This 2-day course is designed to give Project Managers and project practitioners a better understanding of Business Analysis. They will learn how to employ business analysis tools, techniques, and approaches for better project outcomes. Challenges associated with role definitions, gaps and touchpoints between the PM and BA roles – to reduce waste and improve efficiency and benefits for the organization are identified. The course helps participants evaluate contrasting perceptions in the roles of the PM and the BA, define the roles they should fulfill, and describe how to ensure the PM/BA partnership is maintained throughout. Duplication of effort, waste and misunderstandings that lead to failure are identified and strategies to overcome these challenges are discussed.

This course is not meant to be a comprehensive account of business analysis concepts, but rather it covers specific parts of the IIBA’s BABOK, Knowledge Areas of the PMI’s PMBOK^® and the PMI’s PBA Certification - as they specifically relate to the need for collaboration between the PM and the BA.

This course incorporates discussions, exercises, thought-provoking conversations and real-world examples. The course uses the book Effective PM-BA Role Collaboration (J. Ross, 2015), which serves as the blueprint of this program. The course was created by the lead co-author of the book, Ori Schibi.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Participants will gain practical skills for:

• Apply techniques to perform stakeholder analysis both for the project and the BA work
• Identify and avoid common causes of project failure
• Articulate the difference between product scope and project scope
• Seamlessly connect between business requirements and project scope
• Effectively perform scope definition and scope management
• Improve the project’s ability to handle change: identify causes, follow a consistent approach, effectively handle change requests, and measure and communicate change impact
• Incorporate business analysis concepts to reduce rework, schedule slippage and budget overruns
• Enhance the working relations among team members; specifically, the interrelationship between PM, BA, and SME roles
• Review core BA tools for:
  • Determining and managing different types of requirements
  • Eliciting and analyzing requirements
  • Documenting and managing requirements
• Introduce ways for utilizing business analysis tools and concepts to benefit the project
• Explore the changing relationship between the PM and the BA in agile environments

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

The Business Analysis for the Project Manager is designed for working Project Managers but is also beneficial for project Sponsors, other project practitioners, project team members, and business analysts.

PREREQUISITE

Knowledge of basic Project Management concepts is desirable but no prior knowledge of Business Analysis is expected or required.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN