Description

In response to the never-ending demand for new data and tech solutions, executives across the private and public sectors are adopting the practice of business analysis to increase the positive impact IT solutions bring to their organizations. The talents, competencies, and dedication of “the tech side of the house” alone cannot drive meaningful change into the organization. For business needs and goals to be converted into innovative solutions that truly bring value to the public ecosystem and its customers, a stronger bridge must be built between the business and the technical communities. 

Business analysis is emerging as a central digital era competency of the future. Individuals and teams with business analysis knowledge and skills can play a critical role throughout the life cycle of any solution— from understanding the business need to ensuring that the delivered solution is met and strategically aligned to organizational goals and users. Five of the top eight reasons why projects and products fail are tied directly to poor requirements. It is those in this key role who build and manage requirements for improving business processes and re-engineering systems, functioning as liaisons and ongoing support for business and technical efforts.

Audience: This online certificate is an evolving collection of curated learning provided to help build capacity in the public workforce-education ecosystem to operationalize change by equipping those whose jobs intersect people, processes, information, and technology – but who might not consider themselves “business analysts” – with the competencies needed to identify needs and recommend business-driven, customer-centered solutions. 

Training aligns to business analysis industry standards and is contextualized using workforce-education ecosystem subject matter expertise, stakeholder-provided case studies and advice. The training assists learners in:

• Understanding the role and functions of business analysis in the workforce-education ecosystem and opportunities for leveraging people, policy, process, information, and technology to enhance how ecosystem partners serve its customers.
• Exploring and assessing a business need, creating a product scope, recommending approaches to solutioning, and writing a business case.
• Using data-driven and collaborative approaches to their work throughout the solution development life cycle.
• Practicing modern approaches for planning, eliciting, modeling, and managing requirements.
• Applying proven digital-era tools and techniques to offer continued support for data and technology implementation and improvement efforts within their organizations and with partners.

The certificate includes multiple lessons that can be taken individually or as a whole program of study. Learners can earn a certificate by completing all lessons in the program of study. Lessons in the curriculum and learning resources will be added on a rolling basis as they become available. Check back for updates.