Introduction to Modelling for Business Analysis (MBA) – Outline

Detailed Course Outline

Introduction

  • Why do you need business models?
  • Modelling techniques within A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide)

Defining the Scope of Modelling

What is a business model?

  • Separating textual and diagrammatic elements
  • Contrasting scope with level of detail

Crafting a process to develop a business model

  • Applying the steps: elicit, analyse, document, validate
  • Iterating the steps
  • OMG modelling standards
  • Facilitating requirements workshops
  • Correlating models to project type and deliverables

Capturing the multidimensional aspects of an organisation

  • Applying the five Ws approach: who, what, where, when, why and how
  • Selecting the right level of detail for your stakeholders
  • Employing CASE tools and simulation

Mapping the Business Landscape

Analysing the enterprise

  • Exploring the enterprise architecture
  • Decomposing the architecture into its components: business, data, technology and other perspectives

Applying business rules

  • Documenting the constraints: operative and structural
  • Representing operative rules with decision tables

Scoping Business Functions

Initiating the process with functional decomposition

  • Determining the functional hierarchies
  • Distinguishing between functions and processes

Drawing UML use case diagrams

  • Defining scope and boundary
  • Identifying the actors and stakeholders
  • Refining the use cases

Documenting business use cases

  • Selecting the level of detail: brief, casual or fully dressed
  • Specifying preconditions and postconditions

Modelling Business Processes and Workflows

Applying process modelling techniques

  • Workflows
  • Events
  • Activities
  • Decisions
  • Sequencing
  • Messaging
  • Participants
  • Tokens

Leveraging Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)

  • Benefits from a standardised approach
  • Sequencing and classifying activities
  • Decomposing activities into subprocesses and tasks
  • Categorising events

Refining business process diagrams

  • Choosing the right gateway: decisions, forks and joins
  • Mapping the processes to swimlanes and pools
  • Supplementing the model with data and artefacts: groups and annotations

Analysing the Enterprise Structure

Establishing the business domain

  • Documenting the workers and organisation units
  • Modelling systems, documents, information and tools

Structuring the enterprise with UML class diagrams

  • Determining object attributes
  • Constructing associations between the classes
  • Packaging for domains and organisation units

Finalising the Business Model

Achieving complete coverage with matrices

  • Prioritising features
  • Cross-referencing requirements
  • Applying the Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RACI)

Contextualising the model with perspectives

  • Documenting business interfaces
  • Mapping from means to ends
  • Capturing time parameters
  • Modelling states with the UML State Machine Diagram
  • Specifying Supplementary & Quality of Service requirements

Communicating the Model to Key Stakeholders

  • Choosing the right models for youraudience
  • Transforming business models into user requirements
  • Delivering and presenting your models