BCS PC-BA-FBA-20 - BCS Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis V4.0

The RACI chart is a technique used to clarify and document the roles and responsibilities for activities, tasks, or deliverables within a project or business process. It is an acronym that defines the four key types of involvement:

Responsible: The person or team who does the work to complete the task.

Accountable: The person who is ultimately answerable for the correct and thorough completion of the deliverable or task, and who approves the work. Only one person can be Accountable.

Consulted: The people whose opinions are sought, and with whom there is two-way communication.

Informed: The people who are kept up-to-date on progress, often only at the completion of the task or deliverable, and with whom there is only one-way communication.

The correct categories are therefore Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed.

(Reference: BCS Business Analysis Practice – Stakeholder Management, RACI Matrix)

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Gap analysis identifies the differences between the current state and the desired future state. To ensure a holistic view, a comprehensive framework like POPITâ„¢ (People, Organization, Process, Information, Technology) is useful.

Key Considerations:

Payback Analysis: Focuses on financial returns and does not provide a holistic view.

POPITâ„¢: Analyzes gaps across multiple dimensions (people, organization, process, information, technology), ensuring a comprehensive perspective.

Boston Box: Evaluates market positioning of products or services, not gaps in organizational capabilities.

PESTLE: Analyzes external environmental factors but does not focus on internal gaps.

Evaluation of Each Option:

A. Payback analysis:Payback analysis focuses on financial metrics and does not address holistic gap analysis.Conclusion: This is not correct .

B. POPITâ„¢:POPITâ„¢ ensures a holistic view by analyzing gaps across people, organization, process, information, and technology.Conclusion: This is correct .

C. Boston box:The Boston box evaluates product portfolios, not organizational gaps.Conclusion: This is not correct .

D. PESTLE:PESTLE analyzes external factors and does not focus on internal gaps.Conclusion: This is not correct .

Final Recommendation:

The technique useful for ensuring a holistic view in gap analysis is:

B. POPITâ„¢.

A benefits plan outlines how the anticipated benefits of a project or change initiative will be achieved, tracked, and managed. Its primary purpose is to ensure that benefits are realized as planned.

Key Considerations:

Tracking Changes to Requirements: A benefits plan focuses on benefits realization, not changes to requirements.

Quantifying Intangible Benefits: While intangible benefits may be included, the primary focus is on managing all benefits, tangible and intangible.

Tracking and Managing Benefits Realisation: The benefits plan provides a structured approach to monitor progress and ensure benefits are delivered.

Publishing to Shareholders: While stakeholders may review the plan, its primary purpose is internal management, not external communication.

Evaluation of Each Option:

A. It provides a firm basis for tracking the benefits of making changes to requirements:The benefits plan focuses on overall benefits realization, not specifically on changes to requirements.Conclusion: This is not correct .

B. It quantifies intangible benefits that could not be quantified when the business case was presented:While intangible benefits may be included, this is not the primary purpose of the plan.Conclusion: This is not correct .

C. It provides a firm basis for tracking the business benefits and managing their realisation:This accurately describes the primary purpose of a benefits plan.Conclusion: This is correct .

D. It is published to shareholders to show that their investment made will result in tangible benefits for the organisation:The benefits plan is primarily for internal use, not external reporting.Conclusion: This is not correct .

Final Recommendation:

The primary purpose of a benefits plan is:

C. It provides a firm basis for tracking the business benefits and managing their realisation.

In a UML Use Case Diagram, the entities that interact with the system being modeled (the System Boundary) are called Actors. An Actor represents a role played by a user, piece of hardware, or another system. External systems that exchange information with the system being defined are always represented as an actor outside the system boundary, just like human users. This clearly separates the responsibilities of the system under study from all entities and systems that lie outside its scope.

(Reference: BCS Requirements Engineering – Use Case Modelling)

Requirements documentation generally follows two main styles: text-based and diagrammatic (or model-based).

Data model (A), Use case model (C), and Business process models (D - e.g., UML Activity Diagrams or BPMN) are all forms of diagrammatic documentation, using standardised graphical notation to express requirements.

A User story (B) is a short, simple, text-based statement written in the format: "As a [role], I want [goal] so that [benefit]". It is a form of text-based requirement documentation used primarily in Agile environments, not a diagrammatic style.

(Reference: BCS Requirements Engineering – Documentation Styles)

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Workshops are structured meetings designed to achieve specific objectives through group participation. Regardless of the workshop's focus, collaboration is a fundamental goal.

