Fundamentals of Business Analysis

$199.99

Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash

Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash

Learn the foundations of the business analysis field from one of its most innovative thought leaders.

Business Analysts have long needed access to high-quality training without the multi-thousand dollar price tag.

In this affordable first class in business analysis, you'll create a foundation in the field, learning everything you need to get started as a BA.

Since the course is on-demand, you can study whenever is most convenient for you. Lifetime access means you can go at your own pace. Quizzes and assignments help you to reinforce what you have learned.


Your Instructor

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Hi, I'm Don Hussey.

As founder of NorwalkAberdeen, I have taught business analysis to more than 20,000 students spanning 145 countries.

Prior to starting the firm, I led the Business Analysis Center of Excellence for Citigroup Private Bank, managing teams of Business Analysts, coordinating enterprise-level analysis activities, and defining the business analysis value proposition for the bank. I have managed BAs, taught BAs, mentored BAs, interviewed BAs, and hired BAs.

Earlier in my career, I worked in a variety of BA roles:

  • Senior Vice President, Strategic Program Management, Citigroup
  • Vice President, Global Internet Strategy, Citigroup
  • Member of the Board of Directors, IIBA New York
  • Business Analyst/Product Manager, Morgan Stanley

I live in Washington DC, and I like backpacking, soccer, and canned beer (yum).


The Course

Video Lectures

"Genuine, conversational, engaging, insightful, practical, simple, and fun." 

These are some of the words our students use to describe the course.

The course is broken into 68 video lectures, with more than six hours of on-demand content. Each lecture presents a topic, covers it in detail, and then illustrates how it is done on the job.


Real-World Scenarios

Theory. Isn't. Enough.

One of the biggest challenges for students is translating their knowledge into practical, real-world capabilities.

This Fundamentals course makes it easy for you to apply your new skills by using actual scenarios and case studies from from industry. 

The final section of the course is an in-depth scenario where a Business Analyst (Doug) interviews stakeholders, performs analysis, and models solutions. You get to see how an actual BA does the work.


Interact with your Instructor

It's like you've fallen into a black hole.

In many online courses, you get lost in the crowd. You ask questions, and no one answers. You resort to searching Google, but nothing makes sense for your situation.

Not so with our courses. You have many ways to interact with Don. A few include:

Asking questions in the course portal: Don typically responds within 1 business day.

Joining our Tutorial Tuesdays: Every other week, Don hosts an online tutorial where he covers a business analysis topic, and you can ask him anything.

Emailing him: Good ol' email. He's pretty quick to respond. If you don't believe it, try asking him a question about the course.

This easy interaction is similar to the experience of an expensive in-person class.


Quizzes and Assignments

How can you be sure that you've learned the material?

The only way for you to truly master something is to practice and get feedback.

After every substantial lecture, there is a quiz to test your comprehension. Based on your results, you can choose to move on to the next topic or revisit the one you just learned.

And each section of the course ends in an exercise where you do real business analysis work that is reviewed personally by Don.

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Extensive Resources

Tools to help you get the job... and get the job done.

The course comes with a wide array of resources to help you get started in business analysis and excel on the job:

  • Slides for each section
  • Requirements template
  • Completed requirements document
  • Stakeholder Interests cheat-sheet
  • Stakeholder Needs Analysis template
  • Guide to Agile Business Analysis
  • Requirements Definition Model quick guide
  • Analysis & Modeling cheat-sheet
  • Decision Table handout
  • Case Study: Working with Crazy Stakeholders
  • Requirements Finalization checklist

...and more!

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Certificate of Completion

It's not enough to know. You have to prove you know.

The BA job market is competitive and tough.

After you complete the course, you will get a PDF completion certificate that can easily be inserted into a career portfolio.

Or you can just be like the rest of us and thumb-tack it to your cubicle.

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Get Results

There are many business analysis courses available to you. Choose the one that helps you create the best results.

Be Equipped

Business analysis is a big field with lots of potholes for the unwary practitioner. Without the right tools and skills, it’s easy to fail.

This course gives you a toolbox of analysis techniques and provides a framework for you to (well) frame them in.

Be Confident

No more fumbling interviews, confusing diagrams or dirty looks from your development team.

This course gives you the confidence to deliver business analysis services effectively.

Be Knowledgeable

Business and technology stakeholders rightly hold Business Analysts to a high standard. We need to be able to speak to a wide variety of problems, solution approaches, and methodologies.

This course, taught by one of the field’s most expert practitioners, gives you the foundation of knowledge you need to succeed in a very competitive environment.

Be Strong

Pressure from powerful stakeholders can cause us to design bad solutions. Without a powerful rationale, it’s too easy to cave in.

