PMI-PBA® Syllabus — Learning Objectives by Domain

Use this syllabus as your PMI-PBA® coverage checklist. Work through each domain and practice immediately after each task set.

What’s covered

• Needs Assessment (18%)
• Planning (22%)
• Analysis (35%)
• Traceability and Monitoring (15%)
• Evaluation (10%)

Needs Assessment (18%)

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Task 1 — Define the business problem/opportunity and desired outcomes

• Differentiate a symptom statement from a true business problem statement and identify common root-cause traps.
• Define measurable business objectives and success criteria (outcomes and leading indicators) for a given initiative.
• Identify assumptions, constraints, and dependencies that shape the problem definition and desired outcomes.
• Recognize when the problem should be reframed (scope too broad, solution bias, conflicting objectives).
• Determine which stakeholders must align on problem definition and how to surface conflicting views early.
• Select appropriate problem-structuring techniques (problem statement template, 5 Whys, fishbone, impact mapping).
• Document the “why now” (drivers, urgency, risk of inaction) in a way that supports later trade-off decisions.

Task 2 — Assess current state and identify gaps

• Describe current-state assessment outputs (process map, information flows, pain points, metrics, constraints).
• Choose elicitation methods for current-state discovery (interviews, observation, workshops, document analysis) based on context.
• Identify capability gaps by comparing current performance to target outcomes and stakeholder expectations.
• Recognize data quality and measurement issues that can invalidate a baseline (missing metrics, biased sampling, stale reports).
• Map gaps to underlying causes (process, people, policy, technology, data) rather than only listing pain points.
• Define a high-level gap log with severity, affected stakeholders, and evidence needed to confirm the gap.
• Summarize current-state findings into decision-ready insights for sponsors and solution teams.

Task 3 — Identify stakeholders, needs, and constraints

• Identify stakeholder groups (users, sponsors, regulators, operations, vendors) and classify their influence and impact.
• Create a stakeholder analysis using fit-for-purpose tools (power/interest grid, salience model, personas).
• Elicit and document stakeholder needs while separating needs (outcomes) from wants (features).
• Detect conflicting stakeholder goals and define an approach for resolution (prioritization criteria, escalation paths).
• Recognize ethical and confidentiality considerations when handling stakeholder information and sensitive requirements.
• Define constraints that must be respected (policy, legal/regulatory, budget, timing, technical, data privacy).
• Prepare a stakeholder engagement strategy that minimizes surprises (decision makers, approvers, change agents, resistors).

Task 4 — Evaluate solution options and feasibility

• List and compare solution option types (process change, organizational change, technology change, outsourcing, no-change).
• Define evaluation criteria for options (value, cost, risk, feasibility, time-to-benefit, compliance, operational impact).
• Perform high-level feasibility checks across people/process/technology/data constraints and identify critical unknowns.
• Identify when proof-of-concept, prototype, or pilot is appropriate to reduce uncertainty before committing.
• Recognize risks and unintended consequences of each option (change impacts, adoption barriers, data/security risks).
• Recommend an option with clear rationale and trade-offs tied to measurable outcomes and constraints.
• Document assumptions behind the recommendation and define what evidence would change the decision.

Task 5 — Build a business case and define value

• Identify the core elements of a business case (problem, options, benefits, costs, risks, timing, recommendation).
• Estimate and categorize benefits (financial, risk reduction, customer value, compliance, operational efficiency).
• Estimate costs at a level appropriate for decision-making (one-time vs ongoing, direct vs indirect, opportunity cost).
• Calculate and interpret basic value measures (ROI, NPV concept, payback period) to compare solution options.
• Define benefits realization assumptions and how benefits will be measured and monitored post-implementation.
• Prioritize initiatives using weighted scoring or value/risk matrices and justify the prioritization criteria.
• Produce an executive-ready value narrative that avoids solution bias and supports governance approval.

