Business Analysis Certificate

Business Analysis Core Courses 

You’ll take six core Business Analysis courses and one elective (choices below) to complete 54 contact hours. We recommend starting with Introduction to Business Analysis. Below is a list of the Business Analysis Core Courses:

1. Introduction to Business Analysis

This course will give you an introduction to the role of business analyst (BA). You’ll learn about business analysts’ roles and responsibilities, as well as the processes, tasks, and techniques they use every day. You’ll look at the difference between the role of BA versus the discipline of business analysis, and you’ll identify skills you already have that you can use in your role as a BA.

Course Outcomes

At the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• identify the roles and key players of projects.
• define the mindset, role, and responsibilities of a successful BA.
• describe “progressive elaboration” and different types of requirements.
• differentiate between project-, system-, and business analysis-related methodologies.
• use the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge®, an industry standard of commonly used business analysis practices.

2. Identifying Opportunities: Strategic Analysis, Building Business Case and Solution Scoping

In this course, you will learn how to procure project funding and communicate project goals by identifying project vision and business needs. You’ll learn how business analysis efforts change when a vendor solution is selected, and how to both identify the scope of a project and verify that the scope is correct for a given effort. 

Course Outcomes

At the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• communicate a project’s or change initiative’s vision and goals to various stakeholders effectively.
• learn how analysis activities are changed or impacted when a vendor solution is implemented and how it differs from in-house development.
• differentiate project scope vs. solution scope. 
• document and communicate project scope effectively.

3. Collaborating for Success: Stakeholder Analysis and Eliciting Requirements

To complete a successful project, a business analyst needs to know how to gather and assess project requirements and how to communicate with the right stakeholders in the right way. This course will teach you how to identify, analyze, and manage stakeholders and their expectations early within a project initiative. You’ll also learn the different types of project requirements, as well as the various methods and techniques of requirement research. You’ll be able to work with stakeholders to understand requirements and effectively facilitate many techniques throughout the requirements process.

Course Outcomes

At the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• identify stakeholders and their potential impact from a project or change.
• analyze stakeholders and manage stakeholder relationships.
• discuss elicitation techniques from classic to modern.
• select which technique to use and when those techniques will be effective.

4. Analyzing and Modeling Requirements

Requirements are an essential part of any initiative, and a successful BA needs to know how to analyze and model them to achieve success. In this course we’ll discuss why analysis and modeling are important. You’ll learn different techniques and models for analyzing requirements like process flows and swimlanes, use cases, business rules, nonfunctional requirements, and data requirements and relationships. You’ll learn recommendations on when to apply various models to different types of stakeholders’ needs.

Course Outcomes

At the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• identify how modeling, analysis, and elicitation work together.
• practice modeling and analysis techniques, such as Process, Interface, Interaction, Data, and Decisions.
• know when to use which techniques.
• work with stakeholders when using these models.
• hold discussions and practice using varying levels of detail when communicating to various audiences.

5. Modern Requirements Communication, Documentation and Validation

As a BA, it’s crucial to understand the factors and practices that support well-defined requirements. This course will teach you how to write well-formed requirements, package documents for different audiences, manage changes to requirements, and prioritize requirements. You’ll learn where a business analyst fits into testing, user acceptance, and implementing the new solution.

Course Outcomes

At the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• identify various drivers and methods of documenting and packaging requirements.
• manage requirements change and traceability.
• use common requirements prioritization methods.
• facilitate and maximize the UAT process.
• define the BA’s role in implementing a new solution.

6. Business Analysis Planning and Estimating

The final course in the BA certificate series brings together all previous tasks and activities to create a business analysis work plan.  In this course you’ll learn to set expectations and build confidence with your project team by making a BA work plan a logical part of your process. You’ll also plan an approach to analysis and estimate workload, in order to understand what the analyst and the project can deliver.

Course Outcomes

At the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• use common business analysis approaches and determine the one most appropriate for a given situation.
• plan and estimate different approaches to business analysis work.
• communicate and manage a business analysis plan effectively.