BCS Foundation Certificate In Business Analysis - United States

BCS Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis Course Outline

This course covers the following key areas, which on completion, delegates will be able to demonstrate exceptional knowledge and understanding:

Module 1: Introduction to Business Analysis

• What is Business Analysis?
• Development of Business Analysis
• Scope of Business Analysis Work
• Principles of Business Analysis
• Role and Responsibilities of a Business Analyst
• Variants of the Business Analyst Role

Module 2: Competencies of a Business Analyst

• T-Shaped Professional
• Ways of Developing the Competencies

Module 3: Strategic Context for Business Analysis

• What is Strategy?
• Business Analysis and Strategic Context
• Adaptive Strategy Development
• Linear Strategy Development
• Hybrid Strategy Development
• Understanding the Strategic Context
• PESTLE
• VMOST
• VMOST and the Core Building Blocks for the Strategic Context
• Performance Measurement
• Critical Success Factors (CSF)
• Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)
• Performance Measurement and VMOST
• SWOT Analysis
• Strategy Execution
• Business Model Canvas
• POPITTM

Module 4: Introduction to Business Analysis Service Framework

• Business Analysis Service Framework
• Strategic Context for the BA Service
• Recipients of Business Analysis Services

Module 5: Investigating the Business Situation

• Investigating the Business Situation
• Investigation Techniques
• Recording a Business Situation
• Applicability of Investigation Techniques

Module 6: Analyzing and Managing Stakeholders

• Stakeholder
• Categories of Stakeholder
• Analyzing Stakeholders
• Describing Stakeholder Responsibilities

Module 7:  Improving Business Services and Processes

• Business Process Hierarchy
• Reasons for Modelling Value Streams and Business Processes
• Techniques Used at the Enterprise Level
• Value Chain Analysis (Porter)
• Aspects of the Event Response Level
• UML Activity Models
• Analysis Considerations at Actor-task Level
• Analyzing as-is Process Models
• Generic Approaches to Improving Business Processes
• Purpose of Customer Journey Maps

Module 8: Defining the Solution

• Gap Analysis Process
• POPIT™ and Gap Analysis
• Formulating Options
• Types of Options
• Design Thinking
• Divergent and Convergent Thinking

Module 9: Making the Business Case

• Business Case in the Project Lifecycle
• Identify the Areas of Feasibility Assessment
• PESTLE for Feasibility Assessment
• Structure of a Business Case
• Analysis of Costs and Benefits
• Impact Assessment
• Risk Assessment
• Business Case within an Agile Context
• CARDI Log
• Investment Appraisal
• Investment and Appraisal Techniques
• Payback
• Payback and Risk – Time Value of Money
• Discounted Cash Flow
• Internal Rate of Return

Module 10: Establishing the Requirements

• Importance of Requirements
• Requirements Engineering Framework
• Actors in Requirements Engineering
• Types of Requirements
• Other Types of Requirements
• Hierarchy of Requirements
• Requirements Elicitation
• Tacit Knowledge
• Requirements Analysis
• Elements of Requirements Analysis
• Business Rules
• Requirement Filters
• INVEST
• MoSCoW

Module 11: Documenting and Modelling Requirements

• Documenting and Managing Requirements
• Importance of Documentation
• Documentation Styles
• Requirements Catalogue
• User Stories
• Documentation Styles – User Stories
• Use Case Diagram
• Context Diagram
• Use Case Description
• Modelling Data Requirements
• Class Model
• Product Backlog in an Agile Environment
• Business Requirements Document

Module 12: Validating and Managing Requirements

• Requirements Engineering Framework
• Requirements Validation
  • Formal
  • Agile
• Requirements Management
  • Traceability
  • Change Control

Module 13: Delivering the Requirements

• Delivery Lifecycles 
  • Waterfall
  • ‘V’ Model
  • Incremental
  • Iterative lifecycle (Agile)
• Advantages and Disadvantages of the Lifecycles

Module 14: Delivering the Business Solution

• People at the Heart of Business Change Design and Development
• POPIT Perspective
• BA Role in Design and Development
• Implementation - Business Readiness Assessment
• Business Readiness Assessment (Mckinsey 7S Framework)
• Business Readiness Assessment (CPPOLDAT)
• Considering Migration and Transition
• Human Response to Change
• Responses to Change SARAH
• Realization Stage
• Benefits Management Process
• Benefits Plan
• Benefits Dependency Network
• Benefits Review
• Scheduled Reviews
• Unscheduled Reviews
• Benefits Realization Report