Planning (22%)

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Task 1 — Plan the business analysis approach and lifecycle

• Select a BA approach (predictive, agile, hybrid) aligned to solution context, governance, and delivery cadence.
• Define BA deliverables and when they are needed (incremental vs staged documentation).
• Identify roles, responsibilities, and decision authorities for BA work (RACI, approvals, sign-offs).
• Plan how requirements will be represented (user stories, use cases, models, specifications) and why.
• Define quality standards for BA work products (completeness, consistency, traceability, testability).
• Estimate BA effort and sequence work to reduce rework (start with highest-risk/highest-value areas).
• Identify dependencies between BA activities and project/program activities (architecture, testing, release planning).

Task 2 — Plan stakeholder engagement and communication

• Define a communication plan that matches stakeholder needs, decision points, and information sensitivity.
• Select engagement techniques for different stakeholder types (workshops, 1:1 interviews, demos, surveys).
• Plan how to handle conflicting priorities and decision deadlocks (escalation paths, facilitation methods).
• Identify change readiness and adoption risks and incorporate mitigation actions into engagement planning.
• Plan stakeholder feedback loops to validate understanding and reduce ambiguity early.
• Define how BA decisions and rationale will be documented and communicated to maintain alignment.
• Recognize cultural and organizational factors that affect engagement (power dynamics, incentives, distributed teams).

Task 3 — Plan elicitation and analysis techniques

• Choose elicitation techniques based on constraints and goals (breadth vs depth, discovery vs validation).
• Plan workshop structures (agenda, pre-reads, facilitation roles, outputs) to maximize decision throughput.
• Select modeling techniques to reduce ambiguity (process maps, decision tables, data models, prototypes).
• Plan how to capture nonfunctional requirements early (security, privacy, performance, usability, availability).
• Define how to manage and store elicitation artifacts (notes, recordings, models) with appropriate confidentiality.
• Plan how to validate elicitation outputs with stakeholders (reviews, walk-throughs, demos, acceptance criteria).
• Identify when analysis should proceed iteratively with quick feedback vs requiring upfront consolidation.

Task 4 — Plan requirements management and change control

• Define a requirements management plan that specifies ownership, versioning, and approval workflows.
• Set up change control rules (what triggers a change request, who approves, how impacts are assessed).
• Define how scope boundaries are maintained (baseline, backlog policies, definition of ready/done).
• Plan how to manage requirements across multiple teams/releases (partitioning, dependency tracking).
• Identify common sources of scope creep and implement preventative controls (clear objectives, acceptance criteria).
• Plan conflict resolution for requirement changes (trade-offs, prioritization criteria, escalation cadence).
• Define how requirement changes will be communicated to downstream stakeholders (development, QA, ops, training).

Task 5 — Plan traceability and configuration management

• Define traceability needs across the lifecycle (from business objectives to requirements to tests to benefits).
• Choose an appropriate traceability structure (trace matrix, tool-based links, story mapping) for the delivery model.
• Define configuration management for requirements artifacts (baselines, versions, branching/merging rules).
• Plan how to handle requirement dependencies and interfaces across systems and teams.
• Specify how traceability will support impact analysis, audit/compliance, and release readiness decisions.
• Identify the minimal viable traceability needed to avoid over-documentation while staying compliant.
• Plan reporting for traceability status (coverage gaps, orphan requirements, untested requirements).

Task 6 — Plan governance, validation, and acceptance criteria

• Define decision gates for requirements validation and solution acceptance (reviews, approvals, sign-offs).
• Establish quality criteria for requirements (clear, complete, feasible, verifiable, consistent, traceable).
• Define acceptance criteria formats (Given/When/Then, checklists, measurable thresholds) and when to use each.
• Plan how requirements will be verified and validated (peer reviews, walkthroughs, prototyping, UAT planning).
• Identify governance risks (unclear decision rights, slow approvals) and define mitigation actions.
• Plan how to manage regulatory/compliance checks throughout analysis and delivery.
• Define how defects in requirements (ambiguity, contradictions) will be logged, triaged, and resolved.

