Audience
This certification is relevant for anyone wishing to understand the Agile approach from a business perspective.
This includes business architects, business analysts, project managers and business managers.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Duration
3 days. Hands on.
Course Objectives
The examination leading to the BCS Professional Certificate in Agile Business Analysis has the following assessment objectives:
- Describe the philosophy underpinning Agile approaches
- State the core Agile values in the agile manifesto
- Interpret the key Agile principles
- The application of Agile in the wider business context
- Describe a range of agile methods (process, roles, principles)
- Evaluate the applicability of an agile method for a given situation
- Analyse the stakeholders in Agile projects
- Apply the eight wastes of Lean
- Describe the FMM
- Illustrate the use of Agile analysis, modelling and documentation techniques
- Analyse business goals and their decomposition
- Identify and analyse user roles
- Analyse the application of the user story technique
- Explain the role and management of the solution backlog
- Explain techniques and meetings used to plan, estimate and manage an iteration
- Describe the role of the business analyst when using an Agile approach
- Apply the POPIT model and the system of interest model during Agile adoption
Course Content
Agile Philosophy
The rationale for adopting an Agile approach
Definition of Agile
3 pillars of Agile
The Agile manifesto
The three overarching aspects of Agile
Principles
Methods
Techniques
Business Analysis thinking and how it is relevant in Agile business
Systems thinking
Service thinking
Lean business analysis
Lean thinking
8 wastes of Lean
Value proposition
The POPIT model
Agile Principles
The 12 core principles
Key principle – collaborative working
Key principle – self organising teams
Tuckman & Jenson theory of group development
Key principle – continuous improvement
Kaizen
DMAIC (from Lean)
Key principle – iterative development and incremental delivery
Key principle – building in change
Agile Methods
Elements of a method
Defined V empirical methods
Characteristics of Agile methods
Product development methods
SCRUM
XP
Lean software
Scaled methods
DSDM
SAFe
Advantages and disadvantages of Agile methods
Understanding Stakeholders
Stakeholder groups
Business Stakeholders: Project sponsor; Business Managers; Business Architect
Project Stakeholders: Project Manager; Programme Manager
Technical Stakeholders: Technical Architect
Development Team: Subject Matter Expert; End-users; Business Analyst; Designer; Team Leader;
Solution Developer; Solution Tester
Agile Modelling
Rationale and principles for Agile modelling
Levels of definition
Black box ii. White box
Hierarchy of models using the Functional Model Map (FMM)
Enterprise view
Business activity models
Business use case diagrams
Business context diagrams
System level view
Systems context diagrams
System use case diagrams
System component view
component designs
MoSCoW prioritisation
Decomposing and organising business goals
Goal decomposition and Functional decomposition
Benefits of a goal decomposition approach when using Agile
Iterations, releases and goals
Agile requirements
Hierarchy of requirements and how this relates to agile projects
General
Technical
Functional
Non-functional
User Roles
Identifying and documenting user roles
Personas and extreme characters
7. Agile requirements (20%, K4) (Continued)
User Stories
3 Cs
INVEST
Techniques to elicit user stories:
Interviews
Surveys
Observation
Story-writing workshops
Scenario analysis
Defining user stories
Hierarchy of user stories
Themes
Epics
User story
Patterns for splitting epics: compound and complex
Documenting non-functional requirements
Managing requirements
The solution backlog
Managing the backlog
Estimation techniques:
Wideband Delphi
Relative sizing
Planning poker
Managing the iteration
Planning the iteration
Iteration planning meeting
Calculating and utilising velocity
Techniques to manage the iteration:
Daily stand-ups
Agile boards
Kanban
Burn down charts
Iteration reviews
Show and tell
Retrospectives
BA role in Agile projects
Agile business analysis
The business view
The system view
Transition between the views
Exploring the system view:
Scenarios
Storyboards
Wireframes
Prototyping
The Generalising Specialist
Agile adoption
The POPIT model
The system of interest model