CAPM Business Analysis

What is requirements elicitation?

The process of discovering, gathering, and understanding stakeholder needs before developing a solution

What is the goal of requirements elicitation?

To understand the real business need—not simply document requested features

Which elicitation technique works best for obtaining detailed information from one stakeholder?

Interview

Which elicitation technique is best when many stakeholders must collaborate?

Facilitated workshop

Which elicitation method quickly gathers input from many people?

Survey or questionnaire

When is observation (job shadowing) the best elicitation technique?

When users cannot accurately explain their current workflow

What does document analysis involve?

Reviewing existing procedures, manuals, reports, regulations, or business documents

What is brainstorming used for during elicitation?

Generating ideas, identifying opportunities, and exploring possible solutions

Why is active listening important during elicitation?

It helps uncover underlying stakeholder needs and assumptions

Why should a BA ask "Why?" repeatedly?

To identify the true business problem instead of just requested features

What is a requirement?

A documented capability or condition needed to satisfy a business objective

Functional requirement vs nonfunctional requirement?

Functional = what the system does. Nonfunctional = how well it performs

Give an example of a functional requirement

Users can reset their password

Give an example of a nonfunctional requirement

The page loads within two seconds

What should requirements be before development begins?

Clear, complete, testable, and unambiguous

Why are ambiguous requirements dangerous?

They lead to misunderstandings, rework, and defects

What is the first step before proposing a solution?

Understand the business problem

Why involve stakeholders early?

To ensure requirements accurately reflect business needs

What is stakeholder collaboration?

Continuous communication throughout the project to refine requirements

PMI mindset: If stakeholders disagree on requirements, what should happen first?

Facilitate discussion to understand concerns before escalating

What is a persona?

A fictional representation of a typical user based on research

Why are personas created?

To better understand user goals, behaviors, and pain points

What information is commonly included in a persona?

Goals, motivations, frustrations, behaviors, and responsibilities

What is a use case?

A description of how a user interacts with a system to accomplish a goal

What is the purpose of a use case?

To describe user-system interactions step by step

What is an actor in a use case?

A person or external system interacting with the solution

What is the main flow in a use case?

The normal successful sequence of events

What is an alternate flow?

A variation from the normal process

What is an exception flow?

A process followed when an error or unexpected event occurs

User story vs use case?

User stories are short Agile requirements; use cases provide detailed interactions

Standard user story format?

As a [user], I want [goal] so that [benefit]

Why are user stories written from the user's perspective?

To focus development on delivering value

Who typically writes user stories?

Product Owner with stakeholder collaboration

What accompanies a user story?

Acceptance criteria

PMI mindset: If a stakeholder requests a feature, what should you understand first?

The business need behind the request

What is business value?

The measurable benefit delivered to stakeholders or the organization

Does business value always mean financial value?

No. It can include customer satisfaction, compliance, efficiency, or risk reduction

What is a product roadmap?

A high-level plan showing the future direction and releases of a product

What does a roadmap communicate?

Vision, priorities, and expected delivery timeline

Roadmap vs project schedule?

Roadmap is strategic; schedule is detailed execution

Who commonly owns the product roadmap?

Product Manager or Product Owner

Why are product roadmaps updated?

Business priorities change

What determines what goes into a release?

Business value, dependencies, and priority

What is a release?

A deployable version of the product delivered to users

Why prioritize requirements?

Resources are limited

What is value-based prioritization?

Delivering the highest business value first

What is MoSCoW prioritization?

Must Have, Should Have, Could Have, Won't Have

Which MoSCoW category is absolutely necessary?

Must Have

hich MoSCoW category is optional?

Could Have

PMI mindset: If resources become limited, what should happen?

Reprioritize based on business value

What are acceptance criteria?

Specific conditions that determine whether a requirement is complete

Why are acceptance criteria important?

They create shared expectations

Who helps define acceptance criteria?

Stakeholders and Product Owner

Verification asks what question?

"Did we build the product correctly?"

Validation asks what question?

"Did we build the right product?"

Verification focuses on...

Meeting documented specifications

Validation focuses on...

Meeting business needs

Which occurs first: verification or validation?

Verification generally occurs before validation

What is User Acceptance Testing (UAT)?

Stakeholders verify the solution meets business needs

Who performs UAT?

End users or business representatives

What happens if acceptance criteria aren't met?

The work isn't accepted

Why is testing based on acceptance criteria?

It objectively measures success

What indicates a requirement is complete?

Acceptance criteria are satisfied

PMI mindset: Before closing work, what should be confirmed?

Stakeholder acceptance

Validation vs Verification in one sentence

Verification builds correctly; validation builds the right thing

What is requirements traceability?

Following each requirement throughout the project lifecycle

What is a Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM)?

A document linking requirements to design, development, testing, and delivery

Why is an RTM valuable?

It ensures every requirement is implemented and tested

What problem does traceability prevent?

Missing or forgotten requirements

What should every requirement trace to?

A business objective

Why maintain traceability after changes?

To understand downstream impacts

What are stakeholder needs?

The desired outcomes stakeholders expect from the solution

Stakeholder wants vs stakeholder needs?

Wants are requested features; needs solve business problems

Why identify stakeholder needs early?

To reduce rework and improve solution quality

Which stakeholder provides business requirements?

Business representatives or process owners

Which stakeholder focuses on maximizing product value?

Product Owner

What is a Process Owner?

The person accountable for a business process

PMI mindset: A stakeholder requests a change after requirements are approved. What should happen?

Evaluate impact and follow the appropriate change process before implementation

What is the BA's primary responsibility?

Ensure stakeholder needs are accurately understood and translated into requirements

CAPM exam mindset for Business Analysis?

Focus on understanding stakeholder needs, delivering business value, maintaining traceability, validating solutions, and communicating continuously