Design how business systems fit together: map the landscape, draw data flows, choose build or buy, specify integrations and data migrations, and deliver with UAT and change management.

Solution Design & Integration

Pick the system: the Harbor Outfitters CRM loyalty feature, or a system you use at work or school. Write 3 requirements or user stories it must meet.

Write the plan outline: scope (in and out), 3 entry criteria, testers by role, defect severity levels (1 to 4 with one-line definitions) and 3 exit criteria.

Write a happy-path UAT script for the most important requirement with ID, requirement reference, preconditions with specific test data, numbered steps and an expected result for each step.

Write a negative script for the same requirement (invalid input, missing record or permission denied).

Write a failure or edge script (an interface is down, a name with an apostrophe or accent, a refund reversing an earlier action).

Ask someone who has never seen the system to read one script. Mark every place they were unsure what to do or what to expect, and rewrite those steps.

Add a results section to each script: actual result, pass/fail, defect ID, tester and date.

## Why it matters

A system can pass every technical test and still fail on its first morning, because it does not fit how people actually work. **User acceptance testing (UAT)** is where the business confirms that the system meets its needs, using realistic scenarios, before it goes live. The analyst usually plans UAT, writes or reviews the scripts and runs the triage meetings, because the analyst knows the requirements best.

## Where UAT sits

```text
Unit tests          developers test small pieces of code
Integration tests   interfaces between systems work (APIs, files)
System tests        the whole system against the specification (QA team)
UAT                 business users confirm it supports their work
```

UAT is not a hunt for every bug; earlier test levels do that. It answers one question: **can we run the business on this?** It needs a stable test environment, realistic (but anonymised) data, and real users from each affected group.

## The UAT plan

A short plan covers:

- **Scope:** which processes and requirements are tested, and which are out of scope.
- **Entry criteria:** what must be true before UAT starts (for example: system test passed, no open critical defects, test data loaded, users trained).
- **Testers and schedule:** named people from each group (store staff, customer service, marketing, finance) with time released from their normal work.
- **Defect process:** how to log a defect, severity levels, and who decides what is fixed before go-live.
- **Exit criteria:** what "accepted" means (for example: all critical scenarios passed, no open severity 1 or 2 defects, workarounds agreed for the rest) and who signs.

## Writing UAT scripts

Each script tests one business scenario, traced back to a requirement or user story, in steps a non-technical user can follow:

```text
ID:            UAT-LOY-03
Requirement:   US-12 "As a store associate I can look up a customer's points at checkout"
Preconditions: Test customer Ana Rivera (HO-1001) exists with 1,250 points.
               Tester is logged into the POS test till as a store associate.

Step  Action                                       Expected result
1     Scan a test item and choose Find customer    Search box appears
2     Search by phone number 555-0101              Ana Rivera is shown as the only match
3     Select Ana Rivera                            Points balance shows 1,250
4     Complete the sale of 49.99 with card         Receipt shows points earned: 49
5     Look up Ana Rivera again                     Balance shows 1,299

Actual result / Pass or Fail / Defect ID / Tester / Date
```

Good scripts have **specific data** ("1,250 points", not "some points"), one clear **expected result** per step, and cover more than the happy path. For each important requirement add negative and edge cases: a customer with no loyalty account, a refund that must remove points, the API being unavailable (the sale must still complete), a name with an apostrophe or accent.

Acceptance criteria written as Given/When/Then in the Business & Systems Analysis course convert almost directly into UAT scripts; that is one reason to write them well.

## Running UAT

- Start with a short kick-off: how to use the scripts, how to log defects.
- Hold a daily triage meeting to review new defects, agree severity and assign them.
- Track progress visibly: scripts passed, failed, blocked; defects open by severity.
- Re-test fixes with the original script, and run a small **regression** set to check nothing else broke.
- End with formal sign-off by the business owner against the exit criteria.

## Common mistakes

- Using IT staff as UAT testers; they test what was built, not how the work is done.
- Vague expected results ("works correctly").
- Production customer data in a test environment without anonymisation.
- Starting UAT on an unstable build, so testers lose confidence.
- No exit criteria, so UAT ends when the calendar says so.

## Quick recap

- UAT confirms the business can operate on the system; it comes after system testing.
- Plan scope, entry and exit criteria, testers, schedule and the defect process.
- Scripts trace to requirements, use specific data and expected results, and include negative cases.

## Try it

In the Do tab you write a UAT plan outline and three scripts.


Plan user acceptance testing and write UAT scripts that business users can run.

Test planning and UAT

Software Testing Process Guide: What is User Acceptance Testing - UAT?

