Course description

BAV314: Plan, Manage, and Communicate Requirements examines the role of the business analyst in the Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring and Requirements Life Cycle Management knowledge areas within the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK^® Guide). Practical tasks and techniques are presented to equip the business analyst with the skills and knowledge required to conduct business analysis planning and requirements management activities.

The virtual course also includes topics on business analysis communication from the Elicitation and Collaboration knowledge area. The material in the course is directed at both the novice looking to enter the field and the self-taught veteran looking to fill gaps in his or her skills or knowledge.

BAV314 explores business analysis planning and management processes in depth. In the recommended sequence, BA314 is the fourth and final course in the Certificate Program — building on techniques introduced in the other three courses.

In BA314, participants learn to identify stakeholder needs, determine requirements risks and deliverables, manage scope and the requirements baseline via traceability and change control, assess communication needs, perform requirements reviews, and plan business analysis project activities in collaboration with the project manager and other key project stakeholders.

Our virtual platform includes many interactive features to help you learn the content and apply your new skills immediately back on the job:

• Group and individual learning activities utilizing breakout rooms and whiteboards
• Discussions and chat
• Quizzes and polling
• Facilitator and student video via webcam
• Sharing of files in real time
• Tools, templates, and job aids to use back on the job

Who should attend

Individuals who will benefit from this course include:

• Entry-level business analysts and their managers
• Self-taught business analysts requiring a course that fills in skills gaps
• Systems analysts and programmers interested in expanding their roles
• Quality assurance professionals
• Project managers

Prerequisites

BAV311: Core Competencies for the Business Analyst

What you will achieve

• Describe the role of the business analyst in business analysis planning, management, monitoring, and communications.
• Describe stakeholder challenges typically encountered in business analysis and how to address them.
• Assess and present business analysis risks and determine risk responses.
• Describe what inputs are needed to plan business analysis activities.
• Determine and present business analysis deliverables and activities.
• Explain how business analysis activities are affected by enterprise and organizational structure, culture, and process assets.
• Describe how to manage requirements from the initial identification until the requirement is no longer needed.
• Explain how to use configuration management and change control systems to manage changes in requirements.
• Demonstrate how a business analyst can use communication skills to help manage change requests.
• Describe how to plan and manage the communication of requirements to diverse stakeholders.
• Participate in a review of a requirements package.

What you will learn

Course Outline

Session One

Module 1: The Business Analyst Role in Context

• Overview of the Business Analyst Role
  • Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring Knowledge Area
  • Requirements Life Cycle Management Knowledge Area
  • Business Analysis Planning
  • Business Analysis Communication
  • Exercise: Identify Requirements-Related Challenges
• The Business Analyst and the Role of Project Managers
  • Project Scope
  • Project Management Plan

Module 2: Stakeholders and Risk

• Stakeholder Identification and Analysis
  • Stakeholder Challenges
  • Sample Case: Premier Dental Group (PDG) Case Study and Project Charter
• Business Analysis and Requirements Risk
  • Requirements Risks
  • Risk Management Plan
  • Risk Log
  • Risk Assessment
  • Dealing with Positive and Negative Risk
  • Exercises: Analyze Risks and Develop Risk Response Strategies

Session Two

Module 3: Business Analysis Planning

• The Business Analysis Planning Process
  • Business Analysis Approach
  • Business Analysis Activities
  • RACI Matrix
  • Exercise: Prepare for Business Analysis Planning for the Ascension Air Online Flight Booking System
• Creating a WBS
  • Decomposition
  • Demonstration: Build a WBS
  • Exercise: Create a WBS to Identify Business Analysis Deliverables for the Ascension Air Online Flight Booking System

Module 4: Influences on Business Analysis Activities

• Business Analysis Activities and Life Cycle Impacts
  • Common Project Life Cycles
  • Predictive
  • Iterative
  • Adaptive
• Business Analysis Activities and Organizational Impacts
  • Organizational Structures
  • Functional
  • Projectized
  • Matrix

Session Three

Module 5: Requirements Life Cycle Management

• Business Analysis Plan
  • Key Activities
  • Purpose of Requirements Management
  • Instructor-Led Walkthrough: Ascension Air Business Analysis Plan
• Traceability and Metrics
  • What Is Requirements Traceability?
  • Forward and Backward Traceability
  • Parent-Child Relationships
  • Requirements Traceability Matrix
  • Exercise: Determine Traceability Approach for Ascension Air Online Flight Booking System
  • Requirements Attributes
  • Requirements Attribute Table
  • Requirements Metrics
  • Exercise: Select Requirements Metrics for the Ascension Air Online Flight Booking System
  • Requirements Management Tools

Session Four

Module 6: Change Control

• Configuration Management and Change Control
  • Version Control
  • Managing Configuration Items
  • Change Control in Predictive vs. Iterative Life Cycles
  • Change Management Tools
• The Change Control Process
  • Change Control Plan
  • Processing a Change Request (Change Control Activity Diagram)
  • Change Control Board
  • Use Interview Skills to Understand the Problem
  • Exercise: Understand and Write Change Requests for the Ascension Air Online Flight Booking System

Module 7: Business Analysis Communications

• Communication Planning
  • Communications Cycle
  • Identify Stakeholder Presentation Requirements and Preferences
  • Requirements Packages
  • Shared Document Repositories
  • Managing Requirements Conflicts
  • Communication Plan
  • Exercise: Prepare a Business Analysis Communication Plan for the Ascension Air Online Flight Booking System
• Requirements Reviews
  • Review Techniques
  • Review Roles
  • Requirements Review Log
  • Exercise: Participate in a Requirements Review for the Ascension Air Online Flight Booking System
  • Requirements Signoff
  • Exercise: Review Requirements-Related Challenges

Please review our cancellation policy before you register.Please note that prices are subject to change without notice.