BCS Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis

This classroom-based course a broad survey of the range of activities undertaken by business analysts and the tools and techniques available to them.

Introduction to business analysis

• The origins of business analysis
• The development of business analysis
• The scope of business analysis
• The role and responsibilities of the business analyst

The competencies of a business analyst

• Personal, business and professional competencies
• Competency development

Business strategy analysis

• The strategic context
• Strategy development
• Strategic analysis techniques
• SWOT analysis
• Executing strategy

The Business Analysis Process Model

• An approach to problem-solving
• Stages of the business analysis process model
• Techniques and activities for each stage

Investigation techniques

• Interviewing and workshops
• Observation approaches
• Scenarios and prototyping
• Quantitative investigation techniques
• Documenting the current situation

Stakeholder analysis and management

• Identifying and categorising stakeholders
• Analysing stakeholders
• Stakeholder management strategies
• Stakeholder perspectives
• Business activity models

Modelling business processes

• Functional and process views
• The organisational view of business processes
• Value propositions
• As is business process models
• Business events
• Improving business processes
• To be business process models

Defining the solution

• Gap analysis
• Introduction to business architecture
• Business architecture techniques

Making a business and financial case

• The business case in the project lifecycle
• Identifying options
• Assessing feasibility
• Structure of a business case
• Investment appraisal techniques

Requirements engineering

• Requirements engineering and the systems development lifecycle
• The requirements engineering framework
• Actors in requirements engineering
• Requirements elicitation
• Requirements analysis
• Documenting requirements
• Requirements validation
• Managing requirements

Modelling requirements

• Modelling system functions
• Modelling system data

Delivering the requirements

• Delivering the solution
• Development lifecycles

Delivering the business solution

• BA role in the business change lifecycle
• Design and Implementation
• The SARAH model
• Realisation of benefit