Fundamentals of Business Analysis (Udemy.com)
Get the foundation in business analysis you need to solve your organization's biggest problems.
Created by: Don Hussey
Last updated March 2018
Our take
Based on the ratings of 31,763 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in March 2018. No course pays to be reviewed.
This is a short, structured introduction to business analysis, built for people new to the role or moving into it. Don Hussey, a former bank project manager and business analyst, walks through stakeholders, life cycles, gathering and modeling requirements, presenting them, and managing change. The syllabus shows 68 lectures and about six hours, with a closing scenario section that applies the pieces. It is mostly a requirements course, so expect process and diagrams such as UML and BPMN, with no coding exercises or deep technical work.
Students are warm about it. Of about 31,700 ratings, roughly nine in ten are four or five stars. Reviewers call it practical, logically ordered and easy to follow, and one says the ideas can be used at work immediately. One cites the BABOK references and the real-life case at the end. The complaints are specific. The instructor talks fast for some, subtitles reportedly can't be turned off, and one reviewer found a quiz joke unprofessional and some easy topics stretched out. A Spanish-language one-star review calls the quiz after each video boring.
Last updated in March 2018, so some of it may feel dated, though a 2026 reviewer called it up to date. At 6.1 hours, with 105,257 students enrolled, it is a quick, low-commitment way to learn the vocabulary and core techniques. Anyone who wants material revised since 2018 should look elsewhere. For a first pass at the fundamentals, it is a solid pick, as long as the quiz-heavy format suits you.
Pros
- Covers the full requirements cycle, from stakeholders to change control, in 68 short lectures
- Closing scenario section gives students a realistic case to apply the techniques to
- Reviewers call it practical for new BAs, with ideas usable at work straight away
- Instructor is described as engaging, and the material follows a logical order
Cons
- Last updated in March 2018, so newer practice and tools may feel dated
- A quiz after many videos bores some students (46 quizzes in about six hours)
- Fast delivery for some, plus subtitles that reportedly can't be switched off
Highly practical for a new BA - learning can be immediately implemented in the workplace.
Pitched at novice to intermediate analysts. No technical background needed, though some business knowledge helps.
What you will learn
- Learn the foundations of business analysis
- Learn how to gather requirements from stakeholders and documentary sources
- Learn how to analyze, diagram and model requirements
- Learn how to present requirements effectively and gain acceptance
- Learn how to manage requirements assets after the project is complete
Course content
7 sections · 68 lectures · 6.1 hours of video 46 quizzes, 7 assignments, 6 articles
- 1Overview of Business Analysis 1 free preview8 lectures · 7 quizzes · 27 min
- 2Stakeholders 1 free preview8 lectures · 8 quizzes · 42 min
- 3Lifecycles8 lectures · 7 quizzes · 32 min
- 4Forming Requirements12 lectures · 12 quizzes · 1.3 hours
- 5Transforming Requirements 1 free preview18 lectures · 14 quizzes · 1.8 hours
- 6Finalizing Requirements5 lectures · 4 quizzes · 24 min
- 7Scenario9 lectures · 1 quiz · 55 min
Who it is for
The instructor says it suits
- Novice to intermediate Business Analysts
- Professionals looking to transition into a Business Analyst role
What you need before you start
- A strong desire to learn business analysis
- Some business strategy knowledge helpful
- No technical background required
How it compares
Against the other 1,210 rated Udemy courses in Business on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.5 out of 5higher than 46% of them
- Reviews31,763#20 of 1,211 by number of reviews
- Length6.1 hourslonger than 76% of them
- Last updatedMarch 2018earlier than 94% of them
Course Description
Course Overview
This course provides everything you need to get started in your career in business analysis.
Our courses focus on how analysis is performed in the real world, and they're full of examples, case studies and lessons learned from actual Business Analysts on the job.
This is a perfect first course in any business analysis curriculum.
Syllabus
1. Business Analysis
- Overview of Business Analysis
- Overview of Requirements
- Role of the Business Analyst
2. Stakeholders
- Who are they? And why do they matter?
