BAPv5 BCS Practitioner Certificate in Business Analysis Practice v5.2 Questions and Answers

A competency is a combination of skills, knowledge and behaviours that enable a person to perform a task or role effectively and efficiently. Therefore, option D is the correct answer, as it describes the competencies required for this role based on the job advert. Business case development is a competency that involves creating and presenting a formal written proposal that details the costs and benefits of a proposed business change or solution. It helps to justify and secure the approval and funding for a proposed business change or solution. This competency is required for this role, as the job advert states that the business analyst will assist in the development of formal written proposals detailing the cost and benefit of proposed business initiatives. Investigation techniques is a competency that involves using a variety of methods to explore and define complex situations or problems within an organisation or project. It helps to elicit, analyse, validate and prioritise the views and needs of stakeholders and identify the root causes and effects of situations or problems. This competency is required for this role, as the job advert states that the business analyst should be able to use a variety of methods to explore and define complex situations. Business architecture is a competency that involves designing and modelling the structure and relationships of an organisation or project at a high level of abstraction. It helps to understand how an organisation or project operates, delivers value and achieves its objectives and outcomes. This competency is required for this role, as the job advert states that the business analyst should have experience of producing blueprints in terms of processes, management structures, culture and people. Option A is not a correct answer, as it does not describe all the competencies required for this role based on the job advert. Subject matter expertise is a competency that involves having in-depth knowledge and understanding of a specific domain or industry within an organisation or project. It helps to provide insights and guidance on the best practices and standards within a specific domain or industry. This competency is not required for this role, as the job advert does not state that the business analyst should have subject matter expertise in any specific domain or industry. Option B is not a correct answer, as it does not describe all the competencies required for this role based on the job advert. Domain knowledge is a competency that involves having general knowledge and understanding of a broad domain or industry within an organisation or project. It helps to provide context and background on the nature and scope of a domain or industry. This competency is not required for this role, as the job advert does not state that the business analyst should have domain knowledge in any broad domain or industry. Gap analysis is a competency that involves comparing current and desired situations or problems and identifying the differences or gaps between them. It helps to determine what changes or improvements are needed to bridge the gaps and achieve desired situations or problems. This competency is not required for this role, as the job advert does not state that the business analyst should have experience of gap analysis. Option C is not a correct answer, as it does not describe all the competencies required for this role based on the job advert. Requirements engineering is a competency that involves eliciting, analysing, specifying, validating and managing requirements for a system or product within an organisation or project. It helps to ensure that requirements are clear, complete, consistent, testable and traceable throughout the system or product lifecycle. This competency is not required for this role, as the job advert does not state that the business analyst should have experience of requirements engineering.

Planning activities are those that must be considered beforehand in order to complete the doing and enabling activities. They are usually related to defining or determining some aspects of the business. In this question, the activities c, d and e are planning activities, as they involve defining the skills sets of the consultants, agreeing on a marketing campaign, and running monthly open days. These activities are necessary to support the primary doing activity of delivering consultancy service. Option D is the correct answer.

A business case is a document that provides the rationale and justification for a proposed business change or solution. It helps to evaluate the benefits, costs, risks and impacts of different options and recommend the best one for further development and implementation. A business case typically consists of several sections, such as executive summary, description of the current situation, description of the desired situation, options considered, analysis of costs and benefits, risk assessment and recommendations. Therefore, options A, B and C are correct answers, as they cover the sections of a business case that will address the points noted by the business analyst and the project manager. Options considered is the section where different approaches or solutions to meet the objectives of the project are identified and described. It helps to show that a range of alternatives have been explored and evaluated. Analysis of costs and benefits is the section where the financial implications of each option are estimated and compared. It helps to show the expected value and return on investment of each option. Description of the current situation is the section where the problem or opportunity that motivates the project is clearly defined and articulated. It helps to show the justification and urgency for the project. Option D is not a correct answer, as recommendations is not a section of a business case that will address any of the points noted by the business analyst and the project manager. Recommendations is the section where the preferred option is selected and proposed based on the analysis and evaluation of other sections. Option E is not a correct answer, as risk assessment is not a section of a business case that will address any of the points noted by the business analyst and the project manager. Risk assessment is the section where the uncertainties and potential negative consequences of each option are identified and analysed. It helps to show how risks can be avoided, reduced or managed.

The end users are classified as high interest, low power on a power/interest grid. This is because they are directly affected by the new reporting tool and have a strong preference for not using it, but they do not have much authority or influence to change the project decision or outcome. Option A is the correct answer.

A risk is an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on one or more project objectives. To ensure that risks are appropriately recorded, they should be documented in a consistent and structured way, such as using a RAID log (Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies). A RAID log should include information such as the risk description, impact, probability, source, owner, mitigation actions, status and date. Therefore, options B and C are essential for recording risks, as they help to identify where the risk originates from and who is responsible for managing it. Option A is not relevant to recording risks, as it is the name of the tool used to document them. Option D and E are not relevant to recording risks, as they relate to the countermeasures or actions taken to address them, not the risks themselves.

