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In this course, you'll learn to model business processes as they are currently enacted, assess the quality of those business processes, and collaborate with the stakeholders to identify improvements.

The course begins by teaching you the roles and responsibilities of the business analyst and the process for analyzing business systems, including how to determine a business system's health. You will learn how to identify business processes that could become more streamlined. Master the process of communicating with stakeholders to understand their process needs as well as their perceptions of the problems. Using seven different modeling techniques, you'll explore different facets of the business process, identify the most effective solution to the process, and clearly define the future process state. Once a new process is defined, you'll learn how to convey those process changes to others, gain organizational support for making the changes, and plan for a successful change project.

Students pursuing a university-recognized and/or accredited certificate in Canada or continuing education units in the US must attend at least 90% of class time, participate in class exercises and section-knowledge checks, and score at least 70% on an end-of-class, multiple-choice assessment.

Highlights

• Determine the quality of a business process
• Identify business processes that need to be analyzed and possibly improved
• Define "business process analysis" and the responsibilities of the business analyst
• Determine when a process action team (PAT) is called for
• Charter and lead a process action team
• Identify all of the stakeholders in a business process
• Choose appropriate information gathering technique(s) for each type of stakeholder
• Prepare for and perform information gathering activities
• Provide feedback to stakeholders to verify and gain additional information
• Define the goal of a business process
• Determine how to measure the effectiveness of a business process
• Use a variety of methods to model a business process and its data
• Perform root-cause analysis of the problems with a business process
• Enumerate options for improving a business process
• Make a sound business case for improving a business process
• Obtain stakeholder buy-in and sign-off
• Plan a process improvement project
• Analyze the results of a process improvement project

Hands-On Exercises

• Perform the Deming bead experiment
• Choose a business process to analyze
• Complete a project mini-charter
• Complete a stakeholder analysis
• Identify information gathering methods for your project
• Prepare to interview the stakeholder
• Interview the stakeholder
• Document the information gathered
• Perform and document a GQM analysis of your process
• Prepare for a follow-up meeting with the stakeholder
• Hold a follow-up meeting with the stakeholder
• Update information about the process
• Use the ETVX process definition paradigm
• Draw a SIPOC diagram
• Draw a use case diagram
• Draw a process flowchart
• Draw a swim lane diagram
• Draw a data flow diagram
• Draw an entity relationship diagram
• Hold another feedback session with the stakeholder
• Perform causal analysis
• List sources of standards and industry best practices
• Use the STP method to identify improvement options
• Model the improved process
• Prepare the process improvement proposal
• Present the process improvement proposal
• Prepare a project plan for your process improvement
• Provide feedback on the BPA process

Course Outline

1. Define the "Quality" of a Business Process

• People
• Process
• Tools
• Inputs

2. Choose a Business Process to Analyze

3. Understand the Business Analysis Process

• Definition of "Business Process Analysis"
• The Process of Business Process Analysis
• Role of the Business Analyst

4. Charter the Process Action Team

5. Identify the Stakeholders of a Business Process

6. Choose Information Gathering Techniques

7. Gather Information

• Preparation
• Execution
• Feedback & Validation

8. Document the Process Goal and Metrics

• Perform GQM Analysis

9. Model the Current (As-Is) Process

• ETVX Process Model
• SIPOC Analysis
• Use Case Diagrams
• Process Flowcharts
• Swim Lane Diagrams
• Data-Flow Diagrams (DFD)
• Entity-Relationship Diagrams (ERD)

10. Determine Causes of Problems

• Fishbone (Ishikawa) Causal Analysis

11. Determine Process Improvement Options

• Modeling the Improved (To-Be) Process

12. Make the Business Case for Process Improvement

13. Plan the Implementation

14. Hold a Project Retrospective

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