BCS Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis

Stepping into the World of Business Analysis

Understanding the Duties of A Business Analyst
Learn to Develop Business Strategies
Evaluate and Model Business Systems using various techniques
High Salaries Post Certification
Learn the concepts from Certified Instructors and Globally known Training Providers

The world around us is made up of a vast number of things with each of them being provided by one business or another. How does it become possible for a business to know what the customer wants and what will benefit both the customer and the business as well? This precisely is the job of a Business Analyst. Business Analysis is not a new thing in the world of business, but yes, it is the new buzz word. Earlier the job was done by anybody working at a managerial level in an organisation. Now Business Analyst is a job profile itself.

We at Pentagon Training provide this course so that the delegates can understand the concepts of Business Analysis right from those who know Business Analysis inside-out.

Who should take this course

Project Managers
System Analysts

Prerequisites

The course has no prerequisites. The delegates should, however, have the abilities and knowledge to understand the objectives of this course.

What Will You Learn

After course completion the delegates will have gained an insight of the following modules:

The Role And Competencies Of A Business Analyst
Strategy Analysis
Business System And Business Process Modelling
Stakeholder Analysis
Investigation And Modelling Techniques
Requirements Engineering
Business Case Development

Tutor Support

Certificate

Courseware

Key Learning Points

Course Overview

This certification provides a foundation for BCS specialist BCS certificates in the areas of Business Analysis, IS Consultancy and Business Change. The certification forms a part of the expert module for the Diploma in Business Analysis and also lays the foundation for professional courses in other disciplines, notably Project Managers and System Developers. It is also one of the courses that can be covered as a part of the Knowledge-based modules for the BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis.

Exams

During the exam, the candidate is required to answer 40 questions in 60 minutes. Though it is not mandatory, delegates are required to have attended the accredited training for this course. The exam for this course can be given both on paper as well as on-line. To get the certification, the candidate must score 65% i.e. 26 out of 40 minimum pass marks. BCS does not allow using calculators during the exam.

What is Business Analysis?
- The origins of business analysis
- The development of business analysis
  - The impact of outsourcing
  - Competitive advantage of using IT
  - Successful business change
  - The importance of the business analyst
  - Business analysts as internal consultants
- The scope of business analysis work
  - The range of analysis activities
  - Strategic analysis and definition
  - IT systems analysis
  - Business analysis
- Taking a holistic approach
- Business Analyst – Roles and Responsibilities
  - Description of the business analyst role
  - Further aspects of the business analyst role
The Competencies of a Business Analyst
- Personal qualities
- Business knowledge
- Professional techniques
- The development of competencies
Strategy Analysis
- The context for strategy
- The definition of strategy
- Policy development
- External environment analysis
  - PESTLE analysis
  - Porter’s five forces model
- Internal environment analysis
  - MOST analysis
  - Resource Audit
  - Boston Box
- SWOT analysis
- Executing strategy
  - The McKinsey 7-S model
  - The Balanced Business Scorecard
  - Critical Success Factors and Key Performance Indicators
The Business Analysis Process Model
- An approach to problem-solving
- Stages of the business analysis process model
  - Investigate the situation
  - Consider the perspectives
  - Analyse the needs
  - Evaluate the options
  - Define the requirements
- Objectives of the process model stages
- Procedure for each process model stage
- Techniques used within each process model stage

