Description
BCS Certificate in Business Analysis
Business Analysts are increasingly required to extend themselves beyond their traditional role of developing and maintaining IT systems. They need the capability to understand the business strategy, use proven techniques to analyse the business area, and identify changes to business processes needed to meet internal and external challenges.
This course develops the skills needed to work with senior business and IT staff to analyse and model business activities. Delegates will learn how to investigate business problems, and how to identify and recommend appropriate creative solutions.
At the end of the course delegates may sit an examination to attain the BCS Certificate in Business Analysis Practice.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for attending this course. This course is designed for anyone wishing to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to be a Business Analyst and/or acquire the BCS diploma in Business Analysis.
- If you are taking a BCS exam you must bring photographic identification with you (passport, driving licence or student card), as it is a BCS requirement to produce it for the invigilator prior to the exam. Failure to produce a valid form of photographic identification will result in a candidate not being able to sit the exam. For any questions about what form of identification is acceptable please contact our team.
- BCS allow additional time for candidates who have a disability or whose native language differs to that of the examination paper. Full details are provided in the BCS Reasonable Adjustments Policy which is available to view on the BCS website. If you believe you qualify for this then please notify the Exam Administration team on the details below as early as possible. At least two weeks’ notice will be required for processing this request. Delegates failing to advise us and provide evidence when requested, may not be allowed the additional support offered via the BCS policy.
Delegates will learn how to
At the end of this course you will be able to:
- Describe how a business strategy is developed
- Use strategic analysis techniques
- Describe the need for project discipline
- Explain techniques to investigate an organisation’s business systems
- Describe an approach to improving business systems
- Explain the importance of stakeholder management and use a stakeholder analysis technique
- Use techniques for the analysis and modelling of business systems
- Describe how recommendations for business improvement may be identified
- Describe the contents of a rigorous business case for the development and implementation of business changes
- Identify costs, benefits, impacts and risks for an option in a business case
Outline
- Rationale: A lifecycle for business change; The role of the Business Analyst within the lifecycle for business change; Other roles within the lifecycle for business change; Purpose of analysing and modelling business systems; The framework business analysis activities
- Understanding the strategic context: Internal environment analysis; External environment analysis; SWOT analysis; Critical Success Factors, Key Performance Indicators and Performance Targets; The Balanced Business Scorecard as a framework for identifying CSFs and KPIs
- Project discipline for business analysis studies: Terms of reference/project initiation; Business and project objectives; Deliverables from business analysis studies
- Understanding the situation/issues: Stakeholder identification; Overview of investigative techniques; Representing an holistic view of the business situation
- Analysing stakeholder perspectives: Stakeholder analysis; Identifying different perspectives; Defining perspectives
Analysing and modelling business activities; Developing a conceptual business activity model from a perspective; Identifying business events; Analysing business rules; Building consensus by resolving conflicts - Identifying potential solutions: Gap analysis – comparing the ideal and existing systems; Defining a new business model; Identifying IS/IT requirements to support the new business model
- Making the business case: Structure of a business case; Identifying options for business change; Identifying and categorising costs and benefits; Identifying and categorising risks, Identifying impacts; The lifecycle for the business case
- Case Study: A case study allows the delegates to undertake a simulated business analysis assignment
