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

Design thinkingis a human-centered, iterative approach used to uncover innovative solutions by focusing on user needs and exploring multiple possibilities. It emphasizes creativity, collaboration, and experimentation.

Key Characteristics of Techniques:

Design Thinking:Uses an iterative process (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test) to generate innovative options.

Fishbone Diagram:A root cause analysis tool, not focused on innovation.

Rich Pictures:A visual representation of a situation, useful for understanding context but not for generating innovative options.

Mind Maps:A brainstorming tool that organizes ideas hierarchically, but it does not inherently follow an iterative approach.

Evaluation of Each Option:

A. Design thinking:Design thinking explicitly uses an iterative approach to uncover innovative options.Conclusion:This iscorrect.

B. Fishbone diagram:Fishbone diagrams focus on identifying root causes, not innovation.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

C. Rich pictures:Rich pictures visualize complex situations but do not inherently foster innovation.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

D. Mind maps:Mind maps organize ideas but do not follow an iterative, innovative process like design thinking.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

Final Recommendation:

The technique that uses an iterative approach to uncover innovative options is:A. Design thinking.

Anorganization chartvisually represents the structure of an organization, including roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships. By reviewing the organization chart, Sara can learn specific details about the sponsor of her project.

Key Considerations:

Position in the company hierarchy:The organization chart clearly shows where the sponsor fits within the company’s structure (e.g., senior leadership, middle management). This helps Sara understand their level of authority and influence.

Span of control:The chart also reveals how many teams or individuals report to the sponsor, providing insight into their scope of responsibility and decision-making power.

Culture within their team:While the chart may hint at team structure, it does not provide qualitative information about team culture, which requires direct observation or interviews.

Scope of their responsibilities:The chart outlines reporting lines but does not explicitly detail the specific responsibilities of the sponsor.

Preferred management style:Management style is a behavioral trait that cannot be inferred from an organization chart alone.

Evaluation of Each Option:

A. Their position in the company hierarchy:The organization chart explicitly shows the sponsor's position in the hierarchy, helping Sara understand their level of authority.Conclusion:This isrelevant.

B. Their span of control:The chart reveals how many people or teams report to the sponsor, indicating their span of control.Conclusion:This isrelevant.

C. The culture within their team:Team culture is not represented in an organization chart. It requires additional qualitative data.Conclusion:This isnot relevant.

D. The scope of their responsibilities:While the chart provides structural information, it does not specify the exact responsibilities of the sponsor.Conclusion:This isnot relevant.

E. Their preferred management style:Management style cannot be determined from an organization chart.Conclusion:This isnot relevant.

To identify the generic business improvement strategy that involves eliminating redundant tasks, we need to analyze each option:

Key Considerations:

Change task sequence:This strategy involves reordering tasks to improve efficiency but does not necessarily eliminate redundancy.

Simplification:This strategy focuses on streamlining processes by removing unnecessary or redundant tasks, making workflows more efficient.

Redefine boundary:This strategy involves changing the scope or boundaries of a process, which may or may not involve eliminating redundant tasks.

Bottleneck removal:This strategy targets specific constraints or bottlenecks in a process but does not focus on eliminating redundant tasks.

Evaluation of Each Option:

A. Change task sequence:Changing the order of tasks does not inherently eliminate redundancy.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

B. Simplification:Simplification directly involves identifying and removing redundant or unnecessary tasks to streamline processes.Conclusion:This iscorrect.

C. Redefine boundary:Redefining boundaries changes the scope of a process but does not specifically target redundancy.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

D. Bottleneck removal:Removing bottlenecks addresses constraints but does not focus on eliminating redundant tasks.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

To determine the position of the head of IT services on thepower-interest grid, we need to evaluate their level ofpower/influenceandinterestin the project.

Key Considerations:

Power/Influence:The head of IT services holds a senior leadership role, which implies they have significant authority and influence over IT-related decisions and resources. This places them in the "high power" category.

Interest:Despite their authority, the head of IT services has not been actively involved in the project beyond the initial start-up interviews and has not attended any project meetings. This indicates a lack of ongoing engagement or interest in the project's progress.

Evaluation of Each Option:

A. High power or influence but low interest:The head of IT services has significant authority (high power) but is disengagedfrom the project (low interest).Conclusion:This is thecorrect answer.

