Business Analysis Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Business Analysts, Project Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-AP-027

Before you join: Participants should have experience contributing to projects, operational improvement, system implementation or change initiatives.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Business analysts are expected to turn uncertain business needs into decisions, requirements and delivery priorities that project teams can act on. In Agile and PMO settings, this means working between sponsors, operational teams, product owners, technical specialists and delivery managers. Poorly defined problems, inconsistent requirements and weak stakeholder engagement create rework, approval delays, scope disputes and solutions that fail to improve the intended service or process.

This course develops the practical analysis skills required to define business problems, investigate current processes, identify stakeholders, elicit requirements and assess options. Participants use recognised techniques including stakeholder analysis, process mapping, use cases, user stories, acceptance criteria, MoSCoW prioritisation, business cases, traceability matrices and change control. The course also addresses the business analyst's contribution within Agile delivery teams and PMO-governed projects, including governance gates, reporting and benefits tracking.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with cases drawn from public services, banking operations, technology implementation and organisational change. Participants analyse a realistic change initiative, prepare models and requirements artefacts, and review decisions against delivery constraints. They leave with a reusable business analysis toolkit containing templates, checklists and structured models that can be adapted to live projects.

The course suits professionals who already contribute to projects, process improvement or system change and need a disciplined approach to business analysis. It is particularly relevant to analysts working with formal project governance while supporting iterative Agile delivery.

What you will be able to do

  • Define business problems using problem statements, objectives, scope boundaries and success measures
  • Identify stakeholders using power-interest analysis and stakeholder engagement plans
  • Elicit functional and non-functional requirements through structured interviews, workshops and observation
  • Model current and future processes using BPMN flowcharts and gap analysis
  • Write user stories, use cases and testable acceptance criteria for delivery teams
  • Prioritise requirements using MoSCoW, value-risk assessment and dependency analysis
  • Prepare business cases linking options, costs, benefits, risks and delivery assumptions
  • Control requirement changes through traceability matrices, impact assessment and approval routes

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce clearer requirements that delivery teams can estimate, build and test
  • Lead structured stakeholder discussions without relying on informal assumptions
  • Use recognised models to explain process problems and proposed future states
  • Contribute credibly to Agile backlog refinement and PMO governance reviews
  • Build a portfolio of reusable analysis templates for future assignments

For your organisation

  • Reduce rework caused by ambiguous, incomplete or conflicting requirements
  • Improve project decisions through documented options, assumptions, risks and benefits
  • Create stronger alignment between operational users, sponsors and technical teams
  • Support controlled scope changes with traceable approval and impact evidence
  • Increase consistency of analysis outputs across Agile teams and PMO projects

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can position business analysis work within project, product and PMO governance structures.

  • Business analyst responsibilities across project, product and operational change initiatives
  • Problem statements distinguish symptoms, causes, constraints and desired business outcomes
  • Project lifecycle stages and business analysis deliverables at each decision gate
  • PMO governance defines approvals, tolerances, reporting requirements and escalation routes
  • Agile delivery roles: product owner, scrum team, sponsor and analyst
  • SMART objectives and measurable success criteria for change initiatives

Participants can identify stakeholders and plan targeted engagement throughout a change initiative.

  • Stakeholder identification from organisational charts, process maps and project documentation
  • Power-interest grids classify influence, interest and required engagement approaches
  • RACI matrices clarify accountability, consultation, information and decision authority
  • Map stakeholder needs, concerns, constraints and likely sources of resistance
  • Communication plans specify messages, channels, timing, owners and feedback routes
  • Manage conflicting stakeholder priorities through evidence-based facilitation and escalation

Participants can select and apply elicitation techniques to capture reliable business requirements.

  • Interviews uncover individual knowledge, exceptions, concerns and decision rules
  • Facilitated workshops resolve cross-functional issues and build shared understanding
  • Observation identifies actual workarounds, handoffs, delays and control failures
  • Document analysis extracts rules, policies, forms, reports and data requirements
  • Open and closed questions test assumptions without leading respondents
  • Requirement records separate business, stakeholder, functional and non-functional needs

Participants can model current and future processes to define change scope and requirements.

  • SIPOC diagrams frame suppliers, inputs, processes, outputs and customers
  • BPMN process maps show activities, gateways, events, roles and handoffs
  • Swimlane diagrams expose ownership gaps between functions and systems
  • Current-state analysis identifies waste, bottlenecks, controls and customer pain points
  • Future-state models describe changed workflows, roles, controls and information flows
  • Context diagrams define system boundaries, external actors and interface requirements

Participants can assess requirement quality, dependencies, value and delivery priority.

  • Quality criteria test requirements for clarity, feasibility, consistency and testability
  • MoSCoW prioritisation distinguishes must-have, should-have, could-have and won't-have requirements
  • Value-risk assessment compares expected benefit, uncertainty, cost and delivery exposure
  • Dependency mapping identifies prerequisite decisions, systems, data and organisational changes
  • Acceptance criteria define observable conditions for requirement completion and approval
  • Scope baselines record agreed requirements, exclusions, assumptions and constraints

Participants can translate business needs into prioritised Agile backlog items and acceptance criteria.