Key Considerations:

Collaboration: Workshops bring stakeholders together to share ideas, solve problems, and make decisions collaboratively.

Reviewing the Business Case: While reviewing the business case may be a specific objective of some workshops, it is not a universal goal.

Creating Mind Maps and Process Models: These are tools or outputs of workshops, not overarching goals.

Brainstorming Ideas: Brainstorming is a technique used in workshops but is not the ultimate goal of all workshops.

Evaluation of Each Option:

A. Collaboration:Collaboration is the core purpose of workshops, enabling participants to work together effectively.Conclusion: This is correct .

B. Reviewing the business case:This is a specific objective, not a universal goal of all workshops.Conclusion: This is not correct .

C. Creating mind maps and process models:These are tools or outputs, not goals.Conclusion: This is not correct .

D. Brainstorming ideas:Brainstorming is a technique, not the overarching goal of all workshops.Conclusion: This is not correct .

Final Recommendation:

The goal of all workshops is:

A. Collaboration.

A Requirements Catalogue (or Requirements Specification) serves as the central repository for all documented requirements for a solution. BCS guidance categorises requirements hierarchically. At the highest level are the Business Requirements (often called General Requirements (c) and Technical Requirements (d)). These constrain the lower-level Solution Requirements, which consist of Functional Requirements (a) (what the system must do) and Non-functional Requirements (b) (quality attributes like performance, security, and usability). Since the catalogue aims to provide a complete picture of the business need and the proposed solution's capabilities, it must contain all four categories: Functional, Non-functional, General (Business), and Technical requirements.

(Reference: BCS Requirements Engineering – Requirements Categorisation and Documentation)

 A mission statement defines the organization's purpose and primary objectives, often focusing on what the organization does and how it operates in the present. In contrast, a vision statement outlines the long-term aspirations of the organization—what it aims to become in the future. The mission provided—"To meet or undercut all our competitors' prices"—is focused on price competitiveness, which is a tactical approach rather than a strategic aspiration.

Let’s analyze each option:

A. To offer the best value office fitting service: While this aligns somewhat with the mission, it is more of a value proposition or operational goal rather than a visionary statement. It lacks the aspirational and long-term focus that defines a vision.

B. To reduce the cost of office fitting by 5%: This is a specific, measurable objective, but it is too narrow and tactical to qualify as a vision. Visions are broader and not tied to specific metrics.

C. To increase the company's market share: Increasing market share is a strategic goal, but it is still an intermediate step toward achieving something greater. It does not capture the overarching ambition of the company.

D. To be the premier office fitting company: This option reflects a long-term aspiration and aligns with the characteristics of a vision statement. It expresses the desire to achieve leadership and excellence in the industry, which is consistent with the mission of being competitive on price while aiming for a higher status.

According to the BCS Business Analysis Framework , a vision statement should inspire and guide the organization toward its ultimate goal. Therefore, D is the most appropriate choice.

A formal Requirements Validation Review (or walkthrough/inspection) is conducted to ensure the requirements are correct, complete, and meet the business need before sign-off. The review group typically includes the Business Owner (A) to ensure correctness, the Solution Architect (C) and Developers to check technical feasibility, and the Tester (D) to ensure testability. The Project Manager (B) is usually the facilitator or organiser of the review process and is responsible for project delivery, but they are NOT usually a technical reviewer of the document content itself, as their direct involvement could compromise the impartiality of the review, which is focused on quality assurance, not project schedule.

(Reference: BCS Requirements Engineering – Requirements Validation Techniques)

The Stakeholder Wheel (or Stakeholder Interest Groupings) is a model used to categorize stakeholders in the strategic analysis phase, particularly for external environment analysis. This technique groups stakeholders based on their primary relationship to the organisation. The key groups included in the stakeholder wheel are Suppliers, Customers, Competitors, Partners, Owners (Shareholders), Regulators/Government, Media, and Employees/Trade Unions. Based on the options provided, the group that contains three valid, distinct categories from this standard model is Regulators, Auditors, Owners. While 'Auditors' can be considered part of the 'Regulators' or 'Owners' (depending on their role), and 'Owners' are often Shareholders, this option best reflects the high-level external interest groups used for broad strategic categorization compared to the internal focus of B or the mixed categories of A and C. The inclusion of Regulators and Owners is essential for any strategic stakeholder analysis.

(Reference: BCS Business Analysis Practice – Stakeholder Analysis, Stakeholder Wheel)