Analysis (35%)

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Task 1 — Prepare for and conduct elicitation

• Identify the inputs needed to start elicitation (business objectives, scope, stakeholders, constraints, existing artifacts).
• Select elicitation techniques appropriate to context and risk (interviews, workshops, observation, surveys, prototyping).
• Prepare elicitation sessions to maximize signal (clear questions, examples, data requests, pre-reads).
• Facilitate elicitation to uncover true needs and constraints (probe assumptions, separate outcomes from features).
• Capture information in a structured way that supports later analysis (decisions, open items, definitions).
• Identify and mitigate common elicitation risks (dominant voices, groupthink, solution bias, missing stakeholders).
• Confirm elicitation outcomes with stakeholders (summaries, playback, validation reviews) to reduce rework.

Task 2 — Analyze and decompose requirements

• Differentiate business, stakeholder, solution (functional/nonfunctional), and transition requirements.
• Decompose high-level needs into detailed requirements without losing intent or creating contradictions.
• Identify requirement dependencies and constraints (business rules, data constraints, system interfaces).
• Detect ambiguous or overloaded terms and establish a shared glossary to reduce misinterpretation.
• Specify nonfunctional requirements using measurable attributes (SLAs, performance targets, security controls).
• Identify gaps, overlaps, and conflicts among requirements and propose resolution options.
• Ensure requirements reflect end-to-end user journeys, including exceptions and error handling.

Task 3 — Model processes, decisions, and interactions

• Create process models (current/future state) that capture triggers, steps, roles, and handoffs.
• Use decision models (decision tables/trees, business rules catalogs) to clarify complex logic and exceptions.
• Select interaction models (use cases, user stories, story maps) appropriate for the delivery approach.
• Identify and model edge cases (alternative flows, exception handling, invalid data scenarios).
• Use visual models to reconcile stakeholder misunderstandings and confirm shared meaning.
• Maintain model consistency with textual requirements (no mismatched names, rules, or states).
• Explain model limitations and assumptions so teams interpret them correctly.

Task 4 — Model data and information requirements

• Identify key business entities, attributes, and relationships required to support the solution.
• Create data models at the appropriate level (conceptual/logical) and map them to requirements.
• Define data quality requirements (accuracy, completeness, timeliness, lineage) and ownership/stewardship.
• Identify data privacy and security requirements (classification, access controls, retention, audit).
• Map information flows between systems and stakeholders to surface integration and reporting needs.
• Define reporting and analytics requirements (KPIs, dimensions, filters, drilldowns, frequency).
• Recognize data migration and conversion needs as transition requirements.

Task 5 — Verify and validate requirements quality

• Apply requirement quality characteristics (clear, concise, unambiguous, feasible, verifiable, traceable).
• Conduct requirement reviews and walkthroughs to identify defects and missing coverage.
• Validate requirements against business objectives and stakeholder needs to confirm they solve the right problem.
• Detect contradictions between requirements, policies, and business rules and propose resolution options.
• Use prototypes, mockups, and examples to validate understanding of complex requirements.
• Define how requirements will be tested and ensure testability is built into requirement wording.
• Manage open issues from validation (log, prioritize, assign owners, close with evidence).

Task 6 — Prioritize and negotiate requirements

• Prioritize requirements using structured techniques (MoSCoW, weighted scoring, value vs effort, pairwise).
• Differentiate prioritization for scope selection vs sequencing for delivery and dependency management.
• Negotiate trade-offs using explicit criteria (value, risk, compliance, cost, time-to-benefit) rather than opinion.
• Identify stakeholders with prioritization authority and confirm decision rights before finalizing priorities.
• Create a backlog that supports incremental delivery and learning (thin vertical slices, MVP thinking).
• Recognize and mitigate prioritization bias (loudest stakeholder, sunk cost, anchoring, over-optimism).
• Document prioritization decisions and rationale for future changes and audits.