B. Some power and influence and some interest:This option suggests moderate levels of both power and interest, which does not align with the head of IT services' senior role and lack of involvement.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

C. High power or influence and high interest:While the head of IT services has high power, their lack of attendance at project meetings indicates low interest.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

D. Low power and influence but high interest:The head of IT services clearly has high power due to their senior leadership role, so this option is incorrect.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

Final Recommendation:

The head of IT services occupies the position ofhigh power or influence but low intereston the power-interest grid.

Thestakeholder wheelis a framework used to categorize stakeholders based on their relationship to the organization or project. It typically includes categories such ascustomers, partners, suppliers, regulators, and competitors, among others.

Key Considerations:

Regulators, Compliance, Owners:While regulators and owners are valid stakeholders, "compliance" is not a stakeholder category but rather a function or responsibility.

Competitors, Customers, Partners:These are all valid stakeholder categories commonly found on the stakeholder wheel.

Competitors, Consumers, Providers:While competitors and consumers (a synonym for customers) are valid, "providers" is not a standard term used in the stakeholder wheel.

Contractors, Partners, Suppliers:Contractors are not typically included as a primary stakeholder category on the stakeholder wheel, though partners and suppliers are.

Evaluation of Each Option:

A. Regulators, Compliance, Owners:"Compliance" is not a stakeholder category; it refers to adherence to rules or regulations.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

B. Competitors, Customers, Partners:These are all valid stakeholder categories found on the stakeholder wheel.Conclusion:This iscorrect.

C. Competitors, Consumers, Providers:While competitors and consumers (customers) are valid, "providers" is not a standard stakeholder category.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

D. Contractors, Partners, Suppliers:Contractors are not typically included as a primary stakeholder category on the stakeholder wheel.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

Final Recommendation:

The list that only includes stakeholders shown on the stakeholder wheel is:B. Competitors, Customers, Partners

Thedigital business analystrole focuses on leveraging technology to drive innovation and transformation. This variant of the business analyst role requires creative thinking, adaptability to rapid change, and the ability to exploit emerging technologies.

Key Characteristics of Business Analyst Roles:

Enterprise Business Analyst:Focuses on aligning business strategies and objectives across the organization.

Digital Business Analyst:Emphasizes innovation, digital transformation, and the adoption of emerging technologies.

Project Business Analyst:Works within project teams to define and deliver specific solutions.

Test Business Analyst:Specializes in ensuring requirements are met through testing and quality assurance.

Evaluation of Each Option:

A. Enterprise business analyst:While enterprise BAs focus on strategic alignment, they do not specifically emphasize innovation or emerging technologies.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

B. Digital business analyst:This role explicitly involves thinking innovatively, embracing change, and leveraging emerging technologies.Conclusion:This iscorrect.

C. Project business analyst:Project BAs focus on delivering specific solutions rather than driving innovation or digital transformation.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

D. Test business analyst:Test BAs focus on validation and quality assurance, not innovation or technology adoption.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

Final Recommendation:

The variant of the business analyst role that needs to think innovatively and embrace change is:B. Digital business analyst.

Gap analysisis a structured process used to identify the differences between the current state (as-is) and the desired future state (to-be). The first step in this process involves understanding the current situation.

Key Steps in Gap Analysis:

Assemble representations of the existing situation:This involves documenting the current state, including processes, systems, and capabilities.

Compare representations of the existing and target situations:After understanding the current state, it is compared with the desired future state to identify gaps.

Identify gaps to be addressed:Once gaps are identified, they are prioritized based on their impact and feasibility.

Consider possible actions to address the gaps:Finally, potential solutions or actions are developed to bridge the identified gaps.

Evaluation of Each Option:

A. Assemble representations of existing situation:Understanding the current state is the foundational step in gap analysis. Without this, there isno baseline for comparison.Conclusion:This iscorrect.

B. Consider possible actions to address the gaps:This is a later step in the process, not the first.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

C. Compare representations of the existing and target situations:Comparison occurs after the current state has been documented.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

D. Identify gaps to be addressed:Identifying gaps follows the documentation and comparison steps.Conclusion:This isnot correct.

Final Recommendation:

The first step in the gap analysis process is:A. Assemble representations of existing situation.