This BCS Certificate in Business Analysis Practice course takes you through an end-to-end holistic business analysis process. This holistic approach considers four aspects of a business system: the processes, the people, the organisational context, and the technology. Starting with the rationale for a holistic approach, the course provides a clear understanding of the strategic context and the project discipline needed for business analysis. You will learn how to understand the business situation and associated issues, analyse stakeholder perspectives, model business activities, identify potential solutions to business issues, and finally make the business case for potential solutions. Without this end-to-end process, much of the cost of a project is often attributable to re-work from a poor up-front analysis.
In addition, this course prepares you to take the BCS Business Analysis Practice exam at the end of the course.
Business Analysis Practice Training Delivery Methods
Business Analysis Practice Training Benefits
Recognise the role and competencies of a business analystPerform strategy analysisIdentify and analyse stakeholdersDeploy industry-standard investigation and modelling techniquesIdentify different solutions to business needsBuild a business case to prove the value of those solutions
Leverage continued support with after-course one-on-one instructor coaching and computing sandbox
Business Analysis Practise Course Outline
Prerequisites
Experience at the level of:
Exam Information
You can earn the Practitioner Certification in Business Analysis Practice if you pass the course exam.
- Open book
- One-hour written exam based on a business scenario
- Passing grade is 50%
- Exam included
This course is part of a series to earn an International Diploma in Business Analysis
The BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, offers this internationally recognised certification, enabling you to take your skills worldwide. The four modules required to apply for this certification include one foundation level course and three practitioner level courses:
Upon passing your exam, BCS will contact you to activate your membership. Once activated, you will be a BCS Associate Member and access the wealth of benefits and support to help you in your career.
- BCS Associate membership provides exclusive access to resources, content and opportunities that will enrich your career.
- Note: This offer is only available once to each exam candidate. Exam candidates who have previously benefited from free Associate Membership will not be eligible for this offer again, even if they take another qualifying BCS exam.
- Recognising the business change life-cycle
- Clarifying the role of the business analyst
- Examining other roles in business change
- Understanding the framework for business analysis
Internal and external analysis
- Analysing the Internal analysis
- Surveying the business landscape with external analysis
Linking to the internal and external business environment analysis
- Performing a SWOT analysis
- Using a SWOT analysis
- Identifying the strategic context
Executing strategy
- Balanced Business Scorecard
- Recognising Critical Success Factors and Key Performance Indicators
Critical success factors and key performance indicators
- Identifying Critical Success Factors (CSFs)
- Creating Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
- Setting performance targets
- Deploying the balanced business scorecard as a frame
- Identifying the Terms of Reference and/or Project Initiation Documentation
- Clarifying business and project objectives
Stakeholder identification
- Stakeholder wheel
- Other potential sources of information
Investigative techniques
- Investigating the current business situation
- Interviews
- Observation
- Workshops
- Document Analysis
- Focus Groups
- Questionnaires/Surveys
The Business Analysis Process Model
- Stages of the business analysis process model
- Considering the perspectives
- Analysing the needs
- Evaluating the options
- Defining the requirements
Investigating the situation
- Interviewing stakeholders
- Effective Requirements Workshops
Representing a holistic view of the business situation
- Taking a holistic view
- Using various documentation techniques
- Rich pictures
- Mind maps
- Fishbone diagrams
Identifying, categorising and analysing stakeholders
- Defining stakeholder types
- Deploying the Power/Interest Grid
Stakeholder management strategies
- Levels of power and interest
- Building a communication strategy
Understanding stakeholder perspectives
- Analysing stakeholders with CATWOE
- Creating business activity model
Creating a process model
- Pinpointing business events
- Developing the business process model
Modelling system functions and data
- Use case diagrams
- Entity Relationship Diagrams and Class Models
Gap analysis
- Identifying areas of concern
- Analysing the gap with POPIT
Introduction to Business Architecture
- Definition of Business Architecture
- Business Architecture techniques
Structuring the business case
Identifying and shortlisting options for business change
Identifying and categorising costs and benefits
- Tangible and intangible costs and benefits
- Investment appraisal techniques
Identifying and categorising risks
- Identifying risks
- Assessing the impact of the risks
- Assessing the probability of the risks
- Risk management approaches
Identifying impacts
- Organisational culture
- Organisational behaviour
The business case life-cycle
