Course Overview
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. You will learn how to investigate business problems, and how to identify and recommend appropriate creative solutions.
Course Content
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
Understanding the situation/issues:
Stakeholder identification; Overview of investigative techniques; Representing a holistic view of the business situation
Stakeholder analysis and management:
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
Building 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 you to undertake a simulated business analysis assignment
Virtual Learning (Option)
This course is also available virtually through the GTA, tutor led in real time but with the benefit of accessing it from the comfort of your office or your own home and these courses run regularly. The length of the course and the content are exactly the same as with the classroom option.
Please email us on [email protected] if you would like to receive the cost, which can vary, depending on available dates for your chosen professional qualification.
Course Benefits
At the end of this course you will be able to:
- Describe the rationale for Business Analysis
- Use strategic analysis techniques to understand the strategic context
- Explain techniques to investigate an organisation's current situation
- 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 including investment appraisal
Anyone wishing to acquire the skill set required for analysing and addressing business problems and wishing to attain the BCS Business Systems Development Certificate in Business Analysis Practice would benefit from attending this course.
This qualification can form part of the BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis and covers the knowledge-based element of the qualification. Further modules for the Diploma are available at the GTA. Please see the related course links below for more information on these modules.
Assessment
At the end of the course you may sit an examination to attain the BCS Business Systems Development Certificate in Business Analysis Practice.
BCS Business Analysis Practice Exam (One Hour Multiple Choice).
If you are taking the BCS exam you must bring photographic identification with you (passport, driving license 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.
Prerequisites
You will need to be able to commit to some homework (reading and revision) each night during the course (approx. 1 hour per evening).
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.
Next Steps
If you would like to book a place on this course please click on the ‘Book Course’ button to the right of this page and login or register for a user account to complete your booking(s). Any queries please do not hesitate to contact us via [email protected] or call us on 01481 244570.
If no date is scheduled for this course at the present time please click on the ‘Register Interest’ button and login or register for a user account so that we can add you to our course interest register. This register allows us to contact our tutors and finalise dates for a course as soon as we have a few people who have expressed their interest, so the more delegates who register their interest, the sooner we can schedule a particular course.