# Business Analysis: Overview Course Canonical URL: ## Overview In this course, you develop a firm foundation in the principles and practices of business analysis - the critical process of identifying business improvement needs and developing projects to satisfy those needs. The Business Analyst serves a critical role as the bridge between organizational stakeholders and solution providers, including contractors, to identify business process improvement opportunities, gather and analyze business requirements, and communicate and assist in implementing the solution package. ## What you'll learn - Identify the value of business analysis in today’s challenging environment. - Identify the key responsibilities of a business analyst. - Learn and understand the importance of a Business Analyst's underlying competencies. - Apply the business analysis process to: - Business analysis, planning, and monitoring. - Requirements management and communication. - Enterprise analysis. - Elicitation. - Requirements analysis. - Solution assessment and validation. ## Curriculum #### Module 1: Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring - Define the scope and objectives of business analysis activities. - Develop a business analysis plan outlining tasks, deliverables, and timelines. - Identify and engage stakeholders to ensure alignment with business needs. - Monitor progress and adapt the analysis approach as needed. #### Module 2: Requirements Management and Communication - Establish processes for documenting, tracking, and managing requirements. - Facilitate effective communication between stakeholders and the project team. - Ensure requirements are accurate, complete, and aligned with business objectives. - Manage changes to requirements throughout the project lifecycle. #### Module 3: Enterprise Analysis - Assess business needs and identify opportunities for improvement. - Develop a clear business case to justify proposed solutions. - Define solution scope and assess its feasibility. - Align enterprise analysis with organizational strategy and goals. #### Module 4: Elicitation - Plan and prepare elicitation activities to gather requirements. - Apply techniques such as interviews, workshops, and surveys to capture stakeholder input. - Document elicitation results clearly and comprehensively. - Confirm and validate requirements with stakeholders. #### Module 5: Requirements Analysis - Analyze and prioritize requirements based on business value and feasibility. - Model requirements using diagrams, process flows, and other tools. - Validate requirements to ensure they support business objectives. - Manage requirement dependencies and traceability. #### Module 6: Solution Assessment and Validation - Assess proposed solutions against business requirements and objectives. - Plan and conduct validation activities to ensure solution effectiveness. - Identify gaps, issues, and improvement opportunities in the solution. - Facilitate stakeholder acceptance of the solution. #### Module 7: Underlying Competencies - Develop core skills essential for business analysis, including communication and problem-solving. - Apply analytical thinking and decision-making techniques. - Demonstrate business knowledge and adaptability in various contexts. - Leverage interpersonal skills to build strong stakeholder relationships. ## Schedule - Jul 29, 2026 – Jul 31, 2026 — Live Online - Oct 7, 2026 – Oct 9, 2026 — Live Online ## Instructors ### Bruce Gay — Instructor Bruce is an engaging trainers and program manager who brings 25+ years practical experience to deliver effective and experiential training to students. Able to engage adult learners with a range of backgrounds and professional experiences. Successful at building effective stakeholder relationships and coordinating multi-disciplinary teams for solution delivery. Bruce has over 25 years of project and program management experience across multiple industries. He has a Masters degree from The George Washington University and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Bruce currently runs his own freelance training and consulting business, helping project managers and team leaders improve their business skills, become better leaders, and achieve professional greatness. Bruce is a well-received speaker in the areas of design thinking, project management, cross-team collaboration, and AI tools for projects, and has presented at regional and international conferences. ### Steve Pesklo — Instructor Steve is an energetic trainer who focuses on applying technical concepts to everyday work practices. He is the founder and president of SoftLake Solutions, a company that specializes in providing data and AI applications to identify fraud for Internal Audit, Criminal Investigations, Forensic Accounting, Privacy, and Compliance. Steve brings a large amount of experience across multiple industries and government agencies. He is an expert in implementing large data analysis projects across the world, including Inland Revenue in the UK and Argentina, New Zealand, Africa and across Europe. Previously, he was the manager of Data Architecture and Data Services for a large mortgage company. He is a frequent speaker on data analytics and project management topics and speaks fluent German. He has been teaching at the Graduate School for over 10 years. Steve has an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas and a B.S. in Computer Science from California Lutheran University and the Universität Salzburg in Austria. He is certified as a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Project Management Professional (PMP), and a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM). ### Joe Mlakar — Instructor Joe has over 27 years of Federal Government and military service and has been a part-time instructor with Graduate School USA since 2023. He enjoys using his technical knowledge in Operations Research to teach his students to provide organization and structure to complex processes, and apply advanced analytical techniques to help leaders make better decisions. Joe is based in Fort Collins, Colorado. ## Pricing **Tuition:** $1599