BA113 - Collaborate with Stakeholders to Elicit Requirements
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Course description

Eliciting requirements is one of the primary responsibilities of the business analyst, as the requirements serve as the foundation for the solution to the business need. A business analyst will use numerous techniques during the course of a project depending on the information being elicited and the types of stakeholders involved. There are many proven techniques for eliciting requirements from which the business analyst may choose, and new methods continue to evolve.

This course builds upon the associated tasks and techniques introduced in its prerequisite, BA111: Core Competencies for the Business Analyst by exploring the commonly used techniques for eliciting requirements, the applicability of each technique, the steps required to prepare and execute each technique, and methods to overcome common challenges associated with each technique. Throughout the course practical tasks and techniques are presented to equip the BA with the skills and knowledge required to perform requirements elicitation techniques to gather accurate and complete requirements from stakeholders in real world business situations.

Key characteristics that differentiate this course from others include:

Mapping to the IIBA Body of Knowledge
Boston University Corporate Education Center (BUCEC) is designated by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) as a Charter Endorsed Education Provider. This course supports understanding of the following Knowledge Areas and is 100% compliant with IIBA's current Business Analysis Book of Knowledge (BABOK):

• Elicitation

Experiential Training
Two case studies are integrated into the course to allow participants to view demonstrations of work products and techniques and then apply learned skills within a consistent context. Much of the class time is devoted to exercises in which participants can practice the skills being taught.

Experience
The course is written and delivered by professionals with extensive experience in business analysis.

Applied Focus
The Participant Guide includes many job aids that are referenced throughout the course and available to the participant after training; these include work product templates and samples, as well as checklists for processes and best practices.

Who should attend

All participants must first attend the course’s prerequisite, BA111: Core Competencies for the Business Analyst.
The course is intended to serve several audiences and meet a variety of needs. The material in the course is directed at both the novice looking to enter the field and the self-taught veteran looking to fill gaps in his or her skills or knowledge. Individuals who perform business analysis in organizations are known by various titles including business analyst, systems analyst, business/systems analyst, functional analyst, project manager, and tester. Individuals who will benefit from this course include:

• Entry-level business analysts and their managers
• Self-taught business analysts requiring a course that fills in the gaps and puts all the pieces together
• Systems analysts and programmers interested in expanding their roles into the business area
• Quality assurance professionals
• Project managers

What you will achieve

• Describe the core functions of the business analyst in the context of the Elicitation Knowledge Area.


• Describe the purpose, process steps, challenges, and benefits of a range of techniques to elicit requirements from stakeholders.


• Elicit requirements from stakeholders using elicitation techniques, including:
  • Document analysis
  • Observation
  • Interviewing
  • Brainstorming
  • Requirements Workshop
  • Prototyping
  • Surveys
  • Focus Groups
  • Interface Analysis
  • Reverse Engineering
  • Quality Function Deployment


• Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of requirements elicitation techniques in order to develop appropriate strategies for executing them on a project.

What you will learn

• Elicitation challenges and methods to overcome them


• Impact of communication styles on elicitation activities


• Types of requirements


• Requirements quality continuum


• Purpose, process steps, challenges, and benefits of requirements elicitation techniques:
  • Document analysis
  • Observation
  • Interviewing
  • Brainstorming
  • Requirements workshop
  • Prototyping
  • Surveys
  • Focus groups
  • Interface analysis
  • Reverse engineering
  • Quality function deployment
  • Elicitation technique selection
  
  
  Course Content:
  
  Day One
  • The Elicitation Knowledge Area
  • Communication Styles
  • Requirements Quality Continuum
  • Document Analysis
  • Observation
  • Interview Preparation
  
  
  Day Two
  • Interviewing
  • Brainstorming
  • Requirements Workshop
  • Prototyping
  
  
  Day Three
  • Surveys
  • Focus Groups
  • Interface Analysis
  • Reverse Engineering
  • Quality Function Deployment
  • Selecting Elicitation Techniques