BCS Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis

On completion of Business Analysis Foundation course, delegates will:

• Recognise the scope, skills, and competencies required of the business analyst role

• Recall a business analysis process model that can be used as a framework for delivery of the role

• Understand how a business strategy is developed

• Know approaches to stakeholder identification, analysis management and perspectives

• Be able to choose optimal investigation and modelling techniques for given problem situations

• Know the key elements of gap analysis and business case development

• Recognise a framework for requirements engineering and solution delivery

What is Business Analysis

• The origins and development of business analysis

• Taking a holistic approach

• The role and responsibilities of a business analyst

The competenceis of a Business Analyst

• Personal Qualities, Business Knowledge, Professional techniques

• The development of competencies

Strategy Analysis

• The context for strategy

• The defintion and development of strategy

• External and Internal environmental analysis

• SWOT analysis and Executing strategy

The Business Analysis Process Model

• An approach to problem-solving

• Stages, Objectives, Procedures, and Techniques of the business analysis process model

Investigation Techniques

• Interviews, Observation, Workshops, Scenarios, Prototyping, Quantitative approaches

• Documenting the current situation

Stakeholder Analysis and Management

• Stakeholder categories and identification

• Analysis and managing stakeholders

• Understanding Stakeholders perspectives

• Business activity models

Modelling Business Processes 

 • Organisational context and alternative view

• The organisational view of business processes

• Value propositions

• As-is and To-be Process models

• Improving business processes

Defining the solution

• Gap analysis

• Business Architecture

Making a Business and Financial Case

• The business case in the project lifecycle

• Identifying options and assessing feasability

• Structure of a business case

• Cost/Benefit analysis and Investment appraisal

Establishing the Requirements

• A framework for requirements engineering

• Actors in requirements engineering

• Requirements elicitation, analysis, and validation

Documenting and Managing the Requirements

• The requirements document

• The requirements catalogue

• Managing requirements

Modelling Requirements

• Modelling system functions

• Modelling system data

Delivering the Requirements

• Delivering the solution

• Context and Lifecycles

Delivering the Business Solution

• BA role in the business change lifecycle

• Design, Implementation, and Realisation stages

There are no prerequisites but students are advised that the course covers a range of topics from each chapter of the BCS Business Analysis, Paul, Yeates & Cadle (3rd edition). At a minimum, students will be expected to have read chapter 4 of this book, and to be familiar with the content of the book’s other chapters.

The certificate is relevant to anyone requiring a general understanding or introduction to Business Analysis, including business analysts, business managers and their staff, business change managers and project managers

This syllabus has an accompanying 1-hour examination that the candidate must pass to gain the BCS Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis. This certificate is one of the four modules needed to gain the internationally recognised BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis.