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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Business Analysis Training from Boston University Corporate Education CenterBusiness Analyst FAQs
Business Analyst Training FAQs
Business Analysis Certificate Programs and Certifications
Want to expand your career options? Boston University Corporate Education Center has business analyst courses that fit your career goals, your lifestyle and your training needs. Contact us online today for information on our Business Analyst Certificate program, or call us at 1-800-BU-TRAIN (288-7246). What is a business analyst? A business analyst is a person who works as a liaison amongst stakeholders to recommend solutions that add value to an organization. Business analysts are leaders, facilitators, influencers, negotiators and team players. Business analysts may be involved with many different kinds of projects including process improvement initiatives, organizational change, software development, maintenance and enhancements, outsourcing, and product acquisitions. Business solutions often involve changes to organizational structures, policies, processes, relationships with external stakeholders, and information systems. Many people may play the role of a business analyst, even without having the formal title: product owners, enterprise analysts, business architects, requirements engineers, project managers, system analysts, testers and management consultants. What they need in common is an understanding of the tasks that ensure that business solutions really do achieve business objectives, and a set of effective techniques to do so.
What do business analysts do? Whatever the job title, successful business analysts work to understand and articulate the true requirements of their stakeholders, and not just the stated needs. Sometimes, what stakeholders say they want is not necessarily what they really need. The types of things that business analysts do:
What are requirements and why are they so important? A requirement could be a condition or capability needed by a stakeholder to solve a problem or take advantage of an opportunity, or it could be a condition or capability imposed due to a contract, regulation or other standard. A requirement could be explicitly stated or merely implied; it could refer to past, present or future conditions or capabilities, and is not just limited to information systems; a requirement could include processes, organizational structures and relationships, and policies and procedures. >> return Do I need specific industry background to be a business analyst? Some organizations look for business analysts who already have industry knowledge in a specific industry like healthcare, telecommunications, insurance or banking. When they hire a business analyst, they want someone who already understands the vocabulary and processes of their business. To be truly effective, a business analyst needs to be able to communicate with stakeholders to help them determine which problems to solve, and to propose solutions that will meet the needs of the stakeholders. So you need to have some understanding of the basics of how the business works. But without formal business analysis skills, you have no choice but to rely on your industry knowledge to help you to understand business requirements; your experience is all you’ve got. If you are proficient with formal business analysis techniques like process modeling, organizational modeling, functional decomposition and business rules analysis, you can actually do a better job of analyzing business requirements than just relying on your experience! Techniques like these allow you to analyze a problem from several perspectives, and they provide a formal framework for asking questions and communicating requirements.
Do I need a technical background to be a business analyst? Not at all. In our courses, will talk about ways that a business analyst, in the role of a liaison between business and IT stakeholders, can communicate more effectively. And we will discuss business analysis modeling techniques, many of which have been used extensively within the software development world. BA 114: Model and Document your Project Requirements, provides an in-depth introduction to some of these modeling techniques, but we don’t presume that you already have a technical background. When we show you how to use these models, we assume that you will be using these models with subject matter experts who often don’t have a technical background either. >> return Can I be a good business analyst if I don’t have experience in a functional area, like accounting or human resources? A great business analyst is someone who relies on a combination of interpersonal skills and formal modeling and analysis techniques. It helps if you have some knowledge of the business functional area, but if you also have a good grasp of business analysis techniques, you are likely to do a better job of eliciting, documenting, validating and communicating requirements. You will be more valuable to the organization than if you relied on your business knowledge alone. >> return How much experience with IT technology/web applications or Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products do I need? A great business analyst is someone who relies on a combination of interpersonal skills and formal modeling and analysis techniques. It helps if you have some knowledge of the business functional area, but if you also have a good grasp of business analysis techniques, you are likely to do a better job of eliciting, documenting, validating and communicating requirements. You will be more valuable to the organization than if you relied on your business knowledge alone. >> return Who should take business analysis courses and certificate programs? Our business analysis courses and certificate programs are specially designed for:
