Paths
Business Analysis – PMI-PBA®
This series introduces the field of business analysis, which is increasing vital in today’s business environment. Business analysts identify problems and opportunities, elicit... Read more
Path Courses
Following this path will allow you to learn valuable principles of business analysis you can apply right away. The courses in this path also fulfill a portion of the training requirement for the PMI-PBA® certification, and count as professional development units (PDUs) helpful in meeting continuing education needs for credentials like the PMP.
Introduction to Business Analysis & Needs Assessment
Beginner • 2h 58m
Description
Business analysis is increasingly vital to today's business environment. By identifying problems and opportunities, discovering and recommending solutions, and fostering a comprehensive understanding of stakeholder requirements, business analysts can help organizations choose and structure projects and initiatives more effectively. This course introduces the work of business analysis, explores who undertakes business analyst functions, and the type of skills necessary to conduct business analysis successfully. Then, attention turns to needs assessment, where problems and opportunities are identified, organizational ability to respond is assessed, recommendations for action are developed, feasibility is weighed for various options, best options are selected, and business cases for action are developed.
Table of contents
- Course Overview1m 52s
- Introduction to Business Analysis49m 26s
- Identifying Problems & Opportunities36m 19s
- Comparing Organizational Capabilities & Requirements53m 17s
- Recommending Action38m 2s
Planning for Business Analysis
Beginner • 3h 3m
Description
Business analysis is increasingly vital to today's business environment. By identifying problems and opportunities, discovering and recommending solutions, and fostering a comprehensive understanding of stakeholder requirements, business analysts can help organizations choose and structure projects and initiatives more effectively. This course focuses on planning for effective business analysis, including information on identifying and analyzing stakeholders, understanding the relationship between business analysis and project management, creating and adding details to business analysis plans, and earning approval for plans so that the important work of business analysis can begin.
Table of contents
- Course Overview1m 46s
- Planning Business Analysis21m 19s
- Analyzing Stakeholders40m 21s
- Business Analysis & Project Management29m 48s
- Creating a Business Analysis Plan37m 50s
- Specifying Business Analysis Plans36m 30s
- Moving Business Analysis Plans Forward16m 17s
Discovering Business Analysis Information Through Elicitation
Beginner • 2h 35m
Description
High-quality business analysis requires detective work and the ability to engage with stakeholders. This course, Discovering Business Analysis Information Through Elicitation, will teach you how to do this in order to best describe and address business needs. First, you'll take a look at direct elicitation techniques, such as focus groups, workshops, interviews, and surveys. You'll also cover experiential techniques like analyzing documents and observing and simulating work. Finally, you'll learn how to use tools including prototypes and wireframes to validate requirements. At the end of this course, you'll have the detective skills you need to elicit information from stakeholders in a way that will greatly help your business analysis.
Table of contents
- Course Overview1m 55s
- The Role of Elicitation33m 51s
- Eliciting Information38m
- Direct Elicitation Methods34m 5s
- Experiential Elicitation Methods27m 24s
- Completing Elicitation20m 30s
Conducting Business Analysis & Developing Requirements
Beginner • 3h 21m
Description
No matter how well information is elicited or how beneficial a solution may be, business analysis cannot succeed if requirements aren't effectively written, structured, or understood. In Conducting Business Analysis & Developing Requirements, you'll gain the ability to transform information gleaned from conversations and analysis into a plan for success. You'll learn about a variety of useful techniques for modeling scope, processes, rules, data, and interfaces. Then, you'll learn how to effectively write, document, structure, and prioritize requirements. Finally, you'll learn how to take your solutions documentation through validation and approval, so that project work can begin. When you're finished with this course, you'll know how to use models to better understand and communicate challenges and use simple rules and structures to convert those findings into a clear path forward.
Table of contents
- Course Overview1m 49s
- Analyzing Requirements9m
- Models in Business Analysis25m
- Exploring Scope Models27m 55s
- Utilizing Process Models27m 37s
- Rules, Data & Interface Models46m 58s
- Documenting Solution Requirements45m 56s
- Validating, Verifying & Approving Requirements17m 7s
Monitoring Requirements & Evaluating Business Analysis Solutions
Intermediate • 2h 12m
Description
Business analysis is increasingly vital to today's business environment. By identifying problems and opportunities, discovering and recommending solutions, and fostering a comprehensive understanding of stakeholder requirements, business analysts can help organizations choose and structure projects and initiatives more effectively. In this course, Monitoring Requirements & Evaluating Business Analysis Solutions, you'll learn how to ensure requirements and objectives remain aligned, and how to evaluate your progress business needs. First, you'll learn about tracing requirements, developing the valuable context needed to fully understand requirements. Then, you'll learn how to establish baselines and techniques for monitoring requirements, to ensure that the project team's work will be effective. Next, you'll learn about change management, and how to secure the value of your project in an ever-changing environment. Finally, you'll learn about evaluating completed project work, ensuring needs are met not just today, but well into the future. When you're finished with this course, you'll have the skills and knowledge necessary to cross the finish line in your business analysis work successfully.
Table of contents
- Course Overview1m 48s
- Tracing Requirements48m 24s
- Baselining & Monitoring Requirements17m
- Change Management25m 47s
- Evaluating Solutions39m 58s
What you will learn
- Understand the analytical, technical and interpersonal skills needed by business analysts
- Identify problems and opportunities by assessing needs, goals, and objectives
- Understand how to analyze organizational structures and apply this information to business analysis
- Effectively compare paths of action using qualitative and quantitative means
- Create a successful plan for business analysis
- Analyze stakeholder characteristics and needs
- Coordinate efforts with project management
- Elicit information from stakeholders, using a variety of direct and experiential methods
- Review data and use simulation techniques to better understand business needs
- Harness methods for modeling scope, processes, rules, data and interfaces effectively
- Trace requirements and manage project scope
- Establish baselines and measurement criteria to gauge success
- Manage changes and conduct impact analysis effectively
- Evaluate and facilitate deployment of solutions
Pre-requisites
No experience with business analysis is necessary, though some exposure, even peripheral, to business analysis, project management, or project environments, would certainly be beneficial for viewers. - -In order to earn a PMI-PBA® certification, you must complete one of the following sets of requirements: - Hold a secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree, or global equivalent), have 7,500 hours of business analysis experience, 2,000 hours working on project teams OR an active PMP certification, and complete 35 contact hours of education in business analysis. - Hold a bachelor’s degree (or global equivalent), have 4,500 hours of business analysis experience, 2,000 hours working on project teams OR an active PMP certification, and complete 35 contact hours of education in business analysis. - - These courses may be used to fulfill a portion of the contact hours requirement for the PMI-PBA®. Pluralsight is a Registered Education Provider of the Project Management Institute.