Business analysts, solution developers, project managers and anyone who needs a thorough practical understanding of the various systems development approaches including the Agile framework. Systems Development Essentials is also a Specialist Practitioner module on the BCS (ISEB) International Diploma in Business Analysis.
An overview of the issues and concepts involved in developing quality business solutions using Agile, the Systems Development Essentials course is perfect for business analysts and anyone wishing to learn about Agile software development. Study a number of systems development life cycles, both defined and evolutionary, and examine the context in which different lifecycles could be applied, before focusing on an Agile approach.
Topics covered include examining how the systems development effort can be organised; understanding requirements; stakeholders and roles in an agile environment and techniques that support iterative development such as prototyping, hothousing and scenarios.
When combined with our Systems Modelling Techniques course, this module provides you with the core tools and techniques you’ll need to become an effective systems analyst, development team analyst or technical business analyst.
- Quality driven systems development
- Development lifecycles (Linear and Evolutionary)
- Solution development approaches (Scrum, XP. DSDM, RUP)
- Defining the system
- Roles in systems development
- Requirements in an Agile environment
To give you more of an idea of what you’ll learn and how the course will help you, here’s a quick guide to those three days.
- Obtaining requirements
- The use of facilitated workshops
- Documenting requirements
- Introduction to user stories
- Selected models to support systems development (UML Use cases and Class diagrams)
- Elaborating the solution
- Iterative system development (managing and estimating iterations)
- Systems design and testing
- Considerations for systems deployment
- Automated support for systems development
For virtual courses a printed copy of the latest edition of the comprehensive course manual will be sent to your home address in good time for the start of your course. Our delegates tell us that having access to a physical document is beneficial as both a reference document and for taking notes during the course. In addition, a link will be emailed to you to enable you to access an electronic copy of the same comprehensive manual for convenient future reference.
Yes. During this three day course you’ll receive all the training you need to prepare for the BCS Systems Development Essentials exam. A pass will contribute (as a Specialist Practitioner module) towards the BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis.
For delegates attending a classroom, virtual or online course, the exam is a written, scenario based exam, and is to be taken online from your home or office using our remote proctored service, TestReach. The pass mark is 25/50. Please contact us for further details, available dates and to make a booking.
Systems Development Essentials using Agile (a three-day course)
Course Content
Introduction
- Characteristics of software quality
- The purposes, objectives and tasks of systems development
- Roles and responsibilities in systems development
- Technical and interpersonal skills of the business analysts and solution developers
Systems architecture
- Enterprise, systems and infrastructure levels of architecture
- Inputs at an enterprise level
- Inputs at system and infrastructure level
- Model Driven Architecture
Development approaches
- Bespoke development
- Commercial off the shelf (COTS) software package solutions
- Configuring and customising COTS software package solutions
- Component-based systems development
- Service-based solutions and other approaches
- Evolutionary prototyping
Systems development lifecycles
- Waterfall model
- V model
- Incremental model
- Spiral (evolutionary) model
- Advantages and disadvantages of each approach
- Selection of an appropriate development approach
Methods and approaches
- Detailed study of the Agile approach including life cycle, deliverables and roles
- Iterative systems development using the DSDM Atern methodology
- Other agile development methodologies (The Unified Process (UP), Scrum, eXtreme Programming)
Modelling techniques
- Models of the Unified Modeling Language (UML)
- Interpretation and principles of:
- Use case diagram
- Use case description
- Class diagram
- State machine diagram
- Validating models using a CRUD matrix
Requirements in an Agile environment
- Fact finding approaches:
- Workshops
- Interviewing
- Questionnaires
- Scenario analysis, storyboarding, user stories and hot-housing
- Model office and focus groups
- Functional requirements definition
- Non-functional requirements definition
- Documenting & prioritising requirements
- Human aspects of systems investigation and introducing change
Iterative systems development
- Features of iterative development approach
- Prototyping
- Categories of prototype
- Timeboxing
- Prototype development plans
Systems design, implementation and maintenance
- Design principles and constraints (legal, ethical, financial)
- Systems deployment and hand over
- Post-implementation reviews
- Different types of maintenance
- Estimation and development planning
Quality assurance
- Definitions of software quality
- The V model
- Requirements-driven testing
- Static testing: types of walkthrough and inspection
- Post-project reviews
CASE and CAST tools
- Features of Computer-aided Software Engineering (CASE) and Computer-aided Software Testing tools (CAST)
- Life-cycle coverage
- Requirements traceability
- Advantages and disadvantages of software development support tools
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