What is the traditional, instructor-led training experience like? Imagine a highly interactive environment: like minded-professionals, working together in teams, applying new techniques and methods to solve real business problems; great discussions, sharing of ideas and experiences. Add to this a terrific facilitator who is also an expert business analyst, providing positive and constructive feedback, tips and techniques. You will have lots of time to ask questions and to explore your interests. Business case studies challenge you and your fellow participants to put your new knowledge into practice right away and take your business analysis game “to the next level”. Participant guides are a solid reference that you will use in the class and long afterward. The examples, checklists and templates used in class are yours to take back to the office and start using immediately. >> return What is the instructor-led, virtual training like? Attending a virtual, instructor-led class is just like attending a traditional, instructor-led class. The major difference between the two delivery methods is that with our virtual training, you don’t need to leave your home or office to participate. Via your computer, you’ll be in a publically-scheduled, live class with one of our world-class instructors and your fellow peers, minus the hassle of travel and time out of work. >> return Is there “homework”? Not really. You will have plenty of time during the class to complete all of the case study exercises, and to review your answers with other participants. Of course, you may find yourself motivated enough to do some further investigation into some of the topics discussed during the class, but there is no scheduled homework. >> return Do I have to take courses in a specific order? No. The courses have been designed to be independent, and with the exception of BA 111 may be taken in any order. But if you are going to take all of the courses, we do have a suggested order: BA 111: Core Competencies for the Business Analyst or BAV111: Virtual Core Competencies for the Business Analyst is the basic course and is the foundation of all of the others. If you have no formal training in business analysis (even if you have doing the work for a while), or if you are new to the profession, then this course is a great introduction. We will walk through the International Institute of Business Analysis®’s ( IIBA®’s) Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK®) and explain how to apply it to a variety of business analysis initiatives, from feasibility studies and business case development, process improvement projects, Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) implementations, custom software development, and ongoing support of a business process and its enabling software. It presents a survey of the roles, responsibilities, tasks and techniques associated with business analysis, and gives you an opportunity to test them out in class. BA 114: Model and Document your Project Requirements or BAV114: Virtual Model and Document Your Project Requirements is a great class to take next. This course teaches you how to write “good” requirements using techniques introduced in BA111. You will be introduced to industry-standard visual modeling techniques like context diagrams, storyboards, UML diagrams, use cases and data modeling. The participant guide explains all of these in some detail, and you have a chance to try them all out using the case study exercises in class. BA 113: Collaborate with Stakeholders to Elicit Requirements or BAV113: Virtual Collaborate with Stakeholders to Elicit Requirements will give you hands-on experience with a variety of elicitation techniques: requirements workshops (some people call them JAD sessions), interviews, job shadowing, task analysis, prototyping, surveys and others. This course uses many of the modeling techniques from BA 114 to help determine what questions to ask, and provide a framework for structuring the answers provided by your stakeholders. While you don’t have to take BA114 before this course, it will help if you already understand some of the modeling techniques. BA 112: Plan and Manage Requirements or BAV112: Virtual Plan and Manage Requirements puts all the pieces together. You will learn how to plan a business analysis initiative from the ground up, selecting the right analysis and documentation models (that you learned in BA114) and planning how you will elicit the requirements (using techniques you learned in BA113). We will identify things that might go wrong, and develop ways of mitigating requirements risks. Challenging task like managing scope and effectively communicating with stakeholders are also covered. We use case study exercises in class to give you a chance to experiment with techniques like a work breakdown structure.
What are our instructors like? Our instructors are seasoned business analysts who are also great facilitators, and are passionate about helping you to enhance your skills. They are thought leaders in their field, with years of relevant and current experience in business analysis, project management and IT system development, and most hold industry certifications like Certified Business Analysis Professional® (CBAP®) and Project Management Professional® (PMP®). Each one of them is expert at stimulating interactive participation that promotes learning in a friendly, social environment. Think of them more as an expert coach rather than a lecturer, who guides the group through hands-on simulation exercises and encourages you to share your experiences with others. Along the way they will share their extensive experiences with you, making the course material “real” and relating it to your workplace and your projects. >> return Why should my organization invest in business analysis training? There are two major reasons to invest in business analysis training for your organization:
Can I customize these courses for onsite delivery? What does customization entail? Absolutely! All of our business analysis courses can be customized to achieve your training objectives. Our expert business analysis instructors will work closely with your practice leaders to do whatever it takes to deliver exactly the training that your people need. Below are some methods we use to customize our training programs:
How will my organization benefit from better requirements practices?
