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 Wrexham

Wrexham

Wrexham is the largest town located in the north of Wales and also an educational, commercial, administrative, commercial and retail centre. Wrexham is located between lower Dee valley alongside England border and Weish Mountains. Historically it is the part of Denbighshire, the town became part of Clwyd in 1974, and since 1996 it has been the centre of Wrexham County Borough. According to 2011 census, Wrexham had a population of 61,603 which made it a fourth largest urban area in Wales.

History

Council purchased Parciau in the year 1907, and it later turned into a Public Park. In 1910 first cinema in Wrexham was opened. The population of Wrexham continued to grow drastically. In 1901 population was 14,966 and by 1931 it reached 18,567. The population of Wrexham crossed 40,000 for the first time in the year 1981. First-time electricity was generated in the year 1900 in Wrexham. In 1907 electric trams replaced horse-drawn trams and in 1927 they were replaced by buses.

In 1913-1917 Garden Village was built in Wrexham. In the 1920s and 1930s Wrexham council started working for slum clearance. At that time new council house estate has been constructed at Action Park. Other council estates were built at Maes Y Dre and Spring Lodge in 1930s. In 1965 boundaries of Wrexham was extended. In the 1930s at Queens Park, council estate was built. Another was established at Bryn Offa. Action Park estate was extended in the 1960s.

In 1911 Gresford Collery was opened. An explosion and fire accident at Gresford Collery in 1934 killed 261 miners, and three rescuers also died. In late 20^th century, traditional industries declined in Wrexham. Coal mining almost ended. Gresford Collary closed in 1973. In 1986 Bersham Collery was closed. New industries came into existence in Wrexham including Pharmaceuticals, engineering, chemicals, electronics and food processing. During Second World War, a big ordnance factory was built at Wrexham, and it was converted into industrial estate after 1945. In 1983 Bersham Heritage Centre was opened. In 1985 Maelor Hospital was opened. The swimming pool was constructed in 1970. In 1998 it was refurbished and renamed as Waterworld Leisure Complex. In 1999 two new shopping centres were opened in Wrexham named Henblas Square and Island Green. First Wrexham Science Festival was held in 1998. In the 21^st century, Wrexham is still a developing city. In 2002 Border Retail Park was opened. In 2008 Meadow Shopping Centre was opened. Now Wrexham has a population of 43000.