It's that time of the year again and here is a list of the most popular 2015 posts, as determined by BAL readers. This list is based on the number of page views received by each post.

Special thanks to all BAL readers for making 2015 worthwhile.

Here it goes:

1. edX: A List of Free Training Courses For Business Analysts: This post is a compilation of free courses from edX that anyone wearing the BA hat stands to benefit from. Though these courses are open to all, you can obtain a verified certificate of achievement for some of the courses (this comes with a fee) as proof of your new knowledge. You may choose to update your CV/LinkedIn profile with the details of any course you complete successfully or just pick up new skills you can apply on the job.

2. Improve Your Domain Knowledge With This List Of Free Courses: This post comprises a list of free training courses you can sign up for to learn the key concepts of specific domains and improve your commercial awareness. "Commercial awareness" refers to a person’s general knowledge of the business, their experiences and specifically, their understanding of the industry they work in or intend to join.

3. A List of Websites With Free Business Analysis Templates: The quality of the business analysis templates you use for your work can have a huge impact on the deliverables you produce. Templates save time and provide basic frameworks for creating documents. They can help you recognize the questions you didn’t remember to ask stakeholders, remind you of the key information you need to get and add a professional touch to your documents. Quite a number of sites online provide templates you can download for free. These templates are particularly useful if you are looking for ideas on how to create a template from scratch or customize existing ones.

4. What Is A Requirements Traceability Matrix? Requirements Traceability refers to the degree to which it is possible to link a requirement to other requirements, the objective from which it emanated, the test cases used to verify its implementation as well as the solution components created as a result of the requirement.

A Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) is used for linking product requirements from the time of their origin to their fulfilment.

5. The Business Analyst Training Landscape: A Guide To Selecting A Business Analyst Training Provider: Becoming a successful business analyst requires experience, education, opportunity and a host of other variable factors to be in place. Though BAs can learn quickly through encounters on the job, effective training is also essential to becoming certified and acquiring the knowledge you need to become a successful Business Analyst.

I get a lot of questions from readers trying to find their way through the maze of training options available in the BA industry. It can be rather overwhelming separating the wheat from the chaff with the increasing number of trainers available.

6. Modelling Business Processes With Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN 2.0): BPMN is a graphical notation for modelling business processes. It can be used to model complex business processes, which is why it is often preferred to the flowchart technique. This article discusses the elements of business process modelling with BPMN 2.0 and also sheds some light on the benefits of business process modelling.

Picture Attribution: “Top Rated Tablet Means Most Popular Or Best-seller” by Stuart Miles/freedigitalphotos.net

The Business Analyst Competency List

Being a business analyst is a journey filled with challenges and triumphs, where the treasure is not just data but insights that transform businesses. Fundamentally, we do our best not only to understand information but also to think of how we can use that information to lead transformation, efficiency, and improvement. In this article, we’re looking at some of the most sought-after competencies vital in navigating the intricate world of business analysis.

Optymyze CEO Discusses How To Use Data Analytics To Improve Your Business Processes

Data and analytics can provide invaluable insights into how your business is performing. Experts like Mark Stiffler say that leveraging data and analytics can uncover new growth opportunities, strengthen existing processes, and increase your overall efficiency. In this blog post, we'll discuss eleven tips you can use to leverage data and analytics to improve your business processes.

6 Tips For Software Vendor Selection

Selecting vendors for software implementation projects can seem like a complicated process but it doesn’t have to be with the right tips in mind. This article discusses tips for vendor selection you should know about.

BPMN Diagrams For Dummies

Business process modeling notation, or BPMN, is how BPM professionals communicate the design of a specific process, be it simple or exceedingly complex. Various steps in any process may come up. Notation helps a business process management (BPM) professional identify these at a glance and describe what needs to be done at any given point during the process based on element types.

3 Reasons Why Most Digital Transformation Initiatives Continue To Fail

Are you thinking about initiating a digital transformation campaign in your company?

If so, you may be worried about what could go wrong and the challenges that possibly lie ahead. You've probably heard about the many unsuccessful stories, and you're right to be concerned.

Establishing Rapport With Critical Stakeholders

To bridge communication gaps, understand why establishing a good rapport is vital. Then, apply these methods to building relationships with your most important stakeholders.

Removing “Analysis Paralysis” From Team Sessions

For many teams, careful planning and data-driven examination of the challenges they face are paramount to success. There is power in information and analytics, but their potency can be a double-edged sword, especially if you're prone to analysis paralysis.

What Are Critical Success Factors?

How can we aim for, or even define, business success, if we don't know what it is? Critical success factors (CSFs) are an important element in business, and essentially entail identifying what really matters. In this blog post, we will explain exactly what critical success factors are, and take you through some of the different types.

Looking For Business Insights? Here's A List Of Free Online Survey Tools To Explore

This article discusses four online survey platforms that provide free survey management features which can be used with either the internal or external customers of a business.

How To Define A Winning Value Proposition

The value proposition is the reason why customers turn to one company over another, and can be viewed as the collective attribute(s) or a bundle of services/products that satisfy the unique needs of the specific customer segment a business serves.

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