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Business Analysis Fundamentals

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Business Analysis Fundamentals

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7

1,073 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule
2 weeks at 10 hours a week
Learn at your own pace
96%
Most learners liked this course

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7

1,073 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule
2 weeks at 10 hours a week
Learn at your own pace
96%
Most learners liked this course

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.

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Assessments

24 assignments

Taught in English

Build your Business Strategy expertise

This course is part of the Microsoft Business Analyst Professional Certificate
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Professional Certificate.
  • 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 videosTotal 74 minutes
  • Introduction to the Professional Certificate5 minutes
  • Course Introduction: Business analysis fundamentals4 minutes
  • Day in the life of a business analyst4 minutes
  • Welcome to Generative AI for everyone6 minutes
  • Understanding the Capabilities of Generative AI for Business Functions9 minutes
  • Generative AI - Under the hood8 minutes
  • The potential pitfalls and shortcomings of GEN AI6 minutes
  • What is the role of a Business Analyst?7 minutes
  • Types of Business Analysis Problems6 minutes
  • The end-to-end process6 minutes
  • Business Process Improvement6 minutes
  • Module Summary: Introduction to Business Analysis6 minutes
9 readingsTotal 85 minutes
  • Course Syllabus: Business analysis fundamentals10 minutes
  • How to be successful in this course10 minutes
  • Generative AI Terminology10 minutes
  • Generative AI in Business10 minutes
  • Tasks of a Business Analyst10 minutes
  • Career progression for Business Analysts10 minutes
  • Software Tools in Business Analysis10 minutes
  • Process Improvement Techniques10 minutes
  • Additional resources: Introduction to Business Analysis5 minutes
4 assignmentsTotal 75 minutes
  • General Knowledge Quiz15 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: The role of a Business Analyst15 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: The process of Business Analysis15 minutes
  • Module Quiz: Introduction to Business Analysis30 minutes
1 discussion promptTotal 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 videosTotal 110 minutes
  • The importance of problem identification6 minutes
  • Root Cause Analysis6 minutes
  • Understanding an organization7 minutes
  • Analysis of an organization7 minutes
  • What are quantitative methods?6 minutes
  • Activity Sampling5 minutes
  • Data Analysis6 minutes
  • What are qualitative methods?6 minutes
  • Workshops6 minutes
  • Focus Groups8 minutes
  • Interviews and Storytelling6 minutes
  • Qualitative and quantitative methods8 minutes
  • Conducting Surveys7 minutes
  • Protocol Analysis6 minutes
  • Scenario Analysis6 minutes
  • User Role Analysis9 minutes
  • Module Summary: Investigating the Business Problem5 minutes
4 readingsTotal 35 minutes
  • Introduction to Statistical Analysis10 minutes
  • Common pitfalls of quantitative methods10 minutes
  • Common pitfalls of qualitative methods10 minutes
  • Additional Resources: Investigating the Business Problem5 minutes
8 assignmentsTotal 150 minutes
  • Activity: Using the 5 Whys technique20 minutes
  • Activity: Conduct a SWOT Analysis20 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Problem solving framework15 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Quantitative methods15 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Qualitative methods15 minutes
  • Activity: Analyze the user roles20 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Hybrid methods15 minutes
  • Module Quiz: Investigating the Business Problem30 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 videosTotal 55 minutes
  • What is a stakeholder?6 minutes
  • Stakeholder Prioritization6 minutes
  • The importance of effective communication8 minutes
  • RACI Matrix and RASCI Matrix7 minutes
  • Roadmaps and Gantt Charts8 minutes
  • The importance of Stakeholder Engagement7 minutes
  • Risk management and escalations7 minutes
  • Module Summary: Working with Stakeholders6 minutes
7 readingsTotal 55 minutes
  • Stakeholder mapping10 minutes
  • Categories of stakeholders10 minutes
  • Additional Resources: Identifying Stakeholders5 minutes
  • Working with Dependencies10 minutes
  • Additional Resources: Communicating with Stakeholders5 minutes
  • Best practices when managing a project10 minutes
  • Additional resources: Stakeholder Engagement5 minutes
10 assignmentsTotal 198 minutes
  • Activity: Analyzing stakeholders20 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Identifying Stakeholders18 minutes
  • Activity: Create a RASCI Matrix20 minutes
  • Activity: Create a Gantt Chart20 minutes
  • Activity: Identifying dependencies20 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Communicating with Stakeholders15 minutes
  • Activity: Identifying objectives and deliverables20 minutes
  • Activity: Identifying risks20 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Stakeholder Engagement15 minutes
  • Module Quiz: Working with Stakeholders30 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 videosTotal 8 minutes
  • Course Recap: Business Analysis Fundamentals5 minutes
  • Congratulations3 minutes
3 readingsTotal 80 minutes
  • About the final project and assessment10 minutes
  • Final Project: Problem Identification and Stakeholder Management60 minutes
  • Next Steps10 minutes
2 assignmentsTotal 120 minutes
  • Self-Review: Problem Identification and Stakeholder Management30 minutes
  • Course Quiz: Business Analysis Fundamentals90 minutes
1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes
  • Reflect on Learning10 minutes
1 pluginTotal 25 minutes
  • Exemplar: Problem Identification and Stakeholder Management25 minutes

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Showing 3 of 1073

GP
·

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.

SK
·

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.

AA
·

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.

Plan on about 18 hours in total. At roughly 10 hours a week, that's about two weeks of study. The course includes lessons, readings, quizzes, and a final case-based assessment, so the workload mixes explanation with guided practice.

Yes, but the practice is mostly guided rather than open-ended. You'll work through activities and quizzes on tasks like analyzing a business problem, mapping stakeholders, or assigning roles in a RASCI matrix, then bring those skills together in a final case about sales issues and stakeholder management. That makes it a good fit if you want to apply core BA tools as you learn them, without needing a large independent project.

The course focuses on the day-to-day work of business analysts: understanding problems, analyzing stakeholders and project context, and communicating clearly. You'll learn root cause analysis and stakeholder mapping, alongside qualitative and quantitative ways to gather evidence and support decisions. By the end, you'll have a solid picture of how BA work connects business needs, project delivery, and process improvement.

After finishing, you should be able to break down a business problem, identify important stakeholders, and explain the role of a business analyst in a project. You'll also be able to use basic techniques to investigate issues, for example analyzing customer feedback and sales trends or organizing stakeholder responsibilities with a RACI-style matrix. That's enough to start working through straightforward business scenarios in a more structured, evidence-based way.

It's more concept-first with guided practice. Most of the course is about understanding how business analysts investigate problems and work with stakeholders, then reinforcing that through activities, quizzes, and a final case rather than a large open-ended project.

Choose this course if you want a broad introduction to business analysis that connects problem-solving with stakeholder work. Instead of staying at a high-level overview, it walks you through how analysts identify root causes, gather evidence, map stakeholder influence, and communicate responsibilities across a project. If you want clear explanations plus guided case-based practice, this course is a better fit than a BA course that focuses only on the job role or only on project management.

Financial aid available,