This course considers the work of the business analyst in a business change project and the aspects of the organisation that may impact the Business Analyst's role. It considers organisational financial management and the business case for change, including Investment Appraisal and Evaluation of a Financial Case. It examines the organisation's internal and external structures, addressing the principles of organisation structure and behaviour and explores changing organisational boundaries, including different operating models.
This is a 2 day course.
There are no pre-requisites for the course. Some evening work is required during the course.
Delegates can take an optional one-hour multiple choice examination at the end of the course. Successful candidates are awarded the BCS Certificate in Commercial Awareness.
Commercial Awareness is a KNOWLEDGE based specialist module in the BCS Diploma in Business Analysis, which is an internationally recognised qualification offered by the British Computer Society (BCS).
For information on this Diploma, and the requirements to obtain it, please view the
BCS Diploma in Business Analysis page or the
BCS Diploma in Business Analysis Datasheet.
This course will enable delegates to:
- Evaluate a financial case, understand costing, pricing and business performance ratios
- Understand cash flow forecasting, budgeting and interpret financial accounting documents
- Use Porter's Five Forces, Value Chains, the BCG Matrix and Balanced Scorecard
- Explain the different management structures and organisational architectures
- Define the elements of cultural analysis approaches
- Prepare for the BCS Certificate in Commercial Awareness
Those who are likely to become involved in business analysis and require a level of understanding of the business context within which they have to operate, including:
- Business Analysts and Systems Analysts
- Business Managers
- Developers
- Project Managers and Team Leaders
- Quality Assurance and Quality Control Managers
The Business Case for Change
Investment Appraisal
Evaluating a Financial Case
Discounted Cash Flow / Net Present Value
Internal Rate of Return
Budgeting, Costing and Pricing
Cash flow forecasting and management
Fixed and variable costs / direct and indirect costs
Break even and Contribution Analysis
Budgeting and management ratios
Financial Reporting and Analysis
Balance Sheet
Income and Expenditure / Profit and Loss
Cash Flow Statement
Financial Ratios: profitability; liquidity; gearing
Market Analysis and Competitive Advantage
External and internal analysis techniques
Organisational behaviour and culture
Organisational effectiveness
The Balanced Scorecard
Organisational Behaviour and Culture
International cultures
Groups and group dynamics
Social networks and the Cultural Web
Principles of Organisational Structure
Organisation structures and their characteristics
The Six Structure Levels, The Leavitt Diamond
The principles of management
Line, staff and functional relationships
Formalisation of rules and procedures
Operating models
Organisational boundaries, outsourcing, offshoring
Do you want:
- a training course run on your premises (reducing accommodation and travel fees)?
- a course written or tailored specifically for your staff?
- a standard course run just for your staff?
Do you have:
- four or more people to train?
- a definite time at which the training needs to be provided?
Then you're probably looking for "in-house" training.
We can run any of our standard courses just for you. If you require something special, or a combination of several courses,
we can discuss this with you and tailor an event designed to meet your needs.
These courses can be run at a time convenient to you, either on your premises or at a separate venue.
The location can be specified by you or we can recommend a suitable venue if you prefer.
Need more help?
We can advise on combinations of training courses which typically prove the most effective. We can, if you wish, perform a full training needs analysis
of your staff, to help you to identify training needs, and the programmes of training to put into place to meet both your current and future needs.
What to do next...
- Decide what you want from this training - what are your objectives?
- Decide which course(s) you need, or whether something tailored is required;
- Decide approximately when you would like the training to be run;
- Ascertain when your people can be available and how many people in total you need to train.
Then please
contact us to discuss your needs.