Home / Non-Accredited / Project Management, Agile & Process Improvement / Business Analysis Fundamentals Course – BABOK-aligned (3 days)
Quick Look Course Summary:Business Analysis Fundamentals Course – BABOK-aligned (3 days)
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Next Public Course Date:
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Length: 3 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 14,997 EX VAT 3 Person R 11,205 EX VAT 10 Person R 8,120 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Non-Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Off-site or in-house. We train in all major city centres throughout South Africa.
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Business Analysis Fundamentals Course – BABOK-aligned (3 days)
Get requirements right before money is spent – elicit what stakeholders need, document it clearly and keep scope under control.
Every project runs on requirements, and when they are wrong the cost shows up late: systems that do not fit the process, rework, arguments over scope and users who will not adopt what was built. This practical three-day business analysis course gives delegates the core toolkit of the business analyst role – planning the analysis, eliciting what stakeholders actually need, documenting it so nobody misreads it later, and managing change without losing control of scope.
The course follows the structure of the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK Guide), used as a map of the discipline rather than as exam preparation. Day one covers the BA role, the BABOK knowledge areas, planning the approach and stakeholder analysis. Day two covers eliciting, documenting and analysing requirements. Day three covers process modelling, use cases and user stories, basic data and system modelling, and change control.
Every technique is practised on a case project – or on a real one from your organisation for private groups – so delegates leave with templates and a personal BA toolkit they can use straight away.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Requirements that are clear, testable and agreed before work starts
- Less rework and fewer scope disputes on projects
- A better fit between new systems and the way the business actually works
- One requirements method shared by business and IT
- Change requests assessed and approved in a controlled way
For your delegates
- A practical toolkit for the business analyst role
- Practice running interviews and requirements workshops
- Templates for requirements, process maps, use cases and user stories
- A clear map of the BABOK knowledge areas for further study
What delegates will be able to do
- Explain the business analyst's role and how it differs from the project manager and product owner
- Plan a business analysis approach that suits the project
- Identify, classify and map stakeholders and manage competing needs
- Choose and run suitable elicitation techniques, including interviews and workshops
- Write clear, testable functional and non-functional requirements and trace them
- Prioritise requirements and find gaps and conflicts
- Map current-state and future-state processes and spot improvement opportunities
- Write use cases and user stories with acceptance criteria
- Draw context diagrams and basic entity relationship models
- Assess the impact of change requests and communicate the decisions
Who should attend
Anyone moving into a business analyst role, and project managers, product owners, IT staff, process owners and subject-matter experts who gather or manage requirements as part of their job. No prior business analysis training is needed.
Course outline
Day 1 – The BA role, planning and stakeholders
The business analyst role
- Where the BA fits in a project team
- BA, project manager and product owner: who does what
- Core competencies of an effective BA
- BA deliverables across the project life cycle
The BABOK knowledge areas
- The BABOK Guide as a map of the discipline, not an exam syllabus
- The six knowledge areas, from planning and monitoring to solution evaluation
- How the knowledge areas show up in day-to-day BA work
- Using BABOK as an ongoing reference
Planning the business analysis approach
- Understanding project scope and objectives
- Choosing a predictive, agile or hybrid approach
- Planning BA activities, deliverables and governance
Stakeholder analysis
- Identifying and classifying stakeholders
- Power and interest mapping
- Planning stakeholder engagement and communication
- Managing competing stakeholder needs
Day 2 – Eliciting, documenting and analysing requirements
Eliciting requirements
- Preparing for elicitation
- Interview techniques and question types
- Running facilitated requirements workshops
- Document analysis and observation
- Choosing the right technique for the situation
- Role-play: a stakeholder interview
Documenting requirements
- Business, stakeholder, solution and transition requirements
- Functional versus non-functional requirements
- Writing clear, testable requirement statements
- Requirements traceability
- Common documentation pitfalls
Analysing requirements
- Prioritisation techniques such as MoSCoW
- Spotting gaps, ambiguity and conflicts
- Validating requirements with stakeholders
- Getting sign-off
Day 3 – Modelling, change control and bringing it together
Process modelling
- Mapping the current state and the future state
- Common notations: flowcharts, swimlanes and an introduction to BPMN
- Spotting inefficiencies and improvement opportunities
Use cases and user stories
- Writing effective use cases
- Structuring user stories for agile teams
- Writing acceptance criteria
Introduction to data and system modelling
- Context diagrams
- Entity relationship basics
- Linking requirements to system design
- Personal information in requirements: designing with POPIA in mind
Managing change requests
- Change control basics
- Assessing the impact of scope changes
- Communicating changes to stakeholders
Bringing it together
- Building your personal BA toolkit
- Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Next steps back in the workplace
- Personal action plan and evaluation
How it is delivered
Three days, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; private groups can work on a real project. Workbook, case study and templates for requirements, process maps, use cases and user stories included.
What our clients say
“The training was practical, engaging and relevant to our workplace environment, providing participants with valuable knowledge and practical skills that could be applied in their respective roles.”
“All training programmes were delivered in a highly professional manner, with effective coordination and strict adherence to our scheduling requirements. The facilitators demonstrated a commendable level of expertise, and the quality of delivery consistently met our expectations.”
“The facilitator was excellent and took time to ensure that the employee understood the content and was able to apply the learning in order to develop the portfolio of evidence.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. Most groups are trained at the client's premises anywhere in South Africa. We can also host it at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to groups of about 20. The price per delegate drops as the group grows – see the price table, or ask us for a quote.
Is it accredited?
No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Does this prepare delegates for an IIBA certification exam?
No. The course uses the BABOK Guide as a map of the discipline, not as an exam syllabus. It gives a sound practical base for delegates who later decide to study for an IIBA certification on their own.
Is it suitable for agile teams?
Yes. Day three covers user stories and acceptance criteria, and the planning module shows how to adapt the approach for agile or hybrid projects. Product owners can follow it with our Scrum Product Owner Certified (SPOC) course.
Can it be tailored to our systems and processes?
Yes. Send us a sample project or process beforehand and the facilitator uses it for the elicitation, modelling and change-control exercises.