PROFESSIONAL IN BUSINESS ANALYSIS TRAINING PMI-PBA® LEARNING OUTCOME

1. Introduction: Identifying Key Requirements Management Definitions
Business analysis is rich in terms, concepts, tools, techniques, and processes. This beginning section sets the foundation of key terms to know to prepare you for the five domain areas and forty knowledge and skills areas that are part of the exam:

• What is Business Analysis?
• What are the Roles of the Business Analyst?
• The Requirements Management Process
• Project Methodologies
• PMI’s Code of Ethics

In the Introduction section, you will gain skills from the following Knowledge Areas:

• Leadership principles and skills
• Project methodologies and how they impact requirements and business analysis practices
• Requirements types
• Systems thinking

Class Exercise: In this exercise, participants will recognize and review key requirements management terms to understand the foundations of the business analysis profession.

2. Needs Assessment
The first domain of the exam is where people begin their requirements process and the activities that lead to project success. Emphasis is placed on the processes used to define the business problem or opportunity. The Needs Assessment Domain encompasses 18 per cent of the exam. In this section we review how to effectively perform these five tasks:

• Defining Business Problems or Opportunities
• Developing a Solutions Scope Statement or Business Case
• Determining the Business Problem or Opportunity Value
• Identifying Business Needs
• Identifying Stakeholders and Stakeholder Values

In the Needs Assessment section, you will gain skills from the following Knowledge Areas:

• Political and cultural awareness
• Problem-solving and opportunity identification tools and techniques
• Stakeholder analysis
• Valuation techniques

Individual and Class Exercise: In this exercise, participants will review questions individually to reinforce the information reviewed during the Needs Assessment Domain, followed by discussions with the instructor and other class participants regarding the most correct responses.

3. Planning
In the Planning Domain, your focus will shift to putting the proper requirements management activities in order. The person performing business analysis work will determine which tools, techniques, policies, or procedures are necessary to prepare the requirements management plan. The Planning Domain includes 22 per cent of the exam. Attention is also given to planning for traceability, managing changes, controlling documents, and identifying acceptance criteria. In this section, we cover these six planning tasks:

• Determining Business Analysis Activities
• Establishing Requirements Traceability
• Preparing the Requirements Management Plan
• Defining Requirements Change Control and Communication Processes
• Identifying Document Control Processes
• Specifying Business Metrics and Defining Acceptance Criteria

In the Planning section, you will gain skills from the following Knowledge Areas:

• Collaboration tools and techniques
• Contingency planning
• Development methodologies
• Documentation management tools and techniques
• Elements of a requirements management plan
• Estimating tools and techniques
• Measurement tools and techniques
• Planning tools and techniques
• Quality management
• Scheduling tools and techniques
• Version control tools and techniques

Individual and Class Exercise: In this exercise, participants will review questions individually to reinforce the information reviewed during the Planning Domain, followed by discussions with the instructor and other class participants regarding the most correct responses.

4. Analysis
Analysis of the requirements involves eliciting requirements from stakeholders and making sense of what has been revealed. This domain includes the following requirements: eliciting, analyzing, decomposing, accepting, approving, specifying, and validating. The Analysis domain contains 35 per cent of the exam. In this section, we’ll cover the following eight tasks:

• Eliciting and Identifying Requirements
• Analyzing, Decomposing, and Elaborating Requirements
• Evaluating Options and Decision-Making
• Allocating Requirements and Creating a Requirements Baseline
• Facilitating Stakeholder Consensus to Obtain Sign-off
• Creating Requirements Specifications
• Validating Requirements with Stakeholders
• Elaborating and Specifying Detailed Business Metrics and Detailed Acceptance Criteria

In the Analysis section, you will gain skills from the following Knowledge Areas:

• Analytic tools and techniques
• Business rule analysis tools and techniques
• Data analysis tools and techniques
• Decision-making tools and techniques
• Elicitation tools and techniques
• Facilitation tools and techniques
• Interface analysis
• Negotiation tools and techniques
• Prioritization tools and techniques
• Process analysis tools and techniques
• Root cause analysis

Individual and Class Exercise: In this exercise, participants will review questions individually to reinforce the information reviewed during the Analysis Domain, followed by discussions with the instructor and other class participants regarding the most correct responses.

5. Traceability and Monitoring
Identifying the status of requirements throughout the project’s lifecycle and communicating critical information related to requirements is an essential factor for project success. This domain is concerned with managing, examining, and sharing requirements information with the project stakeholders. The Traceability and Monitoring Domain comprises 15 per cent of the exam. This domain includes the following five tasks:

• Tracking the Status, Sources, and Relationships of Requirements
• Monitoring the Lifecycle of Requirements
• Updating the Status of Requirements and Communicating Requirements States to Stakeholders
• Using Communication Methods to Share Important Requirements Information and Status with Stakeholders
• Determining and Managing Change Impacts on the Requirements

In the Traceability and Monitoring section, you will gain skills from the following Knowledge Areas:

• Backlog management
• Change control tools and techniques
• Communication skills, techniques, and tools
• Conflict management and resolution tools and techniques
• Organization assessment
• Reporting tools and techniques
• Requirements traceability tools and techniques

Individual and Class Exercise: Participants will review questions individually to reinforce the information reviewed during the Traceability and Monitoring Domain, followed by discussions with the instructor and other class participants regarding the most correct responses.

6. Evaluation
The final domain topic examines if the delivered solution achieves the business need and satisfies the requirements. These activities could include solution testing, gaps analysis, and final sign-off. The Evaluation Domain comprises 10 per cent of the exam. In this section, we will explore the following four tasks:

• Comparing Solutions Test Results to Defined Requirements Acceptance Criteria
• Analyzing, Communicating, and Resolving Solution Gap Analysis
• Obtaining Stakeholder Sign-off and Moving Toward Deployment
• Measuring How Well the Solution Met Business Needs and Values

In the Evaluation section, you will gain skills from the following Knowledge Areas:

• Lessons learned and retrospectives
• Validation tools and techniques
• Valuation tools and techniques
• Verification methods and techniques

Individual and Class Exercise: In this exercise, participants will review questions individually to reinforce the information reviewed during the Evaluation Domain, followed by discussions with the instructor and other class participants regarding the most correct responses.

7. What to Expect on the Exam
Now that you know the content expectations for the exam, it’s essential to realize how to prepare for the exam and what to expect as you go through the application process. To ensure you successfully pass the first time, this section will cover:

• The PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA®)SM Application Process
• Exam Requirements
• Exam Overview
• Preparing for the Exam
• Understanding the Questions
• Taking the Exam
• General Tips to Help You Through the Process
• Final Practice Exam

Individual Exercise: In this exercise, participants will take a portion of the final practice exam to determine specific areas of additional review and practice and areas of strength. The final practice exam will be timed to simulate the actual exam. A review of correct responses and discussion will conclude this exercise.

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