Investigation techniques
- Interviews
  - Advantages and disadvantages of interviewing
  - Preparing for interviewing
  - Conducting the interview
  - Following up the interview
- Observation
  - Pros and Cons of observation
  - Formal observation
  - Protocol analysis
  - Shadowing
  - Ethnographic studies
- Workshops
  - Pros and Cons of workshops
  - Preparing for the workshop
  - Facilitating the workshop
  - Techniques
  - Following the workshop
- Scenarios
  - Situations - Advantages and disadvantages
  - Process for developing scenarios
  - Documenting scenarios
- Prototyping
- Prototyping - Advantages and disadvantages
- Quantitative approaches
  - Surveys or Questionnaires
  - Special Purpose Records
  - Activity Sampling
  - Document Analysis
- Documenting the current situation
  - Rich Pictures
  - Mind Maps
Stakeholder Analysis and Management
- Stakeholder categories and identification
  - Customers
  - Partners
  - Suppliers
  - Competitors
  - Regulators
  - Owners
  - Employees
  - Managers
- Stakeholders Analysis
  - The Power/Interest Grid
- Stakeholder management strategies
  - No interest and no power
  - Some or high interest but no or little
  - No or low to high interest but some power (or influence)
  - Very less interest but high power
  - Some interest and high power (or influence)
  - Keen interest and high power (or influence)
- Managing stakeholders
  - Stakeholder plan/assessment
- The Stakeholder Perspectives – An Understanding
  - Soft Systems Methodology
  - Analysing the perspectives
  - CATWOE
- Business activity models
  - An Overview Of business activity model
  - Learn About Activity Types
  - Forming a consensus model
Modelling Business Processes
- Organisational context
  - Functional view of an organisation
- An alternative view of an organisation
- The corporate view of business processes
- Value propositions
- Process models
  - Business events
  - Developing the business process model
- Analysing the as-is process model
- Improving business processes (to-be business process)
  - Business rules
  - Simplify the process
  - Remove bottlenecks
  - Change the sequence of tasks
  - Redefine process boundary
  - Automate the processing
  - Redesign the process
Defining the solution
- Gap analysis
  - Pointing Out Focus Areas
  - The Gap Analysis Framework
  - Formulating options
- Introduction to Business Architecture
- Definition of Business Architecture
- Business Architecture techniques
  - Definition of a capability model
  - Definition of a value stream
Making a Business and Financial Case
- The business case in the project lifecycle
- Identifying options
- Assessing project feasibility
  - Business feasibility
  - Technical feasibility
  - Financial feasibility
- Structure of a business case
  - Contents of a business case
  - Categories of costs and benefits
  - Impact assessment
  - Risk assessment
- Investment Assesment
  - Payback – An Overview
  - Discounted cash flow and Internal Return Rate
Establishing the Requirements
- A framework for requirements engineering
- Actors in requirements engineering
  - The business representatives
  - The project team
- Requirements elicitation
  - Tacit and explicit knowledge
  - Requirements elicitation techniques
- Requirements analysis
  - Requirements filters
  - SMART requirements
- Requirements validation
Documenting and Managing Requirements
- The requirements document
  - Structure
  - Content of the requirements document
- The requirements catalogue
  - Types of requirements
    - functional and non-functional
    - general
    - technical
  - Hierarchy of requirements
  - Recording requirements
- Manage requirements
  - Elements of requirements management
Modelling Requirements
- Modelling system functions
  - Use case diagrams
- Modelling system data
  - Entity Relationship Diagrams
    - Entities, attributes and relationships
    - Types of relationships
  - Class Models
    - Objects and classes
    - Attributes
    - Associations
Delivering the Requirements
- Providing the solution
- Context
- Lifecycles
  - The waterfall lifecycle
  - The ‘V’ design lifecycle
  - Incremental lifecycle
  - Iterative systems development lifecycle
Delivering the Business Solution
- BA role in the organisation change lifecycle
- Design stage
  - Information and Technology
    - Design
    - Development
    - Testing
  - Implementation stage
    - SARAH model
  - Realisation stage
    - Contents of the benefits plan

About Guildford

Guildford is a large and famous town in Surrey, United Kingdom, located 27 miles (Approx 43 km) south-west of central London on the A3 trunk road midway between the Portsmouth and capital. The town has a population of approx 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford which had an estimated 146,100 inhabitants in 2015.

Guildford has historian characteristics and Saxon roots, at its site to the presence of a gap in the North Downs where the River Wey was forded by the Harrow Way in 978 AD it was home to an ancient English Royal Mint.

Modern Guildford

In the 21st century, Guildford still has a High Street paved with granite setts often denoted to as cobbles and also one of the most costly places to buy property in the UK outside London. This town has a general street market held on Fridays and Saturdays. A farmer’s market is usually held on the first Tuesday of each month. There is an office for Tourist Information, Guided Walks and various hotels such as the historic Angel Hotel which served as a coaching stop on the main London to Portsmouth stagecoach route for a long time.

Culture

In High Street, Guildford has an art gallery named Guildford House Gallery. Guildford is managed by Guildford Borough Council and in the 17th century, it was listed Grade 1. The art collection of Guildford includes works of Guildford and its surrounding area and works done by Guildford artists most importantly by John Russell R.A. Guildford council also run the Guildford Museum housing archaeology, needlework displays and local history. Smaller important fine art galleries are also situated in the High Street.

Sport

Guildford's Spectrum Leisure Centre is a national prize winning sports centre that includes a diversity of pools (for leisure and serious swimming), Ten-pin bowling, a Laser tag area, an ice rink and an athletics track, general halls used for indoor sports includes trampolining and gymnastics. The Spectrum is home to several local sports teams, including the Guildford Flames of the English Premier Ice Hockey League and Guildford City Football Club of the Combined Counties Football League. Guildford International Volleyball Club has managed to win the top of the fourth division of the National Volleyball League.