Real-world business analysis online training
+ Live Group Coaching every month
Yes you can:
There's no reason to wait - the program starts the day you join so you can get on the fast track to growing your skills.
Wouldn’t it be nice if business analysis was easy?
Your stakeholders know exactly what to expect from a business analyst, and give you all the time you need to get the right job done well.
You show up to a meeting and everyone is prepared, answers every question, and easily gets on board with the solution requirements.
You get to work on one interesting project after another, with increasing complexity, opportunity, and the promotions to go with it.
But that’s not what happens, is it?
You certainly aren’t alone if you find yourself rushing to meet aggressive deadlines, being brought in once all the interesting decisions have been made to “figure out the details”, and being held to commitments made on your behalf, only to have critical stakeholders decline your meetings and ignore your emails.
This all leads to lack of confidence, which only further exacerbates the problem – as it’s difficult to get someone to believe in you and your skill set when self-doubt holds you back from doing essential, important work.
Would you like to have a set of best practices that you can stand confidently behind? Practices you know have been distilled down to their essentials and stand up to scrutiny as workable, even in a fast-paced “do it now” type of environment? Practices that are flexible enough to make your own and leverage on any type of project?
Would you like to have the tools and strategies you need to not only do great analysis, but to break down the resistance that slows you down so you can fully engage stakeholders in owning and discovering value-added solutions?
This is what The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program is all about – providing you with a time-tested set of foundational business analysis skills and showing you how to apply them in a value-focused way to achieve more success on your projects while being a great team-player and navigating conflict between stakeholders from business and technology.
How does a lack of business analysis skills hold you back from more career opportunities?
These challenges are common at ALL stages of your career and affect business analysts like you in every industry, on every type of project, across the world.
Building your foundational business analysis skills will help you thrive in ANY industry or domain and on ANY type of project by:
I'm Your Instructor, Laura Brandenburg
I'm your instructor, Laura Brandenburg, and I understand how it feels to be in what seems like a made-up role and be dropped into situations with high expectations and little management support.
Being a business analyst is NOT for the feint of heart. And even though it might feel like you've found the perfect role for your strong communication and problem-solving skills, thriving in such an uncertain career can feel daunting, especially when every role is slightly different.
Since 2008, I've helped thousands of participants from over 60 countries and in hundreds of different industries build real-world skills to achieve more in their careers and make an immediate difference on their projects.
Before dedicating my professional work to training, I was a business analyst on several high-profile projects, built a 15-person team of business analysts, project managers, and testers from the ground up, and also contracted and consulted as a business analyst.
I’ve seen BA work from every angle, and I’m still a business analyst at heart!
There are a lot of details I have to share about the program - and you can find them when you keep reading through below. But let me just say that it would be an absolute honor to help you build more momentum in your projects AND your career with training you can use IMMEDIATELY on-the-job.
What sets Bridging the Gap apart is our focus on practical, real-world business analysis skills and supporting you as you apply them on-the-job, whether or not you are in a formal business analyst role.
When you join The Business Analyst Blueprint®, you’ll receive real-world training in 12 industry-standard techniques and the business analysis process framework, along with practical help, so you can apply what you learn on-the-job and secure your career as a business analyst.
Career success means different things for everyone, but we can help you create real results like our participants have achieved.
The Business Analyst Blueprint® is a comprehensive online, self-paced business analyst training program where you’ll receive:
- Four online training modules you can use immediately
Six months of online access to highly practical, in-depth training videos walking you through the foundational business analysis skills, plus an affordable option to extend access if you wish.
- Practical exercises
Apply what you are learning on-the-job so you make an immediate difference on your projects and starting building real BA experience.
- Feedback and support
Get answers to your specific questions in our private online community. You can even submit deliverables for review and feedback.
- Certificate of Completion (36 PDs)
Upon going through all of the course materials you'll earn a Certificate of Completion, supporting your certification and re-certification needs for the ECBA™, CCBA®, or CBAP® from IIBA®.
- Templates and swipe files
Get started right away with dozens of templates, samples, swipe files, and quick reference guides for each and every technique covered in the program.
