Business operations analyst
Turn an ambiguous issue into a testable problem.
Harvard / Harvard Online
Use AI at workProblem Solving and AI
Use AI to define a business problem, analyse stakeholder needs and test possible solutions.
Curriculum
- Root-cause discovery and problem framing.
- Stakeholder needs, incentives and solution requirements.
- Prototyping, stress-testing and pitching a measurable pilot.
Before you start
Designed for business professionals; no programming focus.
Who it suits
Our assessment, based on the syllabus.
Consultant or project manager
Develop and defend a recommendation.
Founder or product manager
Validate the problem before building a solution.
Expected outcomes
- Practise using AI to investigate and define a problem.
- Prepare a project brief and stakeholder analysis.
- Plan how to test a solution and measure a pilot.
Example application
Investigate slow customer onboarding and propose a measurable pilot.
Limits
- Does not teach production workflow integrations.
- Short cohort; depth depends on applying it to a real problem.
How current is it?
The 2026 offering applies LLMs to business problem solving. The outline does not promise coverage of every new AI tool.
When to choose it
Consider this when your task is to diagnose an operational problem and propose a pilot.
Sources
- Official course and syllabus ↗harvardonline.harvard.edu
Checked 20 October 2026. Confirm the current offer on the provider’s page before paying.