The Learning Hub

The Learning Hub is a growing collection of free, carefully selected resources and materials available online for learning business analysis concepts at your pace.

Be sure to bookmark this page for future reference.

If you are looking for resources on a specific topic and cannot find it here, feel free to contact me.

BA Techniques

TEMPLATES
Stakeholder Matrix
Stakeholder RACI Matrix
MoSCoW Technique
Tally Sheet
ASQ Tally Sheet
SIPOC Template (Excel)
IPOC Template (PowerPoint)
Data Flow Diagram Template (Visio - XML)
Use Case Diagram Template (Visio - XML)
Crud Template

Browse Free Templates From BA Times

Do you have a template to contribute? Contact me.

General

PRESENTATION
Presentation Zen By Garr Reynolds
ROJECT MANAGEMENT
A Project Management Primer By Nick Jenkins
BUSINESS ANALYSIS
Seilevel Business Analyst Resources

Free Resources: Use Case Technique

If you come across a link that does not work, just copy the title of the resource directly into your browser and the page should show up in your search results.

If you discover other use case resources we can add to this page, Do send a message.

1. Watch the Modern Analyst Webinar on 'The Use Case Technique' sponsored by RequirementOne:

2. Business Analyst Learnings on Use Cases:

3. Requirements Elicitation with Use Cases by Shane Sendall and Alfred Strohmeier (Software Engineering Course 2001-2002)

Content: Use Case Techniques

  • Motivation for Use Cases

  • Use Case Basics

  • Coming Up with Use Cases (Process)

  • Use Cases in UML

  • Use Cases Tips and Tricks

  • Exercises

4. Use Case-Based Requirements by Laurie Williams (2004)

5. Requirements Elicitation Techniques by Gregor v. Bochmann, University of Ottawa

Content: Elicitation Techniques

  • Analysis of Existing Systems

  • Documentation, Observation, and Ethnography

  • Interviews

  • Brainstorming

  • Joint Application Design (JAD)

  • Prototyping

  • Use Cases

6. USE-CASE 2.0: The Guide to Succeeding with Use Cases - Ivar Jacobson, Ian Spence, Kurt Bittner - December 2011

7. Accompa’s Practical Guide to Use Cases

8. Tips for Writing Good Uses Cases - James Heumann, IBM  

9. Use Case Modelling Guide

Free Resources: Stakeholder Analysis Technique

1. Watch a video on Stakeholder Analysis Introduction:

2. Business Analyst Learnings on Stakeholder Analysis & Management:

3. Who really matters? A stakeholder analysis tool From Nicole Kennon, Peter Howden and Meredith Hartley

4. Stakeholder Analysis Guidelines from Kammi Schmeer

5. What to Do When Stakeholders Matter. Stakeholder Identification & Analysis Techniques - John M. Bryson

6. Stakeholder Analysis - Winning Support for Your Projects

If you discover other stakeholder resources we can add to this page, Do send a message.

Free Resources: Workshop Technique

1. Watch a short video on Requirements Workshops from Lisa P:

Free Resources: MoSCoW Technique

1. Watch a short video on the MoSCoW Technique by Eugene O'Loughlin:

2. Business Analyst Learnings on MoSCoW Technique: MoSCoW : Requirements Prioritization Technique

3. MoSCoW Prioritization - David Olson

4. MoSCoW Prioritisation - DSDM 

5. Decrypting the MoSCoW Analysis By Janet Kuhn

Free Resources: User Stories Technique

1. Watch a video on User Stories by Mike Cohn:

Also see User Stories FAQ from Mountain Goat Software and User Stories Applied for Agile Software Development by Mike Cohn.

2. Business Analyst Learnings on User Stories: An Overview of User Stories

3. User Stories: An Agile Introduction by Agile Modeling (Scott Ambler)

4. Ten Tips For Writing Great User Stories by Roman Pichler

5. A User Story Primer by Dean Leffingwell with Pete Behrens

Free Resources: Entity Relationship Diagram Technique

1. Watch a video on Entity Relationship Diagrams - Lecture by Dr. Art Langer, author. Analysis & Design of Information Systems (3nd Ed):

2. Business Analyst Learnings on Entity Relationship Diagrams: Entity Relationship Diagram: A Practical Guide

3. Systems Analysis & Design in a Changing World contains an explicit illustration on how to create ERDs. The chapter is available for free here.

4. Data Modelling with Entity Relationship Diagrams

5. Developing Entity Relationship Diagrams

Free Resources: Data Flow Diagram Technique

1. Watch a video on Data Flow Diagrams - Lecture by Dr. Art Langer, author. Analysis & Design of Information Systems (3nd Ed).

2. Business Analyst Learnings on Data Flow Diagrams: Data Flow Diagram: A Practical Guide

3. Understanding Data Flow Diagrams - Donald S. Le Vie, Jr.

4. Download Ed Yourdon's book on DFD which will take you through DFDs from the fundamental to the detailed.

Free Resources: Business Process Modelling Technique

1. Watch a video on Business Process Modelling - A brief tutorial showing how to model a simple BPMN workflow for a job application process.

2. BPMN and Business Process Management: Introduction to the New Business Process Modeling Standard - Martin Owen and Jog Raj

3. Introduction to BPMN - Stephen A. White, BPM Architect, IBM

4. Process Modelling Notations and Workflow Patterns - Stephen A. White, IBM Corporation

Free Resources: Business Process Management

Here are free training materials on Business Process Management you can download and study on your own:

BPM:Introduction

BPM:Technology

BPM:Process

BOOKS
BPMN By Example
WHITE PAPERS & ARTICLES
Business Process Management: Basics & Demystification
How Should We Implement Processes? From MetaPower Inc
CHECKLISTS & TEMPLATES
Process Documentation Template
USEFUL LINKS
APQC
Process Excellence Network
ebizQ
BPM Resource Center
Top 12 BPM Bloggers