Business Analysis Fundamentals
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Business Analysis Fundamentals
This course is part of Microsoft Business Analyst Professional Certificate
Instructor: Microsoft
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What you'll learn
Gain an understanding of basic concepts and principles of business analysis.
Learn to explain the role of a business analyst within an organization.
Identify and analyze business problems and stakeholders in a project.
Skills you'll gain
Tools you'll learn
Details to know
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Build your Business Strategy expertise
- Learn new concepts from industry experts
- Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
- Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
- Earn a shareable career certificate from Microsoft
There are 4 modules in this course
If you're interested in a career in business analysis but don't know where to start, you've arrived at the right place!
This course has been designed for individuals seeking entry-level positions in Business Analysis. Whether you're a recent graduate, a career changer, or someone looking to kickstart your career in the tech industry, it will provide you with the foundational knowledge and practical skills needed to excel in the field of Business Analysis. This course is part of a series that offers a good starting point for a career in business analysis. It will help you gain knowledge and skills related to essential business analysis concepts, principles, practical methods, and the responsibilities associated with business analysis. This course also gets you one step closer to the Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals Certificate, which requires no degree or prior experience. After completing this course, you’ll be able to: • Describe basic concepts and principles of business analysis • Explain the role of a business analyst within an organization • Identify and analyze a business problem • Identify and analyze stakeholders in a business project
In this module, you’ll explore the essential ideas and rules behind business analysis, including the core concepts and practical methods used in this field. You’ll discover the important responsibilities and tasks associated with this role, and see how it plays a key part in making important decisions and keeping everyone on the same page.
What's included
12 videos9 readings4 assignments1 discussion prompt
12 videos•Total 74 minutes
- Introduction to the Professional Certificate•5 minutes
- Course Introduction: Business analysis fundamentals•4 minutes
- Day in the life of a business analyst•4 minutes
- Welcome to Generative AI for everyone•6 minutes
- Understanding the Capabilities of Generative AI for Business Functions•9 minutes
- Generative AI - Under the hood•8 minutes
- The potential pitfalls and shortcomings of GEN AI•6 minutes
- What is the role of a Business Analyst?•7 minutes
- Types of Business Analysis Problems•6 minutes
- The end-to-end process•6 minutes
- Business Process Improvement•6 minutes
- Module Summary: Introduction to Business Analysis•6 minutes
9 readings•Total 85 minutes
- Course Syllabus: Business analysis fundamentals•10 minutes
- How to be successful in this course•10 minutes
- Generative AI Terminology•10 minutes
- Generative AI in Business•10 minutes
- Tasks of a Business Analyst•10 minutes
- Career progression for Business Analysts•10 minutes
- Software Tools in Business Analysis•10 minutes
- Process Improvement Techniques•10 minutes
- Additional resources: Introduction to Business Analysis•5 minutes
4 assignments•Total 75 minutes
- General Knowledge Quiz•15 minutes
- Knowledge Check: The role of a Business Analyst•15 minutes
- Knowledge Check: The process of Business Analysis•15 minutes
- Module Quiz: Introduction to Business Analysis•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Discussion prompt: What do you hope to learn?•10 minutes
In this module, you will develop the skills to recognize and understand business problems. You'll learn ways to carefully look at and analyze problems so that you can suggest good solutions and contribute to making smart decisions.
What's included
17 videos4 readings8 assignments
17 videos•Total 110 minutes
- The importance of problem identification•6 minutes
- Root Cause Analysis•6 minutes
- Understanding an organization•7 minutes
- Analysis of an organization•7 minutes
- What are quantitative methods?•6 minutes
- Activity Sampling•5 minutes
- Data Analysis•6 minutes
- What are qualitative methods?•6 minutes
- Workshops•6 minutes
- Focus Groups•8 minutes
- Interviews and Storytelling•6 minutes
- Qualitative and quantitative methods•8 minutes
- Conducting Surveys•7 minutes
- Protocol Analysis•6 minutes
- Scenario Analysis•6 minutes
- User Role Analysis•9 minutes
- Module Summary: Investigating the Business Problem•5 minutes
4 readings•Total 35 minutes
- Introduction to Statistical Analysis•10 minutes
- Common pitfalls of quantitative methods•10 minutes
- Common pitfalls of qualitative methods•10 minutes
- Additional Resources: Investigating the Business Problem•5 minutes
8 assignments•Total 150 minutes
- Activity: Using the 5 Whys technique•20 minutes
- Activity: Conduct a SWOT Analysis•20 minutes
- Knowledge Check: Problem solving framework•15 minutes
- Knowledge Check: Quantitative methods•15 minutes
- Knowledge Check: Qualitative methods•15 minutes
- Activity: Analyze the user roles•20 minutes
- Knowledge Check: Hybrid methods•15 minutes
- Module Quiz: Investigating the Business Problem•30 minutes
As you work your way through this module, you’ll focus on the people involved in a business project and learn how to identify their interests, expectations, and how much they can influence the project.
