home > training > BA215: Foundation of Business Analysis

33 Student Comments

Foundation of Business Analysis Training Course

BA215

$2,795

  • 4 Days
  • Replay™ Class Recordings Included

Interface Gold™Gold Benefits: Retake this course for one year. Replay™ class recordings included. Money-back guarantee. Price Match available.

Interested in scheduling a date for this course?
Request A Date
Register today - no risk!  No cancellation fees.  Full money back guarantee!
x
Course:
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Course Description

This course provides a solid foundation in the principles, practices, and techniques of business analysis, aligned with the IIBA® BABOK® Guide and ECBA® exam blueprint. Participants will gain practical skills to identify business needs, define solutions, collaborate with stakeholders, document requirements, and support organizational change. Through lectures, discussions, case studies, and hands-on workshops, participants will build confidence in applying analysis methods while preparing for the ECBA® exam.

Outline

Day 1 – Foundations and Strategy

1. Introduction to Business Analysis

  • Defining business analysis
  • The role of business analysis in project success
  • Common challenges faced by business analysts
  • Key outcomes and benefits of effective BA work

2. A Closer Look at the Business Analyst Role

  • Core responsibilities of a Business Analyst
  • Communication and collaboration skills
  • Comparing Business Analyst vs. Project Manager vs. Systems Analyst roles
  • Professional associations and certifications (IIBA®, PMI®, CBAP®, CCBA®, ECBA®, PMI-PBA®)
  • Underlying competencies for success

3. Strategy Analysis and Change

  • What is strategy analysis and when is it performed?
  • Understanding current vs. future state
  • Defining business needs and writing problem statements
  • Root cause analysis (5 Whys, Fishbone Diagram)
  • Business models and alignment with strategy

4. Defining a Change Strategy

  • Developing and evaluating solution options
  • Performing a gap analysis
  • Assessing enterprise readiness, cultural fit, and stakeholder impact
  • Defining transition requirements

💡 Workshop activities & ECBA practice questions included

 

Day 2 – Stakeholders, Scope, and Requirements

5. Stakeholder Analysis

  • Identifying stakeholders and their roles
  • Stakeholder maps and grids (influence/impact)
  • Building relationships and trust
  • Managing diverse stakeholder needs

6. Understanding and Defining Solution Scope

  • Distinguishing project scope vs. product scope
  • Techniques for defining scope (context diagrams, features, actors)
  • Boundary definition and system interactions

7. Business Process Modeling

  • Why we model processes?
  • Introduction to BPMN notation
  • “As-Is” vs. “To-Be” models
  • Process analysis and improvement

8. Understanding Requirements

  • Types of requirements (business, stakeholder, functional, non-functional, transition)
  • Assumptions, constraints, and business rules
  • Writing clear, SMART requirements

💡 Workshop activities & ECBA practice questions included

 

Day 3 – Elicitation and Analysis

9. Preparing for Requirements Elicitation

  • Planning elicitation activities
  • Interview techniques and good questioning strategies
  • Selecting appropriate elicitation methods

10. Elicitation Using Interviews and Workshops

  • Conducting effective interviews
  • Active listening and feedback techniques
  • Facilitating collaborative workshops
  • Brainstorming and managing group dynamics

11. Analyzing Requirements with Use Cases

  • Actors and use case identification
  • Use case diagrams
  • Writing main, alternate, and exception scenarios
  • Best practices for use case documentation

12. Confirming Elicitation Results

  • Prioritizing requirements (MoSCoW, timeboxing, voting)
  • Traceability matrices
  • Requirements documentation and communication
  • Obtaining stakeholder approval

💡 Workshop activities & ECBA practice questions included

 

Day 4 – Communication, Documentation, and Evaluation

13. Documenting Requirements

  • Techniques for documenting requirements (models, specs, user stories)
  • UML basics for Bas
  • Maintaining clarity and traceability

14. Managing and Communicating Business Analysis Information

  • Best practices for BA communication
  • Tools and templates for sharing information
  • Managing stakeholder expectations

15. Evaluating the Solution

  • Purpose of solution evaluation
  • Measuring business value
  • Assessing whether requirements were met
  • Continuous improvement mindset

 

Final Session:

  • ECBA® Practice Questions & Review
  • Wrap-Up Discussion & Next Steps
Audience
  • Aspiring and entry-level Business Analysts preparing for the ECBA® (Entry Certificate in Business Analysis)
  • Professionals in related roles (project managers, product owners, business users, systems analysts) seeking foundational knowledge in business analysis.
  • Anyone interested in learning how to apply business analysis techniques to deliver organizational value.
Prerequisites

No prior knowledge of Business Analysis is required

Student Comments (33)
Comments about enhancing the Courseware
"I wouldn't change any of the training content."
June 26, 2025 | BA215 Student
Comments about the Instructor
"Lou shared a lot of great stories with the class that helped me understand the information better."
June 26, 2025 | BA215 Student
Comments about enhancing the Courseware
"Content was great, will refer back to it as needed."
October 24, 2024 | BA215 Student
Comments about the Instructor
"Very knowledgeable on the subject and passionate. Thank you!"
October 24, 2024 | BA215 Student
Comments about the Instructor
"You broke it down into excellent real-world examples."
October 24, 2024 | BA215 Student
Load More Comments