Task 7 — Define acceptance criteria and solution requirements

• Write acceptance criteria that are measurable and testable (Given/When/Then, thresholds, examples).
• Differentiate acceptance criteria from requirements and from test cases, and explain how they relate.
• Define solution constraints and quality attributes that must be satisfied for acceptance (security, performance, usability).
• Identify acceptance responsibilities (who accepts, evidence required, sign-off process) and align stakeholders.
• Ensure acceptance criteria cover edge cases, error states, and nonfunctional expectations.
• Define trace links from acceptance criteria to requirements and test artifacts for coverage reporting.
• Recognize when acceptance criteria need refinement due to ambiguity, evolving understanding, or new constraints.

Task 8 — Assess impacts, risks, and solution readiness

• Perform impact analysis for proposed changes across processes, systems, data, people, and policies.
• Identify risks to requirements and solution delivery (unknowns, dependencies, regulatory, adoption) and propose mitigations.
• Assess solution readiness using defined criteria (requirements maturity, test coverage, stakeholder acceptance, training readiness).
• Identify organizational change impacts (roles, training, communications, incentives) and define transition requirements.
• Evaluate whether requirement changes preserve alignment to business objectives and value case assumptions.
• Recommend scope adjustments based on evidence (cost/benefit shifts, risk changes, new constraints).
• Communicate readiness and impact findings in a decision-ready form (options, trade-offs, recommended next steps).

Traceability and Monitoring (15%)

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Task 1 — Maintain end-to-end requirements traceability

• Build a traceability structure that links business objectives to requirements, design elements, tests, and benefits.
• Identify and fix traceability gaps (orphan requirements, missing tests, unlinked objectives) before they become delivery risk.
• Use traceability to support impact analysis when changes are proposed (what breaks, what must be updated).
• Maintain traceability across incremental delivery (iterations/releases) without losing version history.
• Recognize when traceability is required for compliance/audit and define the evidence needed.
• Use traceability to communicate scope coverage and to prevent uncontrolled scope expansion.
• Define ownership for maintaining trace links and establish quality checks for link accuracy.

Task 2 — Monitor requirements status and health

• Track requirements status through the lifecycle (draft, reviewed, approved, implemented, tested, accepted).
• Define and monitor quality metrics for requirements (defect counts, churn rate, review cycle time, rework).
• Identify warning signs that requirements are unstable (high churn, unclear ownership, repeated misunderstandings).
• Monitor backlog health (prioritized, sized, dependencies clear, acceptance criteria present).
• Detect misalignment between requirements artifacts and actual delivery work (shadow scope, undocumented changes).
• Report requirements status in a decision-ready format (what changed, why, impact, required decisions).
• Trigger corrective actions when status or metrics indicate unacceptable risk to value or schedule.

Task 3 — Manage changes and control scope

• Initiate and document requirement changes using agreed change control processes and tooling.
• Perform impact analysis for changes (cost, schedule, quality, risk, benefits, compliance) and summarize trade-offs.
• Distinguish legitimate evolution (learning) from scope creep and apply appropriate governance responses.
• Update baselines, models, and trace links to keep artifacts consistent after a change is approved.
• Manage dependency-driven changes (one change forces updates elsewhere) and avoid partial/inconsistent updates.
• Communicate approved changes to all affected parties (delivery teams, QA, operations, training, support).
• Maintain a clear audit trail of changes, approvals, and rationale for later reviews or compliance needs.

Task 4 — Facilitate alignment and monitor stakeholder agreement

• Facilitate requirement review sessions to achieve alignment, resolve conflicts, and confirm decisions.
• Identify stakeholders whose approval is required and confirm the evidence needed to gain that approval.
• Detect “false agreement” (silent disagreement, unresolved conflicts) and use facilitation techniques to surface it.
• Maintain a decision log and ensure decisions are reflected in requirements artifacts and delivery plans.
• Manage communication in distributed teams to prevent divergence (single source of truth, version control, cadence).
• Use demos and incremental reviews to validate requirements interpretation and reduce downstream defects.
• Escalate unresolved conflicts appropriately while preserving relationships and focusing on objectives.

