BCS Business Analysis boek –
Samenvatting
Fourth edition – Debra Paul & James Cadle
Samenvatting aan de hand van belangrijke punten uit de reader van de BA
training (feb 2024) of RE training (maa 2024), en op basis van de Examen
Requirements (ER). Lichtgrijs gekleurde tekst staat wel in het boek maar komt
niet terug in de reader of in de exam requirements.
Alle koppen in Oranje gaan over het business analyse examen
Alle koppen in Groen gaat over het requirements engineering examen
Chapter 1: What is business analysis?
BA ER 1. What is business analysis?
Business analysis aims to ensure that any business changes align with the needs
of the organisation and are holistic, taking all relevant aspects into account.
BA ER 1.1 Describe the business change lifecycle (BA p.3)
The need to adopt a broader view of business change rather than focusing purely
on the IT element has been recognized by organizations for many years. The
business change lifecycle reflects this, highlighting the need to ensure that
change programs focus on aligning with, and meeting, business needs.
BA ER 1.2 List the key principles of business analysis (BA p. 9-10)
Root causes, not symptoms
o To distinguish between the symptoms of problems and the root
causes
o To investigate and address the rout causes of business problems
o To consider the holistic view
, Business improvement, not IT system change
o To recognise that IT systems should enable business opportunity or
problem resolution
o To analyse opportunities for business improvement
o To enable business innovation and customer experience
enhancement
Options, not solutions
o To challenge pre-determined solutions
o To identify and evaluate options for meeting business needs
Feasible contributing requirements, not meeting all requests
o To be aware of financial and timescale constraints
o To identify requirements that are not feasible and do not contribute
to business objectives
o To evaluate stated requirements against business needs and
constraints
The entire business change lifecycle, not just requirements definition
o To analyse business situations
o To support the effective development, testing, deployment and post-
implementation review of solutions
o To support the management and realisation of business benefits.
Negotiation, not avoidance
o To recognise conflicting stakeholder views and requirements
o To negotiate conflicts between stakeholders
Scope of business analysis work
Strategic analysis and definition: visie / missie. Wat gaat er fout als we het (nog)
niet doen?
Business analysis: hoe creëren we meerwaarde voor de klant?
IT system analysis: scope uitbreiden (cyclisch en niet in 1 keer) (system/software
focused)
BA ER 1.3 Describe the variants of the business analyst role (BA p.19)
a. Business analyst / Enterprise business analyst (process focused)
b. Technical business analyst / Business systems analyst (IT change
focused)
c. Digital business analyst (data and innovation focused)
d. Project business analyst (software product development focused /
process focused)
e. Proxy Product Owner (backlog and product management)
The range of analysis activities (BA p. 7)
Strategic analysis and definition
Business analysts often have to recommend, design and deploy the tactics that
are needed to execute the business objectives and strategy; these typically
concern the process and IT system solutions.
IT systems analysis
System analysts are responsible for analysing and specifying the IT system
requirements in sufficient detail to provide a basis for the evaluation of software
products or the development of a bespoke (specifiek) IT system. System analysis
work involves the uses of techniques such as data, process an event modelling,
and requires detailed understanding of non-functional requirements and how
they should be specified.
,The essential difference between business analysis and IT systems analysis is
that a business analyst has a business outcome focus and a system analyst has a
system focus.
Business analysis
A business analysis assignment usually begins with the analyst gaining an
understanding of the business situation ad hand. Sometimes the first step is to
clarify the problem to be solved; without this, the analyst may examine the
wrong area and identify unhelpful solutions. In the majority of situations, the
business analyst needs to take a holistic view and consider all aspects, including
the business processes, software products, job roles and employee skills that are
needed to improve the situation successfully.
Business analysis maturity model (BAMM) (BA p. 14)
The scope of the work allocated to the business analyst and the authority level of
the business analyst are on the axes of the BAMM. The first level is where the
business analysis work is concerned with defining the requirements for an IT
system improvement. The next level is where the business analysis work has
moved beyond a specific IT development so that the analysts work cross-
functionally to improve the business processes that give rise to the requirements.
The third level is where the business analysis work is concerned with improving
the business and working with senior management to support the delivery of
value to customers. This has a link with the Capability Maturity Model Integration
(CMMI) that is an approach used for process improvement in organisations.
Service science clarifies what is meant by ‘value’ and how value may be realised
through the provision of service. Value is determined by the recipients, and
therefore cannot be said to be delivered.
