Course Overview

The Foundation in Business Analysis course introduces a broad range of techniques within the structure of the business analysis process model. It forms an excellent introduction to business analysis, providing participants with knowledge that underpins the Practitioner level BCS BA qualifications. Key areas covered include:

• Examination of the competencies of a Business Analyst
• Strategy Analysis
• Investigation techniques
• Stakeholder analysis and management
• Modelling business systems and processes
• Requirements engineering
• Making a business and financial case

Introduction to business analysis

• The rationale for business analysis
• The development of business analysis
• The scope of business analysis
• The responsibilities of a business analyst

Competencies of the business analyst

• The Business Analysis Maturity Model
• The competencies of a business analyst

Business strategy analysis

• The strategic context
• Strategic analysis techniques
• SWOT analysis
• Implementing strategy

The Business Analysis Process Model

• The lifecycle for business analysis
• Creative problem-solving approach
• Stages of the process model
• Deliverables and techniques for each stage

Investigation techniques

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

Stakeholder analysis and management

• Categorising stakeholders
• Analysing stakeholders
• Stakeholder management

Modelling the business system

• Soft systems methodology
• Documenting business situations
• Business perspectives
• Business activity models
• Business events and business rules
• Performance measures
• Gap analysis

Modelling business processes

• Organisational view of processes
• Value chain and value propositions
• Business process modelling techniques
• Improving business processes

Gathering the requirements

• Requirements engineering framework
• Actors in requirements engineering
• Requirements elicitation
• Requirements analysis
• Requirements validation

Documenting and managing requirements

• The requirements document
• The requirements catalogue
• Types of requirement
• Managing requirements

Modelling requirements

• Modelling functionality
• Modelling data

Delivering the requirements

• Delivering the solution
• Delivery lifecycles - waterfall, V model, incremental, iterative

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
• Realising the benefits

Implementing business change

• The change management process
• The emotional impact of change