Task 5 — Monitor alignment to objectives and benefits assumptions

• Confirm that delivered scope continues to align with business objectives and value assumptions from the business case.
• Monitor benefits assumptions that may change over time (market shifts, regulatory changes, resource constraints).
• Identify when requirements should be re-prioritized due to new information, risks, or stakeholder feedback.
• Define leading indicators that show whether the solution is likely to achieve intended outcomes.
• Recommend course corrections when monitoring reveals misalignment (scope change, design adjustment, process change).
• Ensure traceability supports benefits tracking (which requirements enable which outcomes).
• Communicate changes in alignment or benefit outlook to governance stakeholders with options and rationale.

Evaluation (10%)

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Task 1 — Evaluate solution performance and value realization

• Define evaluation criteria and KPIs that reflect business outcomes rather than only output/activity measures.
• Collect and interpret performance data to determine whether the solution is meeting success criteria.
• Distinguish leading indicators from lagging indicators and explain how each supports decisions.
• Identify reasons value is not realized (adoption issues, process gaps, data issues, training gaps) and propose fixes.
• Perform benefits realization checks against original assumptions and document variances.
• Evaluate unintended consequences (new risks, compliance exposure, operational burden) and recommend mitigation.
• Communicate evaluation findings as actionable recommendations with priority and expected impact.

Task 2 — Validate requirements fulfillment and acceptance

• Confirm that implemented features satisfy approved requirements and acceptance criteria using evidence (tests, demos, UAT).
• Identify gaps between requirements and delivered solution and determine whether they are defects, scope changes, or misunderstandings.
• Support user acceptance testing by defining scenarios, acceptance criteria, and evidence requirements.
• Verify nonfunctional requirements are met using measurable thresholds (performance, security, availability, usability).
• Manage acceptance decisions and sign-offs with appropriate governance and documentation.
• Ensure traceability supports coverage reporting (requirements → tests → results) and identify missing coverage.
• Recommend actions when acceptance criteria are not met (fix, defer, re-scope, or change the requirement with approval).

Task 3 — Recommend improvements and manage outcomes

• Identify improvement opportunities based on evaluation results, stakeholder feedback, and performance data.
• Recommend corrective and preventive actions that address root causes rather than treating symptoms.
• Prioritize improvements using explicit value/risk criteria and align them to governance decision-making.
• Define how improvements will be validated (metrics, acceptance criteria, monitoring plan).
• Document lessons learned and update organizational knowledge assets to improve future BA work.
• Recognize when the solution should be retired, replaced, or scaled based on value and constraints.
• Facilitate decision-making among stakeholders when improvements compete for limited capacity.

Task 4 — Support transition, adoption, and sustainment

• Identify transition requirements (training, communications, data migration, operational readiness, support model).
• Plan and support adoption activities that drive value realization (enablement, job aids, process updates).
• Define operational handoff criteria and ensure responsibilities are clear (ownership, SLAs, escalation).
• Assess readiness for go-live and recommend go/no-go decisions based on evidence and risk thresholds.
• Monitor early-life support signals (incident trends, user feedback, performance metrics) and triage quickly.
• Coordinate post-implementation review activities and ensure outcomes feed back into governance decisions.
• Ensure documentation and traceability are sufficient for ongoing maintenance and auditability.

Tip: In scenario questions, the best answer is often the one that makes analysis decision-ready: clarify outcomes, pick the right technique, make trade-offs explicit, and keep scope/value traceable through change.

Sources: PMI-PBA Handbook (revised 24 May 2022); PMI business analysis practice guidance (including Business Analysis for Practitioners).