Overview

Business analysis is the foundation of automated system development and meaningful business change.

Business analysis means uncovering the real business problem, and then crafting its optimal solution.

Business analysis means determining that there is a real and tangible value to be had from any proposed solution.

Business analysis means finding the real scope of the business problem, of determining the challenges faced by the customer segments, and designing innovative, appropriate and beneficial solutions.

In short, good business analysis ensures that the right systems are built, the right changes are made, and the owner or sponsor receives the optimal value for the development effort.

Business analysis is work study and modelling, systemic thinking, innovating, writing stories, persuading and several other analytical skills.

This course gives you the tools, the thinking and communicating skills, and the process for successful business analysis.

All public courses are available as in-house training. Contact us for more information.

Learning Objectives

  • Discover the real business needs, not just guess at a solution
  • How to improve the business
  • Define and analyse customer segments
  • Write a value proposition that clarifies the intention of the business change
  • Define a project so that it can yield real benefits
  • Write the correct business stories
  • Be better at communicating and convincing stakeholders of your ideas and solutions
  • Be innovative and find the best way to improve your client’s business
  • Be a better business analyst

Course Outline

Business Analysis – What Are We Doing?

  • What is business analysis?
  • How business analysis moves the business from its current state to the desired future state
  • A framework for effective business analysis
  • How business analysis works in your organisation and your development life cycle

Inception – Establishing the Value

  • Laying the foundation for the project
  • Defining the value proposition, and ensuring that means a beneficial change
  • Understanding the intended future state of the business
  • SWOT, ALUo, PESTLE, and other ways to look at the project

Reconnaissance – Finding the Real Problem

  • The work to be improved
  • The culture and values of the work
  • The essence of the work – the real problem
  • Safe-to-fail probes
  • Understanding the options for a solution
  • Are we solving the right problem?

Investigation – Understanding the Current and the New

  • The scope of the problem
  • The strategy of modelling
  • Business activity models – UML, BPMN, data flow, scenarios
  • Data models / class diagrams
  • The culture of the people involved in the work
  • The essential business processes

Design the Future Work – Finding the Optimal Solution

  • Getting to the future state of the business
  • Designing, and how it works in business analysis
  • Innovation and how to make a real difference
  • How to present better information
  • Making the solution more convenient
  • Allocating the essence to the available technology

Getting Approval

  • Having the best solution is not enough
  • Persuasive stories and narratives
  • Having an impact on your audience
  • How to convince your stakeholders

Ongoing Business Analysis – the Knowledge Model

  • Documentation – too much or too little
  • Minimum viable knowledge
  • Distributing knowledge within the organisation

 

 

Special Features

  • Teaching chapters are reinforced with hands-on workshops
  • The course is run interactively with lots of opportunity to discuss issues with the instructor
  • The course is made relevant to your work situation
  • Participants receive a copy of Business Analysis and Leadership, edited by Penny Pullan and James Archer
  • Your instructor has real world experience, and is willing to discuss how you can be most effective doing business analysis in your organisation

Along with the seminar materials, delegates will receive a FREE copy of Business Analysis and Leadership: Influencing Change, Penny Pullan, James Archer et al.

 

 

IIBA Accreditation

The Mastering Business Analysis course has been endorsed by The International Institute of Business Analysts. As such, this course has been approved as being aligned to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) and hence is recommended training for business analysts who wish to sit the exam to become Certified Business Analysis Professionals (CBAP).  By attending this course, you will earn 16 PDs (Professional Development hours) or 16 CDUs (Continuing Development Units).  For further information on how to register for the CBAP examination please refer to certification at www.theiiba.org.  The IIBA endorsement is registered by the Atlantic Systems Guild.

Who It's For

Business analysis is almost everyone’s job—every employee has some responsibility for effective business improvement. The most likely job titles you would find at this course are:

  • Business Analyst
  • Systems Analyst
  • Project Leader
  • Requirements Engineer
  • Product or Program Manager
  • Product owner

or similar titles. We also find Business Stakeholders, Users and Software Customers benefit from learning advanced business analysis techniques, and how they can contribute to the organisation’s wellbeing.

Speaker

James Archer

James traces his structured approach to understanding processes and data to solve problems back to being trained as a Cobol programmer 30 years ago. He has 20 years experience practicing and teaching business analysis.  Building on the success of IIBA events in London that he organised, James is a co-founder of this conference. He was awarded a Masters in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership and with Penny Pullan co-edited the book, Business Analysis and Leadership (Kogan Page).   Recent work includes collaborating with NHS and Social Care organisations to set-up self-managed teams of nurses and care workers, adapting an innovative model from the Netherlands; and as a Privacy Champion for ITV International Studios to implement GDPR regulations for ITV.  James has taught Business Analysis in 17 different countries and believes that the key to great business analysis is an inclusive leadership style, thinking innovatively, working collaboratively, acting strategically and helping people discover their real business needs and requirements.

Testimonials

"Very good explanations when questions aired. Lots of real life examples too."

Claire Pearson

Business Process Analyst, AQA

"Very interesting and confirmed my beliefs of what a BA should be doing."

Kelly Newnham

Business Analyst, Scottish & Southern Energy

"Attending Mastering Business Analysis seminar brought me even closer to understanding what IT can do for business."

Gasper Babic

IT Account Manager for Comops, Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d.

"It was a very enjoyable course which James did a great job in presenting. The flow of the course was very well put together, it walked you through the different types of modeling tools that could be used to help understand the business you were trying to design. It explained when and why you should use the different modeling tools to help understand the business and define the Stakeholders."

Charles Cooper

Senior Business Analyst, HP

Fees

  • 2 Days
  • £1245
  • £1,245 + VAT (£249) = £1,494
Group Booking Discounts
Delegates
2-3 10% discount
4-5 20% discount
6 + 25% discount

Cancellation Policy:
Cancellations must be received in writing at least two weeks before the commencement of the seminar and will be subject to a 10% administration fee. It is regretted that cancellations received within two weeks of the seminar date will be liable for the full seminar fee. Substitutions can be made at any time.

Cancellation Liability:
In the unlikely event of cancellation of the seminar for any reason, IRM UK’s liability is limited to the return of the registration fee only. IRM UK will not reimburse delegates for any travel or hotel cancellation fees or penalties. It may be necessary, for reasons beyond the control of IRM UK, to change the content, timings, speakers, date and venue of the seminar.

 

Venue

  • etc.venues Marble Arch
  • Garfield House
  • 86 Edgware Rd
  • London W2 2EA

Accommodation

London Accommodation: IRM UK in association with JP Events Ltd has arranged special discounted rates at all venues and at other hotels nearby the venue. Please visit the JP Events website for further information.

Email: jane@jpetem.com Tel +44 (0)84 5680 1138 Fax +44 (0)84 5680 1139.

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