This course helps you develop a needs-driven approach to enterprise goals, strategies, and requirements.

Be Flexible

Business Analysts work in a variety of settings: enterprise, small business, waterfall, agile, strategy, and more. And we typically work on more than one project at a time.

Fundamentals of Business Analysis gives you the flexible framework to succeed in any environment.

Be Prepared

Getting started is the hardest part of any complex effort, and that doubly applies to planning business analysis work.

Our Fundamentals course gives you a planning methodology and set of helpful resources to help you get started the right way.

Be Empowered

If you aren’t powerfully-equipped, your management won’t trust you to get the job done. The more you know, the more skills you have, and the better you can execute them, the more confidence and empowerment you’ll gain.

This course provides a shortcut to success and upward mobility.

 

What Business Analysts Say

Don was brilliant through out the course. As an executive changing his career direction; this course served as a good introductory stepping stone to better things to come in the world of Business Analysis. Material is in depth and a lot of hard work has been put into this by Don and his team at Norwalk Aberdeen. I am off to more courses offered by Don.

Aarjav T.

I like this course so much as it helps me building the basic knowledge of Business Analysis. The way Don explains things was magnificent, and quizzes was so helpful in grasping the material. Thank you Don for your great effort, keep it up.

Ahmed M.

I could not have asked for a better course for getting a head-start on Business Analysis. The course explains each stage extremely well. The last Scenario section was really fun and a great way to apply all the techniques that has been explained in the previous lectures. I really am glad that I took this course and would happily recommend to anyone who wish to understand about Business Analysis.

Anitha K.

Clear, concise explanation. The and video is clear as well. EXCELLENT! The contents/material of the course is worth the value. At the completion of the course I was able to update my BA competencies as well as add new skills/tools I did not have. Well worth the time I invested in the course. Plan on taking the next series of courses the instructor offers.

Arleen D.

This is a very helpful course to introduce requirement gathering not just to BA's but to technical people who are often have to play the BA role in smaller organizations.

Chris S.

I think that this is the best BA course. I have tried some BA courses with higher number of enrolled students but got not much info or were not to the point. This course, without a doubt is what I have been looking for. Every topic in separate video accompanied with a quiz is just amazing. The lecturer has really nice teaching techniques too. Thanks a lot Don.

Dagger I.

from a total novice on BA, this course has given me enough to understand what I need to know and kept me stress free

Dipesh P.

I'm a mid-level BA but I haven't gone through everything explained in this course. I wish I had taken this course sooner. The instructor is very clear and direct, that's all I need.

Donald P.

Put words / images to the learnings that I acquired empirically while transitioning from software requirements analyst/architect/designer to a more formal position as Business Analysis. This fundamental course validated what I thought I knew and I feel comfortable moving on to a more in-depth view of Business Analysis.

Elaine C.

"The best fundamental Business Analysis course ever. Don is a true teacher with real life experience. I felt like I was sitting in a classroom. Amazing. Buying my third course from NorwalkAberdeen."

Emmanuel B.

"It is one of the closest to reality BA training I have ever undertaking. The presentation method is fantastic, the structure and scope of the course was great and the case studies and scenarios were the icing on the cake. Really good course."

Femi A.

It was a pleasure to follow this course. I have experience on this topic and I just wanted to know what's new, if anything, and perhaps earn some PDUs during my commute. This course exceeded my expectations with great quality content, enjoyable delivery, and very valuable tips and advice from real life experiences. I already enrolled in another course with the same instructor.

Fernando B.

The program is well structured to provide the student an introduction into the fundamentals of Business Analytics. The lessons provide examples, worksheets, and insights with how to effectively manage your role as an analyst, how to work with different stakeholders, and the tools needed to help. Well worth the time.

Francisco T.

Fundamentals of Business Analysis is a very professionally delivered and superbly structured course. The segments were easy to follow and genuinely interesting. I highly recommend this course. My thanks to Don and all at NorwalkAberdeen.

Hemal T.

"This has been an excellent course to complete and is a great introduction to Business Analysis. The course is structured well and topics flow easily from one another. The instructor takes the time to explain each topic in detail. The instructor also makes many references back to real world examples which are relevant and helpful to relate back to the office environment. There is also the use of scenarios to give an example of how skills and techniques are applied to a real world situation. I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to get into Business Analysis."

James F.

This is an outstanding course on business analysis. Don Hussey is an engaging and very experienced business analyst and did a great job presenting the material in a way that makes retention easy. I love the way the course takes you through a new project step by step ending with requirements. I have purchased all of Don's courses and hope to see more in the near future.

John F.

I loved this course. Not only will you learn the fundamentals of business analysis, but you will be given real world scenarios further explaining what you have learned. Production quality is excellent and easy to follow. The instructor is extremely knowledgeable, pleasant to listen to, and his humor added even more to his engaging personality. Well done!