  • User story format captures actor, need and intended business value
  • INVEST criteria assess story independence, value, size and testability
  • Story mapping connects user activities, release slices and priority decisions
  • Backlog refinement clarifies assumptions, dependencies, acceptance criteria and estimates
  • Definition of Ready establishes conditions before stories enter sprint planning
  • Collaborate with product owners on release goals and backlog ordering

Participants can prepare evidence-based recommendations for project and change investment decisions.

  • Business case structure links strategic rationale, options, costs and benefits
  • Options analysis compares do-nothing, minimum-change and preferred solution alternatives
  • Cost estimates distinguish capital expenditure, operating costs and implementation effort
  • Benefit profiles assign measures, owners, timing, baselines and dependencies
  • Risk registers record threats, opportunities, responses, owners and review dates
  • Assumptions logs expose uncertain conditions requiring validation or decision

Participants can validate requirements and manage changes without losing decision history.

  • Requirements reviews confirm shared understanding before design and development begins
  • Traceability matrices link objectives, requirements, designs, tests and benefits
  • Impact assessment examines cost, schedule, risk, process and technical consequences
  • Change requests document rationale, affected items, recommendation and approval status
  • Version control preserves requirement history, ownership and approved baselines
  • User acceptance testing confirms delivered functionality meets agreed acceptance criteria

Participants can present analysis findings clearly to sponsors, users and delivery teams.

  • Audience analysis adapts detail, evidence and format for decision-makers
  • Requirements packs combine models, narratives, priorities, assumptions and acceptance criteria
  • Decision logs record choices, rationale, owners, dates and follow-up actions
  • Visual summaries communicate process issues, options, dependencies and delivery impacts
  • Facilitate requirement reviews using agendas, ground rules and documented actions
  • Escalate unresolved issues with evidence, alternatives and recommended decisions

Participants can select appropriate business analysis methods for a current workplace assignment.

  • Select analysis techniques according to uncertainty, stakeholder availability and delivery approach
  • Sequence discovery, definition, validation and change-control activities for assigned work
  • Create an analysis plan covering outputs, stakeholders, milestones and review points
  • Identify immediate improvements to requirement quality within current project documentation
  • Set personal actions for applying templates, models and governance practices
  • Review ethical handling of confidential information, consent and stakeholder trust

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Business analysis plan template
  2. Stakeholder power-interest matrix
  3. BPMN process mapping template
  4. Requirements traceability matrix
  5. Agile user story and acceptance criteria pack
  6. Business case and benefits profile template

Who should attend

  • Business Analysts — build consistent analysis artefacts for projects and product change
  • Project Managers — improve requirement quality, scope control and stakeholder decisions
  • PMO Analysts — strengthen governance evidence, reporting inputs and benefits tracking
  • Product Owners — refine backlogs into prioritised, testable delivery requirements
  • Process Improvement Specialists — translate process issues into change requirements
  • Systems Analysts — connect business needs with technical specifications and acceptance criteria

Skills and tools covered

Requirements elicitationProcess modellingStakeholder analysisAgile requirementsBusiness case developmentChange control

Tools and standards

BABOK Guide, BPMN, MoSCoW prioritisation, INVEST criteria

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short briefings to introduce methods, followed by case-based analysis of a change initiative from problem definition through delivery control. Participants work individually and in groups to map processes, identify stakeholders, write requirements and assess change impacts. Facilitated simulations cover elicitation conversations, prioritisation decisions and governance reviews. Instructor feedback focuses on the quality, clarity and usability of each artefact. Participants finish by selecting methods and templates for an immediate workplace application plan.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience contributing to projects, operational improvement, system implementation or change initiatives. They should be comfortable discussing business processes, working with stakeholders and reviewing basic project documents such as plans, issue logs or requirement lists. Familiarity with Agile terminology or formal business analysis methods is helpful but not assumed. No prior certification, technical programming knowledge, BPMN qualification or PMO role is required. Participants should bring examples of current workplace challenges if organisational policy permits.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have some exposure to projects, operational processes or change work. Prior business analysis training, Agile certification and technical system knowledge are not required.

Bring a laptop if you prefer to work digitally and, where permitted, a non-confidential example of a current project or process issue. Course materials and working templates are provided.

It is intended for business analysts, project staff, product owners, PMO personnel, systems analysts and process improvement practitioners. It is most useful for people who must turn stakeholder needs into documented change requirements.

Project management courses focus on planning, control and delivery management, while Scrum courses focus on team roles and Agile events. This course concentrates on discovering needs, modelling processes, defining requirements and supporting decisions.

Participants can use the stakeholder matrix, process map, requirement template, prioritisation method and traceability matrix on current assignments. The final module helps them select a practical first application.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The programme moves through ten connected modules, combining instruction, case analysis, group work, simulations and application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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