How To Write Test Cases and Test Scripts For QA Testing

Pick the change: the Harbor Outfitters CRM go-live, or a system or process change you have seen at work or school.

Write a change impact table: 3 to 5 affected groups, what changes for each, and how big the impact is (low/medium/high).

For the most affected group, write one action for each ADKAR stage (awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, reinforcement).

Write a role-based training plan: who is trained, on what, how (hands-on, guide, video), when relative to go-live, and how you check they learned it.

Write a cutover runbook of at least 10 tasks with time, task, owner and dependency, including a freeze, the final migration, reconciliation, two go/no-go checkpoints and smoke tests.

Write the rollback steps and the latest time a rollback is still possible.

Define 3 adoption measures you would track in the first month and the target for each.

## Why it matters

Projects rarely fail because the software does not work. They fail because people do not use it, use it wrongly, or quietly keep their old spreadsheet. **Organisational change management** is the planned work of helping people move from the old way to the new one. **Cutover** is the planned work of moving the systems. A systems analyst often owns or contributes to both, because they understand the processes that are changing.

## The core idea: people move through stages

Many models describe how individuals accept change. Prosci's ADKAR model is widely used and easy to apply. A person needs:

1. **Awareness** of why the change is happening.
2. **Desire** to take part and support it.
3. **Knowledge** of how to work in the new way.
4. **Ability** to actually do it on the job.
5. **Reinforcement** so the change sticks.

Training only delivers Knowledge. If store staff do not understand why the old customer database is going (Awareness) or think the CRM will slow down checkout (Desire), training alone will not work. Kotter's eight-step model is another common framework, aimed more at leading change across a whole organisation.

## The change plan

- **Change impact assessment:** for each group, what changes in their daily work. For example, store associates now look customers up by phone at the till; marketing builds segments in the CRM instead of spreadsheets; customer service sees loyalty history.
- **Stakeholder and sponsor plan:** a visible senior sponsor, plus **change champions** (respected staff in each store who get early access and help colleagues).
- **Communications plan:** who hears what, when and from whom. Messages come from managers people trust, start early, explain why, and repeat.
- **Training plan:** role-based, close to go-live, hands-on in a training environment, with quick reference guides at the till.
- **Support plan:** extra help in the first weeks (floor walkers, a dedicated support channel), and measures of adoption.

## Cutover planning

The **cutover plan** (or runbook) is an hour-by-hour list of every task needed to switch from old to new:

```text
Harbor Outfitters CRM cutover, Saturday 18:00 to Sunday 20:00

T-14d  Go/no-go criteria agreed; final rehearsal passed and timed
T-2d   Communications: stores told old database becomes read-only Sat 18:00
Sat
18:00  Freeze: old customer database set to read-only          (DB admin)
18:30  Final extract of customers and points                    (Migration lead)
19:00  Transform and load into CRM                              (Migration lead)
02:00  Reconciliation report: counts and points totals          (Analyst)
03:00  Go/no-go checkpoint 1: reconciliation accepted?          (Business owner)
Sun
08:00  Switch POS and web shop integrations to CRM              (Integration lead)
10:00  Smoke tests: 10 scripted transactions in two test stores (UAT leads)
12:00  Go/no-go checkpoint 2 (point of no return)               (Sponsor)
Mon
07:00  Floor walkers in all stores; hypercare channel open      (Support lead)
```

Every task has an owner, a start time, a duration and a dependency. The plan includes **go/no-go checkpoints** with written criteria, and a **rollback plan**: the exact steps to switch back to the old system if a checkpoint fails, and the latest time a rollback is still possible. After go-live, a **hypercare** period (often two to four weeks) gives fast support and daily defect reviews before normal support takes over.

## Measuring adoption

Decide in advance how you will know the change worked: percentage of sales with a loyalty lookup, number of old spreadsheets still in use, support tickets per store per day, staff confidence survey scores. If adoption stalls in one store, the champion and manager follow up.

## Common mistakes

- Treating change as a single training session the week before go-live.
- Communications that announce what is happening but never explain why.
- Cutover plans with no owners, no timings or no rollback.
- Switching off the old system with no read-only access for look-ups.
- Declaring success at go-live instead of after adoption is measured.

## Quick recap

- ADKAR: awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, reinforcement; training covers only knowledge.
- Plan impacts, sponsors and champions, communications, role-based training and support.
- A cutover runbook lists every task with owner and time, go/no-go checkpoints, rollback and hypercare.

## Try it

In the Do tab you write a training plan and a cutover runbook.


