•      Perform a needs assessment to frame the problem/opportunity, clarify value, align goals/objectives, and identify stakeholders.

•      Build a requirements approach: traceability strategy, requirements management plan, change control and document control methods, and measurable acceptance criteria.

Course outline

Module 0 - Kickoff and exam strategy

Purpose: set expectations, map an exam plan to domain weighting, and establish pacing.

Topics

•      Exam format (200 questions / 240 minutes) and pacing strategy

•      How to treat every question as if it counts (pretest questions are not identified)

•      How PMI-style items are written (scenario -> best action / best rationale)

Activity

•      Baseline diagnostic quiz (20 questions) + personal remediation plan

Module 1 - Practice Guide foundations: mindset, context, and outcomes

Purpose: anchor the class in an outcomes-driven business analysis mindset.

Topics

•      Business analysis mindset and behaviors that support discovery and option generation

•      Stakeholder engagement as a continuous discipline

•      Quality requirements characteristics (clear, testable/measurable, actionable)

•      Tailoring BA work to predictive, iterative, agile, and hybrid delivery approaches

Activity

•      Case study kickoff: identify the business need, stakeholders, constraints, and success measures

Module 2 - Domain 1: Needs Assessment

Aligned ECO focus: define the business problem/opportunity and the value proposition, and build stakeholder clarity for prioritization.

Core topics and techniques

•      Problem framing and root cause analysis (5 Whys, fishbone), current/future state, and gap analysis

•      Value thinking and valuation inputs (cost/benefit framing, SWOT, option comparison)

•      Stakeholder identification and analysis (personas, influence/interest), and stakeholder values

Workshop deliverables (case study)

•      Problem statement + measurable objectives

•      Draft solution scope statement

•      Stakeholder register + stakeholder value map

Assessment

•      25-30 timed questions + group debrief on rationale and distractors

Module 3 - Domain 2: Planning

Aligned ECO focus: define how requirements will be managed, controlled, traced, measured, and accepted.

Core topics and techniques

•      Requirements traceability strategy (relationships, dependency handling, RTM structure)

•      Requirements management plan (governance, roles, workflow, approvals, communications)

•      Change control workflow and impact analysis

•      Document and version control approaches for requirements artifacts and baselines

•      Business metrics and acceptance criteria patterns

Workshop deliverables (case study)

•      Requirements management plan (lean but complete)

•      Traceability approach and RTM skeleton

•      Change control + document control approach

•      Draft acceptance criteria approach (how 'done' is defined and proven)

Assessment

•      25-30 timed questions + review of common planning traps

Module 4 - Domain 3: Analysis

Aligned ECO focus: elicit, analyze, model, prioritize, baseline, specify, and validate requirements; define metrics and acceptance criteria.

Core topics and techniques

•      Elicitation planning and execution (interviews, workshops, observation, document analysis, surveys)

•      Facilitation, negotiation, and conflict resolution

•      Modeling toolkit: process models, use cases, user stories, data models/dictionaries, and interface analysis

•      Decomposition and elaboration; dependency and interface analysis

•      Option evaluation and decision-making (criteria-based comparison and valuation inputs)

•      Prioritization (e.g., MoSCoW, weighted scoring) and establishing a baseline

•      Validation and review methods (walkthroughs, prototypes, demos); measurable acceptance criteria

Workshops (case study)

•      Simulated elicitation workshop (role-play) to capture requirements

•      Produce a requirements set (catalog/backlog) plus models

•      Prioritize, baseline, and prepare sign-off materials

•      Peer review and validation walkthrough

Assessment

•      Two rounds of timed scenario sets (e.g., 2 x 25 questions) + detailed debrief

Module 5 - Domain 4: Traceability and Monitoring

Aligned ECO focus: track requirements state, relationships and dependencies; communicate status; manage changes to protect baseline integrity.

Core topics and techniques

•      Building and maintaining RTM relationships (requirements to design to tests to benefits)

•      Lifecycle state management and status reporting

•      Handling conflicts and competing priorities

•      Change request evaluation, impact analysis, and risk considerations

Workshop deliverables (case study)

•      Updated RTM + status dashboard snapshot

•      Change request impact assessment + recommendation

Assessment

•      20-25 timed questions + best-answer reasoning review

Module 6 - Domain 5: Evaluation

Aligned ECO focus: verify solution evidence against acceptance criteria, manage gaps, support deployment decisions, and evaluate realized value.

Core topics and techniques

•      Acceptance criteria in testing and UAT evidence review

•      Gap/delta analysis: discrepancies among scope, requirements, design, and delivered solution

•      Deployment readiness and decision support; stakeholder sign-off checkpoints

•      Benefits realization and post-implementation evaluation vs the business case/value proposition

Workshop deliverables (case study)

•      UAT evidence review checklist

•      Benefits evaluation plan (metrics, data sources, and timing)

Assessment

•      15-20 timed questions + debrief

Module 7 - Exam readiness: timed practice and final review

Purpose: convert knowledge into exam performance through pacing, pattern recognition, and targeted remediation.

Activities

•      Timed mini-mock (example: 100 questions / 120 minutes)

•      Question-by-question review: why the best answer is best, and why distractors are wrong

•      Final domain-weighted focus checklist and a 2-3 week study plan template

•      Optional add-on: full 200-question / 240-minute simulation + structured review session