Course Description

Despite the fundamental principles of requirements engineering being relatively well-defined, ‘poor requirements’ are regularly held up as the reason for project failures.

Experienced business analysts know this can be due to many factors, including failure to align requirements with business objectives, address cultural issues, and document requirements correctly.

This Advanced Requirements Engineering course tackles the reasons for failure and, via a mixture of discussion and practical work, will help experienced business analysts develop strategies that will help them avoid requirements pitfalls and tackle more challenging requirements engineering assignments.

Target Audience

Senior business analysts who need to align requirements with business objectives, address cultural issues, and document requirements at the appropriate level. Advanced Requirements Engineering is also an Analytical module on the BCS (ISEB) Advanced Diploma in Business Analysis.

Exam

During this three-day course, you’ll receive all the training you need to prepare for the BCS Professional Certificate in Advanced Requirements Engineering examination, which is held on the final afternoon of the course. A pass means you’re another step closer to achieving the BCS International Advanced Diploma in Business Analysis.

The exam is included as part of the course cost. The multiple-choice exam consists of 40 questions with a pass mark of 26 out of 40. Currently, the exam must be taken remotely using the BCS online proctoring service.

Course Content

Understanding the enterprise

• Enterprise Architecture: Zachman Framework; TOGAF
• Business Architecture: The Business Model Canvas; capability maps and capabilities; value streams
• Value propositions and service thinking

The analysis portfolio

• Portfolios, Programmes and Projects: definitions and governance
• Enterprise governance
• Requirements governance
• The portfolio of analysis projects
• Analysis portfolio prioritisation and planning

The requirements engineering plan

• Programme Manager, Project Manager, Business Architect: roles and responsibilities
• Terms of reference for requirements engineering
• Problem definition
• Planning and estimating for requirements engineering

Engaging with stakeholders

• Relevance of elicitation techniques
• Questioning approaches
• Listening levels and behaviours
• Assertiveness levels

The requirements taxonomy

• Enterprise drivers for requirements
• The hierarchy of requirements
• Prioritisation techniques: MoSCoW; Kano
• Decomposition of requirements and priorities
• Requirements traceability and re-use

Non-functional requirements: user interface requirements

• Customer experience and user experience
• User role attributes and personas
• Usability and accessibility requirements
• Look and feel requirements
• Visualisation techniques: wireframes; prototypes

Non-functional requirements: service quality requirements

• Rationale for service quality requirements
• Performance, capacity and scalability requirements
• Backup and recovery requirements
• Archiving and deletion requirements
• Maintainability, availability and reliability requirements
• Security and access requirements

Acceptance and approval of requirements

• Quality assurance for requirements engineering
• Validation of the RE plan and deliverables
• Acceptance criteria for requirements
• Alignment of requirements to the strategic vision