Key skills required by business analysts for future working: stakeholder
engagement, analytical thinking, innovative thinking, technical literacy, value co-
creation.
Summary Chapter 1
Business analysis has matured as a discipline over several decades and offers a
portfolio of services to support organizations with their business and IT change
initiatives. The challenge facing organizations is to enable business analysts to
develop the required skills, recognize the significant contribution business
analysts can offer and ensure they have the authority to conduct business
analysis as appropriate to each business situation.
, Chapter 2: The competencies of a business
analyst
BA ER 2 The competencies of a business analyst
BA ER 2.1 Explain the concept of the T-shaped professional
T-Shaped (broad & deep) business analyst: professional techniques + personal
qualities & business knowledge. A T-shaped professional is considered to be
highly skilled and knowledgeable in a specific discipline while also having a broad
range of generic skills across other disciplines. This allows the individual to be
able to adapt well to new situations.
BA ER 2.2 Identify the three areas of business analysis competencies
Competencies of a business analyst
Personal Qualities Business Knowledge Professional Techniques
Communication Commercial Awareness Stakeholder analysis and
management
Relationship Building Business case Strategy analysis
development
Influencing Domain knowledge Investigation techniques
Facilitation Subject matter expertise Requirements engineering
Resilience Digital technology Business process modelling
Analytical thinking Organisation structures Data modelling
skills
Attention to detail Supplier management Idea generation and
visualisation
Problem Solving Enterprise and related Gap analysis
architectures
Leadership Benefits management
Adaptable mindset Project management
Political awareness Portfolio management
Team working
Professionalism
Influencing: having awareness of the preferences of the participants and
tailoring the influencing approach is vital for a successful outcome > being able
to withstand pressure.
Requirements engineering: is a framework of activities that are applied when
defining requirements and encompasses a range of elicitation, analysis and
modelling skills.
Summery Chapter 2
This chapter has sought to categorize and describe the key skills required of a
successful business analyst. Every organization has a different interpretation of
what a business analyst does and the services encompassed by business
analysis, therefore business analysts need to possess the skills to align with the
needs of their organizations. If business analysts develop their skills and improve
their performance, they need to understand the range of required skills, identify
the levels of competence needed of each skill area and seek out relevant
learning opportunities.
Samenvatting
Fourth edition – Debra Paul & James Cadle
Samenvatting aan de hand van belangrijke punten uit de reader van de BA
training (feb 2024) of RE training (maa 2024), en op basis van de Examen
Requirements (ER). Lichtgrijs gekleurde tekst staat wel in het boek maar komt
niet terug in de reader of in de exam requirements.
Alle koppen in Oranje gaan over het business analyse examen
Alle koppen in Groen gaat over het requirements engineering examen
Chapter 1: What is business analysis?
BA ER 1. What is business analysis?
Business analysis aims to ensure that any business changes align with the needs
of the organisation and are holistic, taking all relevant aspects into account.
BA ER 1.1 Describe the business change lifecycle (BA p.3)
The need to adopt a broader view of business change rather than focusing purely
on the IT element has been recognized by organizations for many years. The
business change lifecycle reflects this, highlighting the need to ensure that
change programs focus on aligning with, and meeting, business needs.
BA ER 1.2 List the key principles of business analysis (BA p. 9-10)
Root causes, not symptoms
o To distinguish between the symptoms of problems and the root
causes
o To investigate and address the rout causes of business problems
o To consider the holistic view
, Business improvement, not IT system change
o To recognise that IT systems should enable business opportunity or
problem resolution
o To analyse opportunities for business improvement
o To enable business innovation and customer experience
enhancement
Options, not solutions
o To challenge pre-determined solutions
o To identify and evaluate options for meeting business needs
Feasible contributing requirements, not meeting all requests
o To be aware of financial and timescale constraints
o To identify requirements that are not feasible and do not contribute
to business objectives
o To evaluate stated requirements against business needs and
constraints
The entire business change lifecycle, not just requirements definition
o To analyse business situations
o To support the effective development, testing, deployment and post-
implementation review of solutions
o To support the management and realisation of business benefits.
Negotiation, not avoidance
o To recognise conflicting stakeholder views and requirements
o To negotiate conflicts between stakeholders
Scope of business analysis work
Strategic analysis and definition: visie / missie. Wat gaat er fout als we het (nog)
niet doen?
Business analysis: hoe creëren we meerwaarde voor de klant?
