Course Overview

This course is also available as an e-learning course.

Business Analysis Essentials Training Course

The Business Analysis Essentials training course provides participants with the skills they need to become effective business analysts. A range of business analysis essential techniques including SWOT analysis, stakeholder management, business activity modelling and gap analysis are explored. During the course, participants will be encouraged to apply these techniques in the context of a business analysis assignment. The stages of this assignment will include the investigation of the business situation, analysis of key issues and their root causes, gap analysis to establish the business problems as well as the identification and evaluation of possible solutions.

The Business Analysis Essentials training course is delivered by trainers who bring their substantial experience of practical business analysis projects to the programme. The case study supporting the course is based on a genuine consultancy assignment. A comprehensive manual, containing detailed information about business analysis techniques and providing references for further reading, is supplied as part of the course.

BCS Professional Certifications

This course prepares participants to sit the examination for the BCS Professional Certification (ISEB) in Business Analysis Essentials. This involves a one-hour, open book examination that may be taken at the end of the course or at a public examination session. This certificate is a core module for the Business Analysis Diploma and is a specialist module in the Solution Development Diploma.

SFIA Mapping

This course supports skills BUAN and RLMT, level 5.

Course Content

1. Business analysis rationale
   • What is a business system
   • The place of business analysis
   • Business analysis versus systems analysis
   • Approaches to business analysis
2. Strategic analysis in context
   • Understanding the organisation’s strengths and weaknesses
   • External analysis – PESTLE
   • Internal analysis – Resource Audit
   • Building a comprehensive SWOT analysis
   • Measuring performance – the Balanced Business Scorecard
   • Critical success factors and key performance indicators
3. A project approach to business analysis
   • Business analysis studies as projects
   • Terms of reference and project initiation
   • Assuring business benefit
4. Understanding the situation/issues
   • Types of business ‘problem’
   • Rich pictures and mind maps
   • Defining the problem
   • Review of investigation techniques
5. Business perspectives
   • Analysing stakeholders
   • Stakeholder management strategies
   • Business perspective – introduction
   • Defining the perspective – CATWOE
6. Analysing and modelling the business activities
   • Modelling business activities
   • Five types of business activity
   • Consolidating perspectives and business activity models
7. 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
8. Making the business case
   • Contents of a business case
   • Options
   • Costs and benefits
   • Impacts and risks
   • Payback and discounted cash flow
   • Presenting the business case