Plan the people side of go-live: stakeholders, training, communications and a cutover runbook.

Change management

What is Organizational Change Management? | Introduction to Change Management

Cutover Plan: What Happens After Go Live

## Why it matters

Systems analyst job adverts often mention business analysis certifications, and some employers and government contracts prefer or require them. A certification will not replace experience, but it gives you a shared vocabulary with other analysts, a structured view of the whole discipline, and a signal to employers that you take the profession seriously. The key is choosing the right one for where you are now, because some require years of documented experience.

## The IIBA certifications

The [International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA)](https://www.iiba.org/business-analysis-certifications/) offers a core ladder based on its guide, *A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge* (the **BABOK Guide**):

| Certification | Who it is for | Experience needed |
|---|---|---|
| [ECBA](https://www.iiba.org/business-analysis-certifications/ecba/) (Entry Certificate in Business Analysis) | New analysts and career changers | None; requires business analysis training hours |
| [CCBA](https://www.iiba.org/business-analysis-certifications/ccba/) (Certification of Capability in Business Analysis) | Analysts with a few years' practice | Documented business analysis work experience |
| [CBAP](https://www.iiba.org/business-analysis-certifications/cbap/) (Certified Business Analysis Professional) | Senior analysts | Substantial documented experience across the BABOK knowledge areas |

IIBA also offers specialist certifications, for example in agile analysis, business data analytics, cybersecurity analysis and product ownership analysis.

The BABOK Guide organises the discipline into knowledge areas: business analysis planning and monitoring; elicitation and collaboration; requirements life cycle management; strategy analysis; requirements analysis and design definition; and solution evaluation. Most of this course and the Business & Systems Analysis course map directly onto them: stakeholder interviews (elicitation), process and data-flow models (requirements analysis and design definition), build-versus-buy (strategy analysis), and UAT and adoption measures (solution evaluation).

## The PMI option

The Project Management Institute (PMI), best known for the PMP, has offered a business analysis credential, the **PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)**, aimed at analysts who work closely with project teams. PMI revises its certification portfolio from time to time, so check the [PMI certifications page](https://www.pmi.org/certifications) for the current name, eligibility and whether it is still open to new candidates before you plan around it.

The general difference in flavour: IIBA certifications cover business analysis as a discipline in its own right, while PMI's credential frames analysis within project and programme delivery.

Checked on 2026-10-23. Eligibility hours, training requirements, exam formats, fees and renewal rules all change. Read the official handbook on the IIBA or PMI site before you apply, and do not rely on numbers from videos, forums or this lesson.

## Choosing

- **New to analysis, or changing career?** The ECBA is the usual starting point because it requires no prior experience. Pair it with portfolio evidence: a process map, a set of user stories and a mapping document from your coursework.
- **A few years in?** The CCBA, or a specialist certificate that matches your role (for example agile or data analytics).
- **Senior, leading analysis on large projects?** The CBAP.
- **Working mainly inside a PMO or project-driven organisation?** Look at what PMI currently offers, and at what your employer recognises.
- **Ask your employer.** Many pay exam fees, and some have a preferred body.

## Logging experience

The senior certifications require you to document your experience, often by project, hours and knowledge area, and may require references. Start a simple log now, even if you are years away from applying:

```text
Project:   CRM replacement, Harbor Outfitters (coursework case)
Dates:     2026-10 to 2026-12
Hours:     40
Areas:     Elicitation (stakeholder interviews), Requirements analysis
           (DFDs, STTM), Solution evaluation (UAT scripts)
Evidence:  Diagrams and mapping in portfolio folder
Reference: Course instructor / team lead
```

Real job experience counts; coursework usually does not count toward experience hours, but logging it builds the habit and your portfolio.

## Common mistakes

- Paying for an exam you are not yet eligible for; check eligibility first.
- Memorising the BABOK without being able to apply it to a real case.
- Expecting the certificate alone to get you hired; portfolios and experience matter more.
- Relying on old blog posts for eligibility rules.

## Quick recap

- IIBA's core ladder is ECBA (entry), CCBA (some experience) and CBAP (senior), based on the BABOK Guide.
- PMI has offered the PMI-PBA; check its current status on the PMI site.
- Choose by experience level and employer recognition, check the official handbook, and start logging experience now.


Compare the IIBA and PMI business analysis certifications and choose one that fits your experience.

Analyst certifications

IIBA Certifications Explained: ECBA, CCBA, CBAP

Everything you need to know about the IIBA CBAP Certification

Plan user acceptance testing, training and cutover, and choose an analyst certification.