Business Analysis Essentials

The ISEB Certificate in Business Analysis Essentials

Course benefits:

This certificate is concerned with some of the fundamental aspects of business analysis. Its focus is on using an holistic approach to the investigation and improvement of business situations with a view to developing effective, feasible business solutions.

There are two key elements to the syllabus: the development of a business strategy and the exploration of a business issue, whether a problem or opportunity. For the first element, candidates are required to understand a range of strategic analysis and performance management techniques. For the second element, they are required to be able to apply business analysis techniques within a defined framework.

The syllabus requires that the candidate should be able to describe the following aspects of the framework: The structure (for example, milestones/ stages /phases). The activities (for example, the workflows or detailed steps/tasks described within an approach).

For each technique, the candidate should be able to:

Describe the technique.
Interpret and develop the documentation derived from the use of the technique.

Who should attend:

This course is aimed at Business Analysts requiring an understanding of how to analyse business processes. Systems analysts and business users will also benefit from the material.

Prerequisites:

There are no specific pre-requisites for entry to the examination, however candidates should be suitably prepared and possess the appropriate skills and knowledge to fulfil the objectives.

What you will learn:

Holders of the ISEB BSD Certificate in Business Analysis Essentials should be able to:

Describe how a business strategy is developed.
Use strategic analysis techniques.
Describe the need for project discipline.
Explain techniques to investigate an organisation's business systems.
Describe an approach to improving business systems.
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.
Explain the derivation of IT requirements from the definitions of business improvements.
Explain the importance of assuring the business case once the changes have been implemented.

What you will cover:

1. Rationale

1.1 A lifecycle for business change.
1.2 The role of the Business Analyst.
1.3 A comparison of the business analyst and systems analyst roles.
1.4 Purpose of analysing and modelling business systems.
1.5 Overview of business analysis approach (overview model showing roadmap/workflow).

2. Strategic analysis in context

2.1 Identifying the business domain.
2.2 Internal environment analysis.
2.3 External environment analysis.
2.4 SWOT analysis.
2.5 Overview of areas of strategy, including IS strategy
2.6 Critical Success Factors and Key Performance Indicators
2.7 The Balanced Business Scorecard

3. Project discipline for business analysis studies

3.1 Terms of reference/project initiation.
3.2 Business and project objectives.
3.3 Deliverables from business analysis studies

4. Understanding the situation/issues

4.1 Stakeholder analysis
4.2 Overview of investigative techniques.
4.3 Representation of the business situation.

5. Business perspectives

5.1 Identifying different perspectives.
5.2 Defining business perspectives.
5.3 Identifying and resolving conflicts.

6. Analysing and modelling business activities

6.1 The conceptual business activity model.
6.2 The link between the business activity model and the business perspective.
6.3 Identifying activities.
6.4 Identifying dependencies.
6.5 Building a business activity model.
6.6 Business events/activity triggers.
6.7 Business rules/constraints

7. Identifying potential solutions

7.1 Gap analysis - comparing the ideal and existing systems.
7.2 Defining a new business model (the processes, people and organisation).
7.3 Identifying IS/IT requirements to support the new business model.

8. Making the business case

8.1 Structure of a business case.
8.2 Identifying options for business change.
8.3 Identifying costs and benefits.
8.4 Identifying impacts.
8.5 Identifying risks.
8.6 Principles of risk analysis and management.
8.7 Presenting a business case.

9. Accepting the business case

9.1 Testing the system for user acceptance.
9.2 Managing the implementation of change.

How you will learn:

The format for the examination is a one hour written (open book) examination based on a business scenario with 15 minutes reading time. Candidates who are awarded a pass for the examination are awarded the ISEB Certificate in Business Analysis Essentials.

Duration and availability:

Three days non-residential. Public and in-house.