- The most common stakeholders: The project team, management, and the front line
- Handling Stakeholder Conflicts
3. Life Cycles
- Systems Development Life Cycles
- Project Life Cycles
- Product Life Cycles
- Requirement Life Cycles
- Seventh Morning's Requirements Development Life Cycle
4. Forming Requirements
- Overview of Requirements
- Attributes of Good Requirements
- Types of Requirements
- Requirement Sources
- Gathering Requirements from Stakeholders
- Common Requirements Documents
5. Transforming Requirements
- Stakeholder Needs Analysis
- Decomposition Analysis
- Additive/Subtractive Analysis
- Gap Analysis
- Notations (UML & BPMN)
- Flowcharts
- Swim Lane Flowcharts
- Entity-Relationship Diagrams
- State-Transition Diagrams
- Data Flow Diagrams
- Use Case Modeling
- Business Process Modeling
6. Finalizing Requirements
- Presenting – 10 Tips
- Presenting Requirements
- Socializing Requirements and Gaining Acceptance
- Prioritizing Requirements
7. Managing Requirements Assets
- Change Control
- Requirements Tools
8. Scenario
Instructor Details
- 4.5 Rating
31,763 Reviews
Don Hussey
Don Hussey serves as Managing Director with NorwalkAberdeen.
Prior to founding NorwalkAberdeen, Mr. Hussey was Senior Vice President of Global Internet Strategy for a global financial institution. In this role, he drove online strategy for the private bank, oversaw all business analysis and project management for the bank’s online channel, and overhauled the way these functions were run.
Before this role, Mr. Hussey was a star Project Manager/Business Analyst with a major investment bank. There, he managed the delivery of numerous critical projects and participated on teams that re-engineered the project oversight process and introduced user-focused development disciplines.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Hussey held various roles in sales and sales management, client service, operations, and technology.
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Reviews
By Gopal Singh on 7/1/2026
The training content was well‑structured and thoughtfully organized, making it easy to follow and understand. The topics were presented in a logical sequence, which helped build a strong foundational understanding. The material serves as a valuable knowledge source, with clear explanations and relevant examples that enhance practical applicability. Overall, it was an informative and useful learning experience.
By Phomolo Mofokeng on 6/4/2026
I never knew what goes on in the world of BA, now that I have started, my interest is piqued. The few videos that I have watched have dealt with my lack of knowledge. Who knows, I might venture fully into this :-)
By Gerard McNamara on 5/21/2026
I really liked the course. It was a good match for where I currently am in my Business Analyst journey. I was able to apply the content to some of my past experiences and since I have used some of the techniques in the past it gave me validation that I am on the right track. Some techniques I have not yet used and the course gives me the required knowledge to implement them in the future.
By Aleksandra Tomczak-Żmuda on 5/12/2026
An excellent Business Analysis course that feels truly up to date. I really appreciated the clear references to BABOK, the large number of practical use cases, and the strong structure. Section 5 (Forming Requirements) and Section 7 (real-life use case) are especially well designed and extremely valuable. Highly recommended.
By SriVarshith Ayachitula on 5/1/2026
Excellent course and excellent instructor who explains not just the theory but in a practical approach and doesn't assume any prior expertise. The course does a really nice job of getting the person trained into thinking and behaving like a BA and understanding everything from the ground up without spending hours learning theory. He focused on explaining in a first-person perspective and scenarios that may come up and approaches to really internalize the concepts. Overall awesome course, I highly recommend this for anyone who is exploring the BA role (Six-stars!!).
By Zhanar Tatkeyeva on 3/27/2026
I wish there would be more practical examples, most of the course is theory only, basically explaining 1-2 real life business case scenarios. I wish more time and examples would be on the user stories, BPMN and diagrams/charts. Overall, good for understanding basic and key concepts in BA.
By Donald Ray Schuck on 3/19/2026
I really liked the flow, the tone, and all the quizzes to keep me sharp after every section. Better than getting an hour in and quizzing me on something from the beginning. This course could probably be updated. Agile has come a long way since 2017. Not to mention just office life in general post-pandemic.
By Anonymized User on 2/24/2026
this will be helpful dealing with future projects and pulling out requirements from the sponsors. A lot seems like common sense once you know the process. But have seen so much missed that was left to interpretation when simple questions would have prevented wasted effort.
By Pradeep Karmakar on 2/23/2026
I found parts of the course to be unprofessional in tone, take example Quiz 30 , Question 6: Where can you go for help when you have problems with agile business analysis? the author has stated "your mom .. assuming she is a agile coach". I understand the author intended this to be a humor according to what is prevalance in his social settings. The course is no doubt become too lengthy for even concepts that were easy more time was being spent on.
By Sujata Pradhan on 1/21/2026
This course is well-structured and highly suitable for enthusiastic Business Analysts. It covers core BA concepts in a clear and practical manner, helping learners build a strong foundation while gradually moving toward real-world application. It is an excellent choice for anyone serious about starting or growing a career in Business Analysis.
Quality Score
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Overall Score : 90 / 100