IT system analysis: scope uitbreiden (cyclisch en niet in 1 keer) (system/software
focused)
BA ER 1.3 Describe the variants of the business analyst role (BA p.19)
a. Business analyst / Enterprise business analyst (process focused)
b. Technical business analyst / Business systems analyst (IT change
focused)
c. Digital business analyst (data and innovation focused)
d. Project business analyst (software product development focused /
process focused)
e. Proxy Product Owner (backlog and product management)
The range of analysis activities (BA p. 7)
Strategic analysis and definition
Business analysts often have to recommend, design and deploy the tactics that
are needed to execute the business objectives and strategy; these typically
concern the process and IT system solutions.
IT systems analysis
System analysts are responsible for analysing and specifying the IT system
requirements in sufficient detail to provide a basis for the evaluation of software
products or the development of a bespoke (specifiek) IT system. System analysis
work involves the uses of techniques such as data, process an event modelling,
and requires detailed understanding of non-functional requirements and how
they should be specified.
,The essential difference between business analysis and IT systems analysis is
that a business analyst has a business outcome focus and a system analyst has a
system focus.
Business analysis
A business analysis assignment usually begins with the analyst gaining an
understanding of the business situation ad hand. Sometimes the first step is to
clarify the problem to be solved; without this, the analyst may examine the
wrong area and identify unhelpful solutions. In the majority of situations, the
business analyst needs to take a holistic view and consider all aspects, including
the business processes, software products, job roles and employee skills that are
needed to improve the situation successfully.
Business analysis maturity model (BAMM) (BA p. 14)
The scope of the work allocated to the business analyst and the authority level of
the business analyst are on the axes of the BAMM. The first level is where the
business analysis work is concerned with defining the requirements for an IT
system improvement. The next level is where the business analysis work has
moved beyond a specific IT development so that the analysts work cross-
functionally to improve the business processes that give rise to the requirements.
The third level is where the business analysis work is concerned with improving
the business and working with senior management to support the delivery of
value to customers. This has a link with the Capability Maturity Model Integration
(CMMI) that is an approach used for process improvement in organisations.
Service science clarifies what is meant by ‘value’ and how value may be realised
through the provision of service. Value is determined by the recipients, and
therefore cannot be said to be delivered.
Key skills required by business analysts for future working: stakeholder
engagement, analytical thinking, innovative thinking, technical literacy, value co-
creation.
Summary Chapter 1
Business analysis has matured as a discipline over several decades and offers a
portfolio of services to support organizations with their business and IT change
initiatives. The challenge facing organizations is to enable business analysts to
develop the required skills, recognize the significant contribution business
analysts can offer and ensure they have the authority to conduct business
analysis as appropriate to each business situation.
, Chapter 2: The competencies of a business
analyst
BA ER 2 The competencies of a business analyst
BA ER 2.1 Explain the concept of the T-shaped professional
T-Shaped (broad & deep) business analyst: professional techniques + personal
qualities & business knowledge. A T-shaped professional is considered to be
highly skilled and knowledgeable in a specific discipline while also having a broad
range of generic skills across other disciplines. This allows the individual to be
able to adapt well to new situations.
BA ER 2.2 Identify the three areas of business analysis competencies
Competencies of a business analyst
Personal Qualities Business Knowledge Professional Techniques
Communication Commercial Awareness Stakeholder analysis and
management
Relationship Building Business case Strategy analysis
development
Influencing Domain knowledge Investigation techniques
Facilitation Subject matter expertise Requirements engineering
Resilience Digital technology Business process modelling
Analytical thinking Organisation structures Data modelling
skills
Attention to detail Supplier management Idea generation and
visualisation
Problem Solving Enterprise and related Gap analysis
architectures
Leadership Benefits management
Adaptable mindset Project management
Political awareness Portfolio management
Team working
Professionalism
Influencing: having awareness of the preferences of the participants and
tailoring the influencing approach is vital for a successful outcome > being able
to withstand pressure.
Requirements engineering: is a framework of activities that are applied when
defining requirements and encompasses a range of elicitation, analysis and
modelling skills.
Summery Chapter 2
This chapter has sought to categorize and describe the key skills required of a
successful business analyst. Every organization has a different interpretation of
what a business analyst does and the services encompassed by business
analysis, therefore business analysts need to possess the skills to align with the
needs of their organizations. If business analysts develop their skills and improve
their performance, they need to understand the range of required skills, identify
the levels of competence needed of each skill area and seek out relevant
learning opportunities.