Will there be follow-up coaching and mentoring after your courses are delivered to my organization? What does it entail? Our expert business analysis instructors are available following course delivery to help your people apply what they learned in class. Coaching is typically delivered through a combination of onsite and remote methods—in person, phone, virtual meetings, or even e-mail. Once an effective coaching relationship has been established in person, remote, on-demand coaching provides tremendous value to the organization. >> return What is the Business Analysis Readiness Assessment? Our online, Business Analysis Readiness Assessment will help evaluate your organization’s current knowledge in each of the IIBA®’s Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® v 2.0) six core Knowledge Areas. Our assessment includes 50 multiple-choice questions, all mapped to the BABOK®, using the same question ratio as the Certified Business Analysis Professional® (CBAP®) Exam. >> return What advanced training do you offer for more experienced business analysts? Advanced business analysis courses
Project management training Business Process Management training Six Sigma training Leadership and Management & Communications Training Extraordinary business results are produced in organizations that have extraordinary leaders. Our leadership and management & communications programs will help you to develop valuable skills like negotiation, facilitation, motivating others, coaching others, time management, and leading organizational change. >> return If you are heavily involved in IT projects, consider taking some of our IT technical courses that would support your work as a business analyst. You could learn to write SQL queries to really understand your organization’s data, transform data into knowledge through the use of business intelligence technology, or learn how to design, deploy and manage a company website. We also offer ITIL training. The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a set of best practices to manage and support IT systems, including process improvement, and metrics to measure process improvements and return on investment (ROI).
How can completing a business analysis certificate program from Boston University Corporate Education Center help my career? How does it look to organizations? A professional certificate in business analysis proves that you are serious about your professional development. A certificate from Boston University Corporate Education Center shows the world that you have carefully chosen one of the leading training organizations in the country to help advance your career. Organizations have long respected our certificates because they know that the quality of instruction and the quality of the course content are second to none. As an Endorsed Education Provider with the International institute of Business Analysis® (IIBA ®), our courses count toward earning or maintaining your professional certifications granted by those organizations. >> return What is IIBA®’s CBAP® Certification? How do I obtain it? How do I maintain it? The International institute of Business Analysis® (IIBA®) currently offers a professional certification in business analysis, the Certified Business Analysis Professional® (CBAP®). A professional certification from the IIBA® requires that you do more than attend courses—you must also have substantial experience as a business analyst, agree to abide by a code of ethics, obtain professional references, and pass a comprehensive exam on the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK®). Full and current details of how to earn a professional certification from the IIBA® are available on the IIBA®’s website. To maintain your CBAP® Certification, you must meet continuing professional development requirements, including, amongst other things, attending training in business analysis to stay current with industry best practices, tools and techniques. For full details regarding the the CBAP® Certification Process, visit the IIBA® website.
How will Boston University Corporate Education Center’s business analysis training programs prepare me for CBAP® Certification and help me maintain it? All of our business analysis courses are aligned with the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK®), and our courses are also endorsed by the IIBA®; therefore, any business analysis course that you take through Boston University Corporate Education Center counts as part of the education credit required for earning or maintaining your certification and professional standing with the IIBA®. If you are preparing to earn your CBAP® Certification, our courses explain how to perform the tasks and apply the techniques described in the BABOK®. We carefully use the same terminology as the BABOK®, so that when you study for the CBAP® Exam, you won’t have to learn a whole new vocabulary. The case studies in our courses teach you how to apply the various business analysis techniques and tools, which will go a long way to helping you to prepare for the exam. Even if you don’t have real-world experience in all of the BABOK® Knowledge Areas, our courses will give you a solid grounding and help you get ready for the exam.
Do business analysts also need a PMP® Certification? You don’t need it, but if you plan to be leading projects, and play the role of project manager, it is certainly worthwhile to have the knowledge that goes along with the PMP® Certification. In the past, there has been some role confusion between business analysts and project managers, and quite often, one person may play both roles on a project. >> return |
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