What's included
8 videos7 readings10 assignments
8 videos•Total 55 minutes
- What is a stakeholder?•6 minutes
- Stakeholder Prioritization•6 minutes
- The importance of effective communication•8 minutes
- RACI Matrix and RASCI Matrix•7 minutes
- Roadmaps and Gantt Charts•8 minutes
- The importance of Stakeholder Engagement•7 minutes
- Risk management and escalations•7 minutes
- Module Summary: Working with Stakeholders•6 minutes
7 readings•Total 55 minutes
- Stakeholder mapping•10 minutes
- Categories of stakeholders•10 minutes
- Additional Resources: Identifying Stakeholders•5 minutes
- Working with Dependencies•10 minutes
- Additional Resources: Communicating with Stakeholders•5 minutes
- Best practices when managing a project•10 minutes
- Additional resources: Stakeholder Engagement•5 minutes
10 assignments•Total 198 minutes
- Activity: Analyzing stakeholders•20 minutes
- Knowledge Check: Identifying Stakeholders•18 minutes
- Activity: Create a RASCI Matrix•20 minutes
- Activity: Create a Gantt Chart•20 minutes
- Activity: Identifying dependencies•20 minutes
- Knowledge Check: Communicating with Stakeholders•15 minutes
- Activity: Identifying objectives and deliverables•20 minutes
- Activity: Identifying risks•20 minutes
- Knowledge Check: Stakeholder Engagement•15 minutes
- Module Quiz: Working with Stakeholders•30 minutes
In this module, you’ll put your skills into practice. You’ll reflect on the key learning points that you reviewed during the course and complete the final assessment and hands-on activity.
What's included
2 videos3 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt1 plugin
2 videos•Total 8 minutes
- Course Recap: Business Analysis Fundamentals•5 minutes
- Congratulations•3 minutes
3 readings•Total 80 minutes
- About the final project and assessment•10 minutes
- Final Project: Problem Identification and Stakeholder Management•60 minutes
- Next Steps•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 120 minutes
- Self-Review: Problem Identification and Stakeholder Management•30 minutes
- Course Quiz: Business Analysis Fundamentals•90 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Reflect on Learning•10 minutes
1 plugin•Total 25 minutes
- Exemplar: Problem Identification and Stakeholder Management•25 minutes
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Reviewed on Apr 11, 2025
It had great content and examples for better understanding. But somewhere in the middle the content was obvious and could have taken lesser time to cover the topic.
Reviewed on Jun 10, 2025
Very thorough course that introduces several cocepts at a reasonable pace. The quizzes are well thought and add to the learning process. Would recommend to beginners.
Reviewed on Jul 12, 2024
Thank you, Microsoft for help job seeker to get hands-on practical exercises and build their skills to enter the business analytics field.
Frequently asked questions
You'll learn how business analysts define problems, understand stakeholder needs, and support projects with clear analysis and communication. It starts with the role and responsibilities of a business analyst, then moves into problem-solving methods, stakeholder work, and project basics like objectives, dependencies, and risk. You'll apply those ideas through guided activities such as stakeholder mapping and a final case on problem identification and stakeholder management.
No, you don't need prior business analysis experience to start. This is a beginner course, and it introduces the role, key responsibilities, and common methods before asking you to use them. Basic comfort reading business scenarios and working through quizzes will help, but the course doesn't assume prior BA tools knowledge or technical experience.
Yes, it's beginner-friendly if you're new to business analysis or exploring the field as a possible career path. The course explains the role first, then builds into guided problem analysis and stakeholder work rather than assuming you already know how projects run. If you're looking for advanced modeling or specialized BA frameworks, this will likely feel too introductory.
More questions
Financial aid available,