- Multiple formats to support every learning style
In addition to Video (mp4) files and audio (mp3) files, you’ll receive fully formatted full-text PDF transcripts to refer back to as you apply, reinforce, and evolve your learning, without relying on your notes
- Monthly office hours
Monthly group coaching with Laura to answer your questions and discuss any BA-career challenge you may be facing
(Participants and employers tend to love our learning model because you can fully participate on your own time and schedule, while keeping up with your project commitments.
In fact, the goal is that you apply what you are learning right away on-the-job, so the training delivers an immediate return on investment to your organization and helps you elevate yourself professionally.)
Comprehensive Business Analysis Skills Training
This program is both in-depth and practical. You'll learn foundational business analysis skills that you can apply right away on your software projects and are useful on any type of project and in any type of industry. Here’s a snapshot of the course material included with The Business Analyst Blueprint® self-paced, online training program.
Module 1
Business Process Analysis
When you have a clear understanding of the business process, you will be able to clarify the business problem to be solved and ensure the technical solution delivers actual value to the business.
Business process analysis is often the first set of models we do when beginning to scope a new project or analyze a feature request or evaluate what the data is telling us about how to improve our organization.
In this module, you'll discover:
How to Create a Process Flow Diagram – Map out the high-level process workflow and use clarifying techniques like swim lanes and decision points.
How to Engage Stakeholders and Discover the As-Is Business Process – Engage business users and leaders from multiple departments to get your questions answered.
How to Analyze the Business Process Details to Ensure Clarity – Learn how to create detailed, textual documentation that creates clarity, including details like business rules, exceptions, entry points, and end points.
How to Validate the Business Process – Learn how to discover gaps in understanding and create consensus from multiple stakeholder groups, and ask great questions even when you don't fully understand the scope.
How to Improve a Business Process – Learn how to manage changes and identify improvement opportunities, even on non-IT projects.
Module 2
Use Cases and Wireframes
When you analyze your functional (software) requirements in use cases and visually model them in wireframes, you translate business requirements into technical requirements that provide clear expectations to the technical team.
In this module, you'll discover:
How to Write a Use Case – Analyze and describe exactly what the software needs to do to support the business. (This is NOT about coding or system design, it's end-user facing software functionality that anyone can learn to articulate, even if they don't know how to code.)
How to Create a Wireframe – Create a simple wireframe, which engages business users more effectively, and encourages their participation.
Use Cases and User Stories in Agile – Communicate functional requirements using a product backlog and user stories, which are common techniques in an agile software development environment.
How to Review and Validate Use Cases and Wireframes – Review and validate your use case with business and technical stakeholders to get a clear understanding.
BONUS Lesson – Simulated Use Case Review Session – Listen in as a BA facilitates a use case review session, asks questions, and validates requirements, while navigating realistic challenges.
Module 3
Data Modeling for Business Analysts
You’ll learn how to help business stakeholders make data requirements decisions on data migration, system integration projects, and API projects, even if you don't have a technical background or know how to write SQL. You'll also earn more credibility with developers since you'll be able to talk their language.
You'll gain confidence in the following data modeling techniques:
Glossary – How to clarify terminology to quickly learn new domains and expertly break down jargon.
Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) – How to bring gaps between business concepts and technical database design using a simple visual format that really engages stakeholders.
Data Dictionary – How to organize and drill down into the detailed data requirements. You’ll also take away the essential concepts you’d glean from an introductory SQL class.
System Context Diagram – How to visualize the information flows between systems and clarify boundaries that speeds up the scoping and elicitation process.
Data Mapping – How to manage data flows in data migration and system integration projects, so the business users have the information they need to run their business effectively
Module 4
BA Essentials Master Class
You’ll learn how to leverage the 8-step business analysis process framework to see the big picture of the business analyst role, get organized from day 1, and know exactly how to get started on a new project.
You'll gain confidence in the following steps:
- Get Oriented – Start actively contributing as quickly as possible by managing expectations and conducting preliminary stakeholder analysis.
- Discover the Primary Business Objectives – Ensure the right business need or problem is solved.
- Define Scope – Gain agreement from stakeholders on the scope of the solution to be developed.
