Which business analysis course should I take?
We are often posed with one of the following two questions:
- ‘I want to become a business analyst, which training course should I start with?’
- ‘I have just been moved into the position of business analyst and want to understand which business analysis course will give me the right skills?’
The right course to take can vary depending on your current circumstances and past experience. If you do not find the right answers here then give us a call and we will be happy to spend some time understanding your current circumstances so that we can offer some guidance.
Below are the main starting points:
Option 1 – BCS Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis
This 3-day course covers the syllabus and exam for the BCS Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis. This certificate provides a very broad coverage of many aspects of business analysis for those seeking a high-level understanding of the business analyst role and who also want to achieve a recognised qualification. The course is based on the BCS publication ‘Business Analysis’ and covers a significant amount of theory plus some practical techniques at a high level. This course will help those thinking about pursuing a career in business analysis, determine whether it is right for them.
During this course you will practise a limited range of techniques including use case diagramming, and basic process and data modelling to give you the opportunity to experience them, but not in great levels of depth.
Exam difficulty – This course is a foundation level 1-hour multiple-choice exam mainly based on selecting one valid answer from a choice of four. The target pass rate is around 95%.
Click for a YouTube taster of what a virtual training course looks like
Option 2 – Fundamentals of Business Analysis including BCS Requirements Engineering
This 5-day course focuses on learning practical business analysis skills that can be used in the workplace. Course delegates should be able to return to their working environments and perform effectively as a business analyst, immediately adding value and building relationships with project stakeholders. The course focuses on learning how to do business analysis in the real world.
The course is for those already working as a business analyst who want to develop the following skills and techniques in more depth:
- Defining project objectives and scope
- Eliciting and writing requirements and user stories
- Stakeholder interviewing
- Process modelling using BPMN (a process modelling standard)
- Entity/Data Modelling
Around 50% of course time is spent practising business analysis techniques often in breakout groups with tutor support.
As this course also covers the whole of the syllabus for the BCS certificate in Requirements Engineering, delegates have the option of taking this exam at the end of the course.
Our Fundamentals of Business Analysis course is suited to business analysts recently placed in the role or who have been performing the role for some time but have never received any formal training. It can also be suitable for those looking to become a business analyst and want to bypass the foundation level course by attending a more challenging course. The course will also be valuable to those recently placed into the role of product owner wanting to understand their role and the workings of agile projects.
Exam difficulty – This course is a practitioner level 1-hour multiple-choice exam with exam questions based on short scenarios often requiring selection of multiple valid answers. Subsequently, the target pass rate is around 85%.