TSE025 PMI-PBA® Exam Prep

Course Description

In today’s fast-paced business environments there is a great need for skilled professionals who can help define and guide organizational change.  The Business Analyst responsibilities often span multiple departments, divisions and other diverse corporate/organization boundaries.  According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Analysis is expected to grow by at least 20% over the next few years.

Administered by the Project Management Institute, the PMI-PBA℠ (Professional in Business Analysis) offers Business Analysts a credential that attests to their ability to work effectively with Project Managers and Stakeholders in defining business requirements, managing their piece of the project, delineating project deliverables and achieving strategic organizational objectives.  ”Build it right the first time!”

This course prepares participants for the PMI-PBA Certification exam using a two-focus approach – We provide tools and techniques to enhance your real-world knowledge, skills, and performance in business analysis, and we also concentrate on what you need to know and do, in order to pass the exam! This workshop builds upon, and in some very important cases, revisits, principles and tools of business analysis and project management that are offered in our workshops, such as Determining Business Requirements (TSE011), Project Planning and Control (TSE001) and other advanced Business Analysis courses.  Prior to attending the workshop, we recommend participants already have the required project experience as outlined in the PMI-PBA Handbook.  Attendees are awarded 24 PDUs (20 Technical, 2 Leadership and 2 Strategic) or “Contact hours” which meet the training requirement for the PMI-PBA.  Our Global PMI Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.) code is 1270. 

Upon completion of this workshop, each participant will be able to:

Instructional methods for this three-day module are lecture, discussion, individual and team exercises, sample test questions, simulations, references to the PMI-PBA Handbook, the PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline, and the PMI® Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide).  We recommend that all course participants read the PMI-PBA Business Analysis Practitioners Guide prior to attending this course.  Further, it is also recommended that participants plan to sit for the exam no more than two months after attending this course. 

Course Outline

  1. Introduction and Course Objectives
    1. Overview of PMI-PBA℠
      1. Certification
      2. Requirements
      3. Application process
    2. PMI-PBA℠ Exam overview
    3. Exam Content:
      1. The 5 Domains
      2. Business Analysis Skills
      3. Business Analysis Terminology
    4. Re-certification
    5. Comparison to the IIBA’s CBAP Credential
  2. Domain 1 - Needs Assessment
    1. Assess the current state of the organization
    2. Define the business problem or opportunity
    3. Identify and analyze stakeholders
    4. Recommend action to address the business need
    5. Create the Business Case
  3. Domain 2 – Business Analysis Planning
    1. Create the Business Analysis Plan
      1. Define strategy for traceability
      2. Plan requirements change control
      3. Plan for document control and communication
      4. Define solution acceptance criteria
    2. Plan the Business Analysis Work
      1. Deliverables
      2. Tasks and activities
      3. Timing and sequencing of tasks
      4. Roles and responsibilities
  4. Domain 3 – Requirements Elicitation and Analysis
    1. Elicit requirements
    2. Analyze requirements
    3. Perform gap analysis
    4. Write requirements specifications
    5. Elaborate and specify detailed requirements acceptance criteria
    6. Validate requirements
    7. Resolve requirements-related conflicts
    8. Obtain requirements signoff
  5. Domain 4 - Traceability and Monitoring
    1. Baseline requirements
    2. Monitor requirements
    3. Manage changes to requirements
    4. Communicate requirements status
  6. Domain 5 –  Solution Evaluation
    1. Determine what to evaluate (and when and how!)
    2. Validate test results
    3. Address solution defects
    4. Obtain stakeholder signoff of solution
    5. Evaluate solution value
  7. Business Analysis Skills and Techniques
    1. Facilitation
    2. Negotiation
    3. Benchmarking
    4. Pareto Analysis
    5. Trend Analysis
    6. Cross-Functional Process Mapping
    7. RACI Charting
    8. Gap Analysis
    9. SWOT Analysis
    10. The Five Why’s
    11. Root Cause Analysis (Ishikawa/Fishbone Diagrams)
    12. Interrelationship Diagrams
    13. SMART Objectives
    14. Capability Tables
    15. … and more!
  8. Before the Exam
    1. Strategies for Studying
    2. Is a “Study Group” right for you?
      1. How to set-up a Study Group
    3. Preparation
    4. Test-taking tactics to reduce anxiety and increase results.
      1. The "Brain Dump"
      2. How to get back from a "Brain Freeze"
  9. Test Taking Tips
    1. PMI/Prometric Test Taking Rules (Some, pretty surprising!)
    2. Types of Questions
    3. Percentages of Questions per Topic
    4. The best way to READ questions and options
    5. "What is the question really asking?"
    6. Recommendations for managing your time
    7. Recommendations for managing your biology/psychology
    8. Pitfalls to avoid
    9. Some Additional Tips
  10. Conclusion
    1. Review Major Topics/Issues
    2. Participants Evaluate Class
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