- Formulate Your Business Analysis Plan – Identify what types of documentation or deliverables to create, and what needs to be done when.
- Define the Detailed Requirements – Develop a consistent method of communication so that all stakeholders know and understand the requirements.
- Support the Technical Implementation – Be a partner with the tech team and ensure they have everything they need to be successful.
- Help the Business Implement the Solution – Support business stakeholders during implementation, user acceptance testing, and roll out so that they ultimately get what they need.
- Assess the Value Created by the Solution – Assess the ROI of the solution and develop leadership capabilities.
BONUS: The Agile Business Analyst – Apply the BA process iteratively and effectively to collaborate with an agile software development team and increase efficiency.
Priceless Bonus:
Live Group Coaching with Laura Brandenburg
This is not a 3-5-day program where you leave full of theory but no real guidance on how to actually apply what you learned at work.
You'll have 6 months of access to the online course materials and direct access to Laura Brandenburg, along with a supportive group of peers, for practical advice and guidance.
You’ll connect with Laura during Monthly Office Hours calls (replays available) and in our online forums to help you apply what you are learning, on-the-job.
- Ask questions about the course materials, and get clarity on how to apply these foundational BA skills in your work, whether or not you are in a formal BA position.
- Upload your deliverables and receive feedback on your work.
- Address challenges you face in your business analysis career.
Both the monthly Office Hours calls and the online forums are organized to provide practical help so you can apply what you are learning in the real world. It's like having a coach or peer review to collaborate with on your planning approaches and techniques.
This is the only way to connect with Laura directly and get her personal perspective on your BA work, with the exception of the occasional corporate training cohorts, for BA teams.
(The program starts the day you join so you can fast-track your skill development.)
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Boosting Productivity with Generative AI and The Business Analyst Blueprint®
In this 90-minute interactive session, we’ll explore how to integrate generative AI with The Business Analyst Blueprint® materials to enhance your productivity and value-creation. We’ll dive into three specific workflows:
- DRAFT: Accelerate the early stage of deliverable creation by using AI to generate draft documentation.
- IMPROVE: Increase clarity and precision by leveraging AI to review and refine deliverables, using our annotated templates and best practice guidelines.
- OPTIMIZE: Expand your impact with AI-generated suggestions, such as questions to ask, alternate paths, and improvement opportunities.
The session will include real-world examples and live demos that highlight AI’s potential to save you time and help you bring new ideas to your organization.
Here’s how The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program will help you get to the next stage of your career
This is you if:
- You have no formal training in business analysis.
- You are looking to build experience to qualify for your first business analyst role.
The best way to be a business analyst is to start doing business analysis, one technique at a time, in your current role or in a volunteer capacity, while learning industry-standard skills.
The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program will help you:
- Learn BA terminology to speak more fluently about your BA skills and experience.
- Build on-the-job business analyst experience, no matter your current title or role.
- Build a foundational BA skill set you can take with you for the rest of your career, in multiple different roles.
This is you if:
- You landed your first business analyst role, and aren’t sure where to start.
- You’ve been assigned BA tasks on a project (even if you don’t have the BA title).
In most business analyst roles, you are expected to hit the ground running, which can be overwhelming. What’s more, expectations differ from one role to another, making it difficult to apply theoretical knowledge on-the-job.
The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program will help you:
- Navigate the uncertainty that comes with a new position and manage expectations with management and stakeholders.
- Learn and apply the foundational BA skill sets to help you succeed and add value on your projects.
- Use the right techniques at the right times, to create clarity and positive project momentum.
This is you if:
- You are in a business analyst role, with or without the title.
- You have participated in at least a few projects as a BA, but don’t feel like you have a proven or complete skill set.
- You are in a role that includes business analysis responsibilities, along with other tasks (examples include: project management, product management, user experience, testing, development).
A lot of professionals experience early success based on their natural competencies, and then get stuck career-wise because they aren’t growing their skills and professional awareness. What’s needed is a broader perspective that transcends their current job role, and enables them to bring industry-standard best practices and be seen as a leader and strategic thinker.
The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program will help you:
- Become a truly polished and whole business analyst, integrating a diverse set of industry-standard skills into your project work.
