BCS Business Analysis Practice Course with Online Exam

Business analysts, project managers, product owners, service designers, business change managers and anyone who requires a thorough understanding of strategic business analysis. Business Analysis Practice is also a core module for the BCS (ISEB) International Diploma in Business Analysis.

The Business Analysis Practice course introduces the essential skills of business analysis. The emphasis throughout is on practical learning, using real-life case studies to introduce key skills including strategic analysis, stakeholder management, business activity modelling, gap analysis and making a business case.

The course is presented by one of our expert training consultants, pictured below. Every member of the Business Analysis (BA) training team offers extensive professional knowledge and wide-ranging experience of BA projects.

During this course, you will cover:

Business analysis rationale

• The scope of business analysis.
• Definition of business analysis.
• The development of business analysis.
• The business change lifecycle.
• Roles in business analysis.

Strategic analysis in context

• External analysis – PESTLE, Five Forces Analysis.
• Internal analysis – Resource Audit, MOST.
• Building a SWOT analysis.
• Critical success factors and key performance indicators.
• Measuring performance – the Balanced Business Scorecard.

A project approach to business analysis

• Initiating a business analysis study.
• Defining terms of reference.

Understanding business situations

• Review of investigation techniques.
• Documenting the business situation:

- Rich pictures

- Mind maps

- Fishbone diagrams.

Business perspectives

• Identifying stakeholders.
• Analysing stakeholders – Power/Interest Grid, RACI.
• Stakeholder management strategies.
• Defining business perspectives – CATWOE.

Analysing and modelling the business activities

• Types of business activity.
• Building a conceptual business activity model.
• Consolidating perspectives and building consensus.

Identifying potential solutions

• Business events.
• Business rules.
• Business process models.
• Exploring the gap between the current and desired situation.
• Identifying areas for business improvement – POP-IT.
• Taking a holistic approach to business improvement.

Making the business case

• Analysing feasibility.
• Contents of a business case.
• Options.
• Costs and benefits.
• Impacts and risks.
• Lifecycle for the business case.

The course prepares delegates for the BCS Practitioner Certificate in Business Analysis Practice examination. If this course is part of your BCS Diploma in Business Analysis programme you have a choice of further modules which include the other Core BA Diploma module, Requirements Engineering. 

Candidates who have already completed the Core modules can take one Practitioner specialism, which includes Benefits Management and Business Acceptance, Systems Modelling Techniques, Modelling Business Processes, Systems Development Essentials or Data Management Essentials. Before taking the Oral exam, candidates must also pass one of the Foundation Specialisms; in Business Analysis, IS Project Management, Business Change or Commercial Awareness. The structure of the certification is shown here. 

For delegates attending a classroom, virtual classroom or online course, the exam may be taken remotely using our online proctoring service. This exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions with a pass mark of 26/40.

If this course is part of your BCS Diploma in Business Analysis programme you have a choice of further modules which include the other core BA Diploma module, Requirements Engineering. Candidates who have already completed the Core modules can take one Practitioner specialism, which includes Benefits Management and Business Acceptance, Systems Modelling Techniques, Modelling Business Processes, Systems Development Essentials or Data Management Essentials. Before taking the Oral exam, candidates must also pass one of the Foundation Specialisms; in Business Analysis, IS Project Management, Business Change or Commercial Awareness. The structure of the certification is shown here.