Business Analysis and Requirements Gathering Blitz

1. What is Business Analysis and Who Needs It, Anyway?

• Define Requirements
• The Cost of Bad Requirements
• The Source of Bad Requirements
• What is a Business Information System
• What is Business System Analysis
• When Are You Done; the Fate Chart
• Open Items (Questions) List
• Categories of requirements
• A Problem with Language

2. Information Gathering Techniques

• Stakeholders
• Vision Statements
• Interviewing Techniques
• Survey Techniques
• Workshop Sessions
• Observing and Site Visits
• Ten Critical Questions
• Business Events and Responses
• Event Naming Conventions
• Response Naming Conventions
• Exceptions Identified
• Prototyping to Generate Questions
• Prototyping Levels
• Prototyping and the Critical 10 Questions
• Problem Statement Capture
• Problems versus Symptoms
• Problems and Requirements
• Review of Information Capture

3. SDLC in the 21st Century

• Of Parallel Universes
• Chaotic Analysis
• Structured Analysis
• Object-Oriented Development
• Agile Development
• Acceleration Techniques
• Roadmap To Success
• A Minimal Method Approach
• Project Activities and Sequence
• Choosing the Right Route for Your Project

4. Modeling and Analyzing Business Processes

• System Modeling — A Short History
• Process Models (The Symbols)
• What is "wrong" with this diagram?
• The Rigorous Physical Process Model
• "Rigorous Physical" Process Model
• Original Rigorous Physical Model
• Process Model/Swim Lane Model
• Physical Model to Top Level (step 1)
• Rigorous Physical Scope Model (step 2)
• Top Level Process Model (review)
• Leveled Process Models
• Second Level Process Model
• Leveled Process Models (review)
• Process Specifications (requirements)
• Decision Trees
• Decision Tables
• Using Decision Tables
• Completely Leveled Process Models
• Functional Analysis of the Current Situation
• Problem Analysis
• Timing Analysis
• How to Show Timings
• Exception Identification
• Information Usage Analysis

5. Introduction to the Unified Modeling Language (UML)

• A New Language
• Definition of a Use Case
• Use Case Diagrams
• Characteristics of a Use Case
• Components of Use Cases {incomplete}
• Using Use Cases
• Object Defined
• Class Definition
• Services and Attributes
• Relationship Types
• Depicting Relationships
• Order Fulfillment
• Working with Classes
• The Rest of the Story

6. Clarifying Business Requirements

• Good Requirements Sentences
• Writing Good Requirements
• Requirements from Vision Statement
• Problem Statement-based Requirements
• Business Events and Responses
• Current Business Information Usage
• Of Business Rules and Requirements
• The Five Major Types of Requirements
• Useful Requirements Groups
• Detailed Requirements Clarification
• Using Processes
• Business Rules
• Business Data
• Performance Measurements
• Constraints (finding exceptions)
• Quality, "ability" Requirements (EX: reliability, Usability)

7. On Requirements Gathering JAR/JAD

• What Is a JAR/JAD?
• Phases of a JAR/JAD
• Deliverables of a JAR/JAD
• Mini-JAR/JAD
• Roles in a JAR/JAD
• Skills Comparison
• Application Audience
• Project Profiles
• The Pros of JAR/JAD
• The Flip Side of JAR/JAD
• Before the JAR/JAD
• After the JAR/JAD
• Critical Success Factors
• Risks of Acceleration

8. Confirming Requirements

• Requirements versus Problems Matrices
• Requirements Feasibility
• Requirements Priorities (four methods)
• High Risk Requirements
• Risk Reduction Techniques
• Requirements and Testability
• PASS (a requirements process checklist)
• Requirements Management Tools
• Summary

9. Overview of Business System Testing

• Testing Methodologies
• Static versus Dynamic Testing
• QA Walkthroughs
• Unit, Integration and System Testing
• Types of System Testing
• Customer Acceptance Testing
• Testing Methodology
• Testing Activities
• Test Plans, Cases and Scripts
• Test Data Engineering
• Test Planning Activities
• Testing Test Plans
• Automated Tools and Techniques

10. Appendices

4 days

Business Analysts
Business Process Managers
Business Process Users
End-User Representatives
Subject Matter Experts
System Analysts
Anyone involved in defining or analyzing business system requirements.

NONE

Our instructors have extensive experience in applying these techniques on projects with business experts from a wide variety of fields.