- Cultivate confidence in the relevance and value of the work you do and how you can create positive outcomes in any industry or type of project.
- Amplify your effectiveness with a more strategic approach that includes new techniques, better planning, and stakeholder engagement approaches.
This is you if:
- You are leading or managing a team, or want to.
- You experience great personal success, but aren’t sure you “really know what you know” or are uncertain about how to set other business analysts up for success.
I get it – BAs are one of the toughest positions to manage! What I learned at this stage was that I needed more confidence in my toolbox and framework, so I could share that knowledge with others.
The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program will help you:
- Gain confidence in your own skills, and identify the skills that made you the success you are today, so you can confidently mentor others.
- Learn industry-standard skills and approaches, so you can bring them to your team as a foundational set of practices.
- Establish a business analysis process framework that guides the work of your BAs in a flexible but practical way.
This is you if:
- You have maxed out of opportunities in your current company and are looking for a new role in a new organization.
- Are unemployed and looking for a new business analyst role.
Managers hire confident, competent business analysts. You need to be able to share your relevant experience and speak confidently to your abilities to perform business analysis work in the new role.
The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program will help you:
- Learn BA terminology to speak more fluently about your BA skills and experience.
- Cultivate confidence in the relevance and value of the work you do and how you can create positive outcomes in any industry or type of project.
- Build a foundational BA skill set you can take with you for the rest of your career, in multiple different roles.
Wondering what kind of results YOU can achieve?
Chad Crider
Application Administrator in Manufacturing
"This feels like a completely different way to do my job."
Anna
"Helped me become a more polished business analyst."
Amelia McHenry
"Because of your training I have just landed a Business Analyst Lead position for $90K a year!!"
Manual Ninapaitan
IT Services and Consulting
"I started asking more questions and looking for opportunities to make things more efficient."
Annette Richards
BA Manager, Canadian Government
"I wanted an authoritative source to confirm that I knew what I knew."
Stephanie Belhomme
Salesforce Consultant
"The tools I learned let me bring my best and so much more."
Tammy Schlador
Senior SAP Business Analyst
"My projects flow smoother and the end users feel more empowered."
Michelle Bosomworth
Cybersecurity Business Analyst
"I solidified my confidence and my skills, and applied new techniques on my projects."
Frequently Asked Questions
Bridging the Gap accepts purchase orders and can invoice you for your registrations. Email us at info@bridging-the-gap.com to pay by invoice or purchase order. Invoices can be paid by check, ACH, or wire transfer.
Once payment is received, registration confirmation details will be sent to the course participant(s).
The live sessions are scheduled for the 2nd Wednesday of the month, at 2 PM Eastern (New York) Time.
Replays are available if you can’t attend live. You can submit questions or deliverables for review on the call, even if you are not able to attend live.
On occasion, Laura will need to change the day/time due and advance notice will be given whenever possible.
This is a self-paced program, so you can turn it into an intensive over a few weeks or dip in and out of the materials over the 6-month timeline based on what your need for your active projects.
Like any training opportunity, you'll get out of it what you put into it.
We recommend going through one module/month for your first 4 months, which is about 7-8 hours of content (including videos and template/work sample reviews). Then spend some time applying what you are learning on-the-job and bring those work samples to our live sessions for review by Laura to get the most out of the program.
This is a self-paced program and there is flexibility built in – you can go through the online course materials at any time and replays are available for all of the live sessions – this makes it possible to bring the course with you on the go and take advantage of the spaces you have in your schedule to complete the coursework.
PDs/CDUs are professional credits needed toward certification or re-certification requirements for IIBA® such as the CBAP®, CCBA®, and ECBA®.
When you go through all of the course materials, you'll receive a Certificate of Completion for 36 professional credits.
There are many variations of the business analyst role and many uses (and misuses) of the job title “Business Analyst.”
The Business Analyst Blueprint® trains business analysts to be effective on business change projects that have a significant software component. You’ll learn how to analyze and improve a business process, support the improvement of that process through software enhancements, and model the data that needs to be managed in that software or through the business process or transferred/migrated between software systems. Finally, you'll learn to plan your project approach leveraging the 8-step business analysis process framework.