Kristie S.

I've done qualitative research and user experience research for 16 years, and am taking this course to learn about business analyst skills as part of on-boarding at a new firm. Much of what i have seen so far matches my experiences in the work place and gives me a strong mapping to the skills I have and will need. I've also enjoyed the tone set by the presenter and his sense of humor to keep things interesting.

Mark V.

This is a awesome course very easy to understand and follow, The way the entire process is broken down and explained is pretty amazing. This course simply ROCKS!!!! Very very helpful. I highly recommand this course to everyone who is willing to learn to become a very good Business Analyst.

Mohsin

Being a Business Analyst for 5 years now, was never exposed to such critical detailing as included in the course

Murtuza Z.

So much information and useful skills for a new BA like me. The instructor has really good experience and the course is well-structured. I had registered for another course of Developing Requirement. Thanks!

Nguyen T.

Very Insightful material, easy to understandable, with practical examples. great one to start learning BA, and moving forward.

Nukala L.

I have learnt quiet a lot about BA, the lecturer makes it simple and fun and i can relate it to a lot of things e.g. doing a Gap Analysis on my career path

Oluwatoyin A.

Concise, well structured, good pace, and excellent templates. All lectures provided valuable information. This is an excellent course !

Philip C.

Don is a great instructor--very knowledgeable, thorough, and responsive. The assignments are relevant to each section and forced me to think at least a little deeper about the subject matter that had just been covered, and the quizzes after most of the lectures were a chance to do some quick reinforcing. I'm looking forward to taking the next course.

Randy C.

Don Hussey is one of the best instructors I have seen. This course has a nice pace, good examples and is mixed with humor and Don's own experience. Don also let you know what you need to focus more/less on.

Rasmus K.

I've learned a lot from this course! It was well-organized. I love that the course provided a lot of examples and tips/best practices. It made me want to learn and access more courses by NorwalkAberdeen!

Rina V.

Very informative course, covering a lot of material, giving a great overview in a relatively short time period. Lectures are well organized and delivered effectively. This is a great course for a beginner; not to mention a good refresher for anyone already working as a BA. Excellent starting point to see what else should be explored in the realm of business analysis. Don Hussey delivers the material in a very efficient way, breaking them down into relevant components. The diagrams are helpful and explained well. Providing students editable templates is a great initiative. The scenario module allows students deeper exploration. All in all, definitely a great course.

Sabrina

Five star.The content and delivery are excellent ;so are the examples.A very good exposition for a first -timer learning about Business Analysis.i will surely recommend the course to my friends.

Samuel N.

I think this is one of the best MOOCs I've taken on any subject, the instructor really understands his subject but also has a great way of making it fun and engaging. I especially enjoyed the attention paid to 'soft-skills' ie what most projects fail due to the lack of! Even though I am not a BA now, I can see how I would use these techniques in any role. I think this should be a required course for all in tech.

Sarah M.

Very helpful, covers basics and applies useful methodology, tools and thought process to theory and practical examples. Presented in a genuine style, engaging and some great nuggets of wisdom.

Sergio V.

It is meeting and exceeding my expectation. Moreover, on personal level, the trainer gave very valuable tips and answered all my questions in a timely manner. It is the shortest and most convenient way towards learning this field of knowledge by the experts

Sobhi A.

This is the best course I have taken so far. Don Hussey's presentation style is conversational, which help to keep me engaged. Looking forward to more of his courses!

Sonny J.

Loved the coursework and the instructor. Helped me to explore more into Business Analysis. Thanks a lot Don and NorwalkAberdeen for making this course. I wanted to dive into your other courses too.

Srivanth M.

Thank you for this great course! The presentations are spotless and the instructor knows his domain very well. Good business advices too. I'm preparing for one of IIBA certification and wanted to get an overview to the BA activities.

Thomas S.

This was an amazing insight in a BA day to day life. I have been a BA for 4 years now, and this course has helped me to learn some new techniques along the way. Very beautifully explained course. I am looking forward for the requirements course now. Thanks Don.

Tushar A.

I'm an IT Functional-Analyst and just wanted to brush up on my BA skills. I don't think there's much more you can ask for out of a Fundamentals BA course. I think it was well thought out and considered. The world of BA is an ocean, but it takes a seasoned sailor to show you the ropes and help you to set sail; I couldn't be more pleased with Don's approach, presentation, live examples and overall sensibility as a BA. Great instructor, great course. Thank you, Don Hussey!

Vikas R.

Fantastic course. This is the best seller for a reason. Concepts are well structured. Instructor is very engaging and delivers well irrelevant of your level of BA.

Yusuf L.