Business Analysis Practice Training

This Business Analysis Practice course (formerly Business Analysis Essentials) provides delegates with the knowledge to become effective business analysts. The course explores business analysis practice techniques including business activity modelling, stakeholder management, SWOT analysis, and gap analysis.

During the Business Analysis Practice training course, delegates will be encouraged to apply these techniques in the context of a business analysis assignment. The stages of this assignment involve the investigation of the business situation, analysis of key issues and their root causes, gap analysis to establish the business problems and the identification and evaluation of potential solutions.

Business Analysis Practice training is administered by trainers with significant experience of practical business analysis projects. The case study supporting the course is based on a genuine consultancy assignment. Delegates are supplied with a comprehensive manual, containing detailed information about business analysis techniques and providing references for further reading.

All course materials and exam fees are included in the price.

For a detailed overview of everything you will cover on the course, download the Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis Practice Syllabus.

Business Analysis Practice Training Objectives

On completion of Business Analysis Practice training, delegates will be able to:

• Describe the development of a business strategy
• Use strategic analysis techniques
• Describe the need for project discipline
• Explain techniques to investigate the business systems of an organisation
• Describe an approach to improving business systems
• Use a stakeholder analysis technique and explain why stakeholder management is important
• Use techniques for the analysis and modelling of business systems
• Describe how to identify recommendations for business improvement
• Describe the contents of a rigorous business case to develop and implement business changes
• Identify costs, benefits, impacts and risks for an option in a business case

BCS Certification

This Business Analysis Practice course prepares participants for the one-hour, open book, examination leading to the Certificate in Business Analysis Practice offered by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. This certificate is a core module for the Business Analysis Diploma and is a specialist module in the Solution Development Diploma.

Download the Business Analysis Practice Training Course Outline:

Business Analysis Practice Training Course Content

Business Analysis Rationale

• What is a business system?
• The place of business analysis
• Business analysis vs. systems analysis
• Approaches to business analysis
• The business change lifecycle
• Roles in business analysis

Strategic analysis in context

• Understanding the organisation’s strengths and weaknesses
• External analysis – PESTLE, Five Forces
• Internal analysis – Resource Audit MOST
• Building a comprehensive SWOT analysis
• Measuring performance – the Balanced Business Scorecard
• Critical success factors and key performance indicators

A Project Approach to Business Analysis

• Business analysis studies as projects
• Terms of reference and project initiation
• Assuring business benefit

Understanding the situation/issues

• Types of business ‘problem’
• Rich pictures and mind maps
• Defining the problem
• Review of investigation techniques
• Business perspectives
• Analysing stakeholders
• Stakeholder management strategies
• Business perspectives – introduction
• Defining the perspective – CATWOE

Analysing and modelling the business activities

• Modelling business activities
• Five types of business activity
• Consolidating perspectives and business activity models

Identifying potential solutions

• End-to-end process models
• Exploring the gap between the current and desired situation
• Areas for business improvement (organisation context, processes, people)
• Holistic approach to business solutions

Making the business case

• Contents of a business case
• Options
• Costs and benefits
• Impacts and risks
• Presenting the business case
• Benefits realisation and management