Bridging the Gap is an Endorsed Education Provider™ with the International Institute of Business Analysis™ (IIBA®) and this program does qualify for professional credits (PDs/CDUs) needed for certification requirements. However, we do not offer any specific exam preparation or simulators.
Our training programs are consistent with the content covered in the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK® Guide), but not a comprehensive overview of everything included in the exam.
However, many participants choose a skill-focused, practical training program like The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program to earn the credits they need to apply for a professional, exam-based certification because they find this learning is more beneficial in cultivating their business analysis capabilities than a pure exam preparation course.
Also, by learning and applying the industry-standard business analysis techniques as you do in The Blueprint, your exam preparation tends to be easier, as you can draw from your experience as you absorb the information in the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK® Guide) and prepare for your certification exam.
We do provide samples of each technique we teach so you can see what the end product should look like, but we do not provide a case study sample for you to work through. You will also be able to review the deliverables other participants share for feedback on the forums and the Office Hours calls, which allows you to see how techniques have been put into practice for a diversity of real-world scenarios.
When you join The Business Analyst Blueprint® the goal is to have you apply the materials on-the-job, even if you aren't formally in a business analyst position.
We intentionally structure the program this way because this is how we see participants achieve significant career transformations, often while they are in the course or soon after. This also means that you get to leverage Laura's feedback on your real-world project work for the full 6 months of the program.
Work samples are reviewed in a group setting so everyone can benefit from the feedback each participant receives. Often you'll learn just as much (if not more) by being part of the review process of a peer's deliverable as you do from your own.
If confidentiality is a concern, you can blur out or genericize any private information for the purposes of the review process.
This program is designed for practicing business analysts who are relatively new to the role or who have more experience but little formal training. The goal is to provide direct guidance with practical training that you can provide right away on-the-job.
If you are seeking your first business analyst role, you'll benefit the most if you can apply business analysis techniques on-the-job, even outside of a traditional role. This is often easier than you think to make happen, and there is a lot of guidance in the program on how to get started. This practice is also the most effective way we've seen for mid-career professionals to move into official business analysis roles quite quickly.
We also have more senior professionals join the program as a stepping stone to their IIBA® certification goals, such as the CBAP® or to gain confidence in the work they've been doing intuitively, and ensure it meets industry standards.
We are a virtual organization with team members in multiple time zones and we offer customer and instructor support via email, online communication tools, and pre-scheduled webinar sessions.
We find the best way to communicate with customers prior to making a purchasing decision is using these same tools.
If you have a specific question about our training programs that is not answered on this page, please email us at info@bridging-the-gap.com and we’ll reply as soon as we possibly can.
Yes!
You can earn a Certificate of Completion for The Business Analyst Blueprint® by going through all of the course content.
We offer a 5-month payment plan option available to help you spread out the cost. Payments are processed automatically every 30 days. This is the only payment plan option we offer.
If your question is still not covered in this FAQ, send us an email at info@bridging-the-gap.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Yes! If you really love the program (and we hope you do!), you'll have an option to extend your access at an cost-effective monthly investment.
As a past participant in one of our other courses, you may be eligible for a discount. Please email us at info@bridging-the-gap.com to get a discount specific to your purchase history.
No. We provide immediate access to ALL the course materials and a refund is not available.
Possibly.
First of all, we find many actual, practicing business analysts consider their skills too informal to really call themselves business analysts. If you are helping get business and technology stakeholders on the same page about how to use software to solve business problems, you ARE a business analyst and this would be a great course to develop your formal business analysis skill set and bring best practices to your projects.
If you are not in a business analyst position, but you are self-motivated to find opportunities to apply what you learn through volunteering or by expanding your current role, the support provided in this program will help you bring a professional BA skill set to your work.
If you an aspiring business analyst, who is ready to learn but not ready to apply what you are learning, you are more than welcome to join the program, just realize that the instructor support is geared toward supporting participants in their real-world application of the skills, not on job search. The materials present practical, real-world applications of business analysis skills, which is what employers are looking for. And by being in a community of practicing BAs, you'll be exposed to a wide range of business analysis practices and learn a lot about the industry and profession.
