Whether you’re looking for training to help improve your BA skills, to advance towards a promotion, or to help with IIBA certification, here are 6 questions that will help you determine if a particular program or course is best for you.

1. What are your business objectives? Are you taking BA training just to “check the box” towards certification…or do you need the deeper knowledge and peer-to-peer interaction that can quickly advance your skills and career, as well as PDUs/CEUs?
2. Are the trainers also currently practitioners? Can they share fresh, real-world insights and experiences that come from working on complex client projects, or are they primarily instructors who do not interface with stakeholders and SMEs?
3. Is the program both IIBA and PMI certified? Will it meet your needs for business analysis PDUs and CEUs while giving you in-depth knowledge?
4. Is the instructional approach designed to be immediately useful and fun? Research shows that learners get more immediate use from classes if instruction is interactive and fun, because learners retain more and can use what they’ve learned faster.
5. Does the course material use leading-edge approaches to software requirements, visual models, and requirements elicitation? Will it provide you direct access to thought leadership in software requirements?
6. Is it the best investment of your time and training budget? If you’re going to spend time on a business analysis class, will you get more than “check the box” value from your investment?

There are lots of options for business analyst training, including ArgonDigital’s training. I hope these questions help you determine what you need from training, and what training might have lasting, career-building value.