IT Business Analysts: What They Do and How to Succeed (Udemy.com)
An Overview of Lean Techniques for Defining Requirements, User Stories, Features, and Scenarios for Software Development
Created by: Tom and Angela Hathaway
Last updated April 2024
What you will learn
- Define the capabilities and challenges of Lean and Agile software development philosophies
- Requirements gathering (elicitation) techniques for Lean, Agile, and Continuous Delivery software development environments
- Support Lean or Agile teams by communicating business needs and wants in formats that support modern Software
- Drill-down requirements, features, user stories, and functions to identify and write test scenarios in G-W-T (Given-When-Then) statements to facilitate testing
- Non-Functional Requirements (NFR) threaten waterfall and Agile software development approaches alike
How it compares
Against the other 371 rated Udemy courses in Data Analysis on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.5 out of 5higher than 49% of them
- Reviews1,222#130 of 372 by number of reviews
- Length0.7 hoursshorter than 98% of them
- Last updatedApril 2024earlier than 66% of them
Course Description
Agile software development is a popular methodology for IT project management. It has proven to be effective, but it is typically difficult to implement within an organization that has already developed its own processes and procedures. Many of the techniques we have used in traditional (i.e., waterfall) approaches still provide value but they need to be adapted to a more lean approach.
Business analysts and product owners no longer have time to define the end solution in its full-blown glory before handing it over to the developers. Agile is by definition an iterative approach. To support it, we need to fine-tune our business analysis techniques to ensure we deliver user stories, features, and requirements that follow the lean principles. That means we need to express business needs:
at the last responsible moment to ensure the expressed needs are up-to-date in an everchanging business environment, and
with the required quality to minimize costly miscommunication errors that plague many software projects.
This overview describes methods for optimizing the process of extracting, discovering, communicating, and validating business needs for technological solutions. Readers who prefer a more detailed depiction are invited to consider our more in-depth treatment in our course “Agile Business Analysis: Getting / Writing Lean Requirements".
Instructor Details
- 4.5 Rating
1,222 Reviews
Tom and Angela Hathaway
Join our thriving community of over 140,000 students from across the globe and step into the world of cutting-edge AI-assisted business analysis and UX design with us. Hello! We're Angela and Tom Hathaway, the dynamic duo behind BA-EXPERTS, BA Learning Hub, and AI for Us - 50+. We're thrilled to have you here.
With a combined experience of over six decades, we've navigated the evolving landscape of business analysis. Our journey has been marked by a deep immersion in information technology, mastering the art of requirements engineering, and applying our skills across varied industries. From small family enterprises to Fortune 100 giants and government sectors, our expertise has fueled success stories in every corner.
In the ever-changing world of business and technology, we understand that grasping the nuances of business analysis and UX design can be daunting. That's why we've dedicated our careers to not just mastering these fields but also to making them accessible and engaging for you. Our approach is simple: we break down complex concepts into digestible, easy-to-understand segments, enriched with real-world examples and interactive sessions. This way, you're not just learning – you're experiencing.
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Reviews
By Juan Adame on 7/6/2026
Por que es un curso rápido acerca de como adentrarse al tema de las metodologías agiles, ¿Cómo funcionan?, ¿Cómo se integran? y ¿Por qué es tan importante su uso en la actualidad?
By Matthew McCarel on 4/10/2026
Tom is a very witty man who clearly defines and elaborates in a simple and concise manner the what and how of ITBA (itty-bitty). Close to me in generational crossing, I greatly appreciate the experience and candor that he brings to his presentation and provision of content. I've been a fan for many years! Bravo!!
By Ujjwal Gauraha on 6/16/2025
the course is very informative but the langauge (not english but industry specific) is little challeging for some one new to the industry which would be the reason for any one to opt for this course
By Gowri N on 4/9/2025
After a career break, I decided to step into Business Analyst roles, equipped with some additional skills. During my time in IT, the industry was booming, and requirement understanding was largely based on the Waterfall methodology. This course provided a wonderful and comprehensive overview of various methodologies, bridging the gap and helping me gain clarity on the current landscape. Thank you for this insightful learning experience!
By Barbara Sheppard on 11/28/2024
I am pivoting from a career in Human Resources to a career in technology. This video has been very helpful in explaining LEAN and some of the basic fundamentals of working in the role of the BA. Thank you!
By Nigel Evans on 6/4/2024
Very interesting content and well presented. Lots to think about and build into future training schedules. Only slight issue is .. probably personal preference here .. would have liked handout/notes to annotate along with the visuals.
By Sean B on 4/9/2024
The content is well-presented, and the instructor displays real-world experience in the field. It's, however, difficult to rate this as a course, as it is more of a sales tool. The instructors should release more material to offer this as a course.
By Christopher Wells on 3/6/2024
I really enjoyed that the videos are brief, contain enough content to process and keep you engaged. I really enjoyed the simplicity of breaking down some terms which would otherwise overwhelm some people.
By Stanislav Romanov on 1/10/2023
The course contents is the extraction of the core concepts of the Business Analysis. It will be useful to walk through it from time to time for anybody related to the Business Analysis. Thank you, Tom!
By montague baltimore on 9/29/2022
Great information on all topics covered! I was able to follow the flow of the lectures without having to go back and forth due to content not going ahead of itself or the instructor talking ahead or not mentioning key details. I would have like a little more discussion on best practices of correlating needs into documented requirements (e.g, template/structure document). Overall I got a lot out of the course sessions and I liked that the quiz's gave feedback wither answered correctly or not! I also liked the curated listing of additional resources toward the end of the course. It made me feel that the course author's weren't trying to insinuate they were all knowing if you stick with their courses.
Quality Score
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Overall Score : 90 / 100