For guidance on your specific situation, please email us at info@bridging-the-gap.com. We'd be happy to help you decide if this is the right program for you at this time.
The program starts the day you join.
Enrollment is open on a rolling basis, and you'll have 6 months access from the day you join to go through the program materials and ask questions in Office Hours calls and our online community.
There is an option for ongoing mentoring and support, should you want to extend access at the end of 6 months.
Join The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program today
Your 6 months of access to the program starts the day you join!
Upcoming rate adjustment - The financial investment increases on Friday, December 13, 2024. If you’re ready to take the next step in your career, now is the perfect time to enroll!
Exclusive Bonuses
To make sure you get the most out of The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program, I’ve included these extra valuable bonuses for you!
(These aren’t available ANYWHERE else. The only way to get these bonuses is as part of the full training program.)
Value: Priceless
Our diverse community of business analysis professionals
6 months access to our diverse community of business analysis professionals with a myriad of career backgrounds, roles, project types, industries, and domains, across the globe.
This is a unique and safe space to ask questions about the challenges you are facing and receive practical strategies and support, from Laura and your peers.
Our community is a space to:
- Connect with professionals in different industries, domains, and geographical locations, so you can see how BA techniques have been put into practice in other real-world scenarios.
- Normalize the challenges that business analysts face, so you don’t feel alone, in a positive, solution-focused environment.
- Build personal and professional connections with like-minded professionals.
Value: $197
Workshop: Optimizing Business Analysis: Uncover Quick Wins for Project Success
In this workshop you'll discover:
- The key strategies for optimizing business analysis practices within your organization, even when you’re juggling a busy schedule with multiple project commitments.
- The 3 most prevalent challenges business analysts face, and practical solutions to tackle them head-on.
- The actionable quick wins you can implement right away to make a noticeable difference on your projects.
Value: $197
Workshop: How to Get to the Next Level In Your Career
In this workshop, you'll discover:
- The exact steps that will help you pivot into a business analyst career, get out of a career rut, or progress into a senior-level business analyst role.
- The limiting behaviors and patterns that might be unconsciously holding you back from opportunities, and how to reframe them so you can experience more career success.
- How to design your approach The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program to receive the most benefit right away.
Value: $197
Workshop: Strategic Stakeholder Engagement: Tools and Techniques for Streamlined Decision-Making
In this workshop, you'll discover:
- How to diagnose stakeholder engagement issues and identify a next step.
- 3 specific techniques from The Business Analyst Blueprint® training materials that help streamline decision-making.
- 5 best practices to build engagement and maintain project momentum.
Value: $997
8+ Office Hours Recordings
Get answers to cutting edge questions about business analysis processes and practices.
Recent calls have covered diverse topics such as:
- How to handle data migration projects.
- Job search and interviewing strategies.
- Getting stakeholders engaged on a project.
- Bouncing back from a cancelled project.
- Preparing for a big stakeholder meeting.
- Circumventing scope creep.
- How to standardize a payroll template across multiple systems.
- How to prepare for an upcoming ERP system, when the project is still on the horizon.
- And much, much more!
Value: $997
Workshop Recordings
Plus complimentary access to ANY live workshops we run during your enrollment in the program.
Workshop
- Develop your process mindset so you can focus on the right problems and break down barriers between departments.
- Map a process, step-by-step, as Laura guides you through the process and answers participant questions.
Workshop
- Discover the power of use case thinking in discovering, analyzing, and validating software requirements.
- Write a use case, step-by-step, as Laura guides you through the process and answers participant questions.
- Develop your data-oriented mindset to achieve business outcomes with data-driven software.
- Create an ERD, step-by-step, as Laura guides you through the process and answers participant questions.
Want more proof that The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program works?
We’re proud of our reputation for helping high-performing professionals create immense success in their careers by strengthening their foundational business analysis skills.
We’ve collected dozens of testimonials and success stories so you can see how well the Blueprint has worked for others.
Join The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program today
Your 6 months of access to the program starts the day you join!
Upcoming rate adjustment - The financial investment increases on Friday, December 13, 2024. If you’re ready to take the next step in your career, now is the perfect time to enroll!