyst gathers user and business requirements to form a high-level plan with costs and timelines.

Define and document product requirements via the SRS, secure customer approval, manage scope with contract sign-off, and then translate approved requirements into detailed designs and blueprints with manuals.

Build phase translates design into working software, coding in C, C++, Pascal, Java, and PHP. Coordinate a team, activate contingency plans, and perform thorough testing to ensure quality before go-live.

Release the product to the market after testing, train users, migrate data, and support post go live maintenance, including user acceptance testing.

Explore seven basic SDLC methodologies, including Waterfall, V-shaped, RUP, XP, Spiral, Agile Scrum, and how planning guides selecting the right approach.

Explore extreme programming (XP) within agile processes, emphasizing customer collaboration, iterative testing from day one, and simple design; compare spiral, big bang, and scrum approaches across cycles and risks.

Compare the waterfall and agile scrum methodologies within the SDLC, focusing on their sequential flow. Identify the six waterfall phases: requirements analysis, design and architecture, development, testing, implementation, and maintenance.

Identify and document business requirements during the requirements analysis phase of the waterfall SDLC to guide design, construction, and process requirements.

Prioritize requirements using the Moscow method to balance must haves, should haves, could haves, and won't haves, aligning stakeholders with delivery time and resource constraints.

Learn how to write clear, complete requirements using the smart way within the SDLC methodology, and understand why strong requirements prevent rework and keep projects on time and within budget.

Learn how smart requirements guide the requirement gathering phase of the SDLC, with concrete examples that show writing specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely needs.

Explore measurable and attainable requirements verifiable in production, using acceptance criteria such as five seconds or less end-user response times during business hours in Mountain time.

Explore how realistic and timely requirements shape the sdlc by guiding requirements gathering and analysis, using smart criteria to ensure specific, time-bound expectations and avoid weak specifications with acceptance criteria.

Explore the waterfall methodology, covering quality assurance, software testing, and go-live with user acceptance testing. Manage changes through change requests and the change control board.

Describe how a release manager coordinates build, configuration, change, deployment, and environment management to move code from development to production, with production support teams maintaining live systems.

Learn the role of a business analyst in the waterfall method, guiding design, requirements reviews, and change control. Understand BA involvement from development to client acceptance.

Master the first days as a business analyst by dressing professionally, arriving early, bringing a notepad, water bottle, and lunch, and aligning with stakeholder cues for a strong impression.

Begin your first week by meeting the team, touring the office, obtaining a badge and parking pass, and setting up your desk, then clarify requirements and coordinate with stakeholders.

Observe meetings, take notes, and learn roles during the first days as a business analyst. Read documents, master scope, and perform gap analysis to draft essential requirements.

Gather information on the interface of all systems through interface analysis to map external touchpoints, schedule meetings when needed, and gather stakeholder feedback while contributing across teams.

Solicit timely feedback from the project manager, technology stakeholders, and your reporting manager to align requirements, set performance goals, and plan long-term career growth as a business analyst.

Explore requirements gathering and the techniques involved for collecting input from customers and stakeholders. Understand why this is a crucial responsibility for a business analyst.

Review the SDLC concepts and six methodologies, and apply the Waterfall methodology to prioritize requirements using the Moscow method, while crafting smart requirements to emphasize their importance.

Explore three project types—enhancement, data migration, and new builds—and learn how to use scope and requirements documents, plus old and new test plans, to guide requirements gathering.

Define requirements as stakeholder needs to solve problems or achieve objectives, per Babcock, and emphasize requirements gathering, elicitation techniques, and a requirements management plan to prevent project failure.

Develop a clear requirements management plan that organizes requirements gathering elements into a structured package, with defined requirement types, traceability, attribute values, and templates to meet stakeholders' requests.

Explore types of requirements—business, system, and performance—and their attributes, such as priority, source, and stability, with agreed value ranges, traceability, hierarchy, and standard document templates like software requirement specifications.

Craft and manage a requirements management plan early, anticipate lengthy debates, and update a glossary of terms, including business, stakeholder, and non-functional requirements, plus plan for capturing session information.

Navigate the challenges of requirements gathering by syncing with stakeholders, selecting effective techniques, and ensuring requirements are necessary, in scope, measurable, achievable, realistic, and traceable.

Explore scope creep as a challenge in requirements gathering and learn techniques like use case modeling, prototyping, and observation to document requirements, define scope, and trace changes through change control.

Learn seven essential techniques for requirements gathering—brainstorming, joint application development (JAD) sessions, focus groups, interviews, observation or shadowing, prototyping or storyboards, and surveys—to improve stakeholder collaboration and project outcomes.

Explore structured walkthrough types in the SDLC, including requirements, design, code, and test, highlighting author, presenter, moderator, reviewers, and scribe roles, and how documentation flows between teams.

Validate and baseline system requirements by conducting a walkthrough with stakeholders. Finalize the requirements document after client preapproval, and enforce naming conventions and version control for easy record management.

Apply baselining and requirements walkthrough to validate client changes, capture written approvals, and maintain version control. Conduct SDLC roll-off and pre-baseline reviews with brainstorming to document clarifications and feasible alternatives.

Guide to achieving consensus and baselining in the requirements walkthrough, emphasizing documented questions, client approvals, and versioned improvements that become the final baselines document.

Apply practical baselining and requirements walkthrough tips by preparing stakeholders, reviewing in meaningful sections, handling feedback, and achieving sign-off in waterfall and agile projects.

Explore the agile methodology as an alternative to traditional projects and learn its values, principles, and practices for iterative delivery and collaboration.

Explore agile versus waterfall distinctions, with a focus on Scrum and kanban, and learn how iterative scope resets in agile reduce overhead and speed delivery.

Explore how Agile prioritizes evolving business needs via backlog and quick adaptation. See why tailoring and mixing methods from Waterfall and Agile can improve project success.

Evaluate strategies and select the right SDLC models by assessing stakeholder needs and defining selection criteria, comparing agile, waterfall, and scrum approaches.

Discover the agile scrum framework, a time-boxed, iterative approach that builds software incrementally through prioritized user stories delivered in two to four week iterations.

Explore agile scrum by turning features into user stories, sizing and prioritizing them with points, delivering software iteratively with customer feedback, and adapt scope or deadlines when needed.

Master the scrum framework: product owner and backlog, user stories, sprint backlog, and release planning. Observe daily scrum, burndown charts, the scrum task board, and sprint reviews and retrospectives.