 A stakeholder management strategy is a plan for how to engage and communicate with stakeholders based on their level of interest and influence in the organisation or project. A stakeholder management strategy can vary depending on the stakeholder’s position on the power/interest grid, which has four quadrants: high power, high interest; high power, low interest; low power, high interest; and low power, low interest. Therefore, option C is the correct answer, as it represents appropriate stakeholder management strategies for Harvey based on his position on the grid before and after his role change. Watch means to monitor the stakeholder’s level of interest and influence and keep them informed of relevant developments. This is suitable for when Harvey was in the low power, low interest quadrant, as he had little authority or concern over the project. Constant active management means to involve the stakeholder closely in the project and seek their input and feedback regularly. This is suitable for when Harvey moved to the high power, high interest quadrant, as he became the sponsor and owner of the project. Option A is not a correct answer, as keep informed means to provide the stakeholder with sufficient information and updates to maintain their interest and support. This is more suitable for when Harvey was in the low power, high interest quadrant, not the low power, low interest quadrant. Option B is not a correct answer, as ignore means to disregard the stakeholder’s views and needs and exclude them from communication. This is not a good strategy for any stakeholder, especially one who has some power or influence over the project. Option D is not a correct answer, as constant active management means to involve the stakeholder closely in the project and seek their input and feedback regularly. This is more suitable for when Harvey was in the high power, high interest quadrant, not the low power, low interest quadrant.

 A vision statement is a concise and inspiring statement of what the organisation aspires to be in the future. It should reflect the organisation’s core values and purpose, and provide direction and motivation for its stakeholders. A vision statement should not be too specific or focused on the current state of the organisation, but rather on the desired future state. Therefore, option A is the best choice, as it expresses a clear and aspirational vision that aligns with the company’s mission of meeting or undercutting all its competitors’ prices. Option B is too narrow and does not capture the essence of the organisation’s purpose. Option C is too vague and does not indicate how the organisation will achieve its goal. Option D is too generic and does not differentiate the organisation from its competitors.

A Power / Interest Grid is a technique for analysing and managing stakeholders based on their level of power and interest in an organisation or project. It helps to identify who are the key stakeholders and how they should be engaged and communicated with. Therefore, option B is the correct answer, as a Power / Interest Grid would help the business analyst to gain an understanding of who the stakeholders are, how much authority they have, and how much involvement they want in the project so that a stakeholder management plan can be created. A Power / Interest Grid would help to classify stakeholders into four categories based on their level of power and interest: high power, high interest; high power, low interest; low power, high interest; low power, low interest. A Power / Interest Grid would help to determine different stakeholder management strategies for each category: active and constant management; keep satisfied; keep informed; watch. Option A is not a correct answer, as CATWOE is not a technique for analysing and managing stakeholders based on their level of power and interest. CATWOE is a technique for exploring stakeholder business perspectives by identifying six elements: Customer, Actor, Transformation, Worldview, Owner and Environment. It helps to understand how different stakeholders perceive a business situation or problem and what they expect from a solution. Option C is not a correct answer, as RACI chart is not a technique for analysing and managing stakeholders based on their level of power and interest. RACI chart is a technique for defining roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in relation to tasks or activities within an organisation or project. It helps to identify who are Responsible, Accountable, Consulted or Informed for each task or activity. Option D is not a correct answer, as resource audit is not a technique for analysing and managing stakeholders based on their level of power and interest. Resource audit is a technique for identifying and evaluating the resources that an organisation has or needs to achieve its objectives. It helps to assess the availability and quality of an organisation’s resources, such as human, physical, financial and intangible resources.

 A partial CATWOE analysis of this situation from Imran’s perspective would identify Donald as the customer, Alan as the actor, and Imran as the owner. Donald is the customer because he is the beneficiary of FairCrops’ products and services. Alan is the actor because he is the one who implements FairCrops’ approach in the South American regions. Imran is the owner because he is the chief executive of FairCrops and has the authority to make decisions about its direction and purpose. Option A is the correct answer.

A business case is a formal written proposal that details the costs and benefits of a proposed business change or solution. It helps to justify and secure the approval and funding for a proposed business change or solution. Costs and benefits can be classified into two types: tangible and intangible. Therefore, option D is the correct answer, as it identifies which categories of costs and benefits are described in this extract respectively. Intangible costs are costs that have no physical existence and cannot be measured or quantified easily by human senses. Examples of intangible costs are reputation, image, morale etc. An example of intangible costs in this extract is significant investment in terms of software licenses and annual maintenance fees, which will not be negotiable until year four of the proposal, as it has no physical existence and cannot be measured or quantified easily by human senses. Tangible benefits are benefits that have physical existence and can be measured or quantified easily by human senses. Examples of tangible benefits are revenue, profit, market share etc. An example of tangible benefits in this extract is improved management information, in addition to the boost it will give to our image with our established customers, as it has physical existence and can be measured or quantified easily by human senses. Option A is not a correct answer, as it does not identify which categories of costs and benefits are described in this extract respectively. Tangible costs are costs that have physical existence and can be measured or quantified easily by human senses. Examples of tangible costs are equipment, materials, labour etc. There is no example of tangible costs in this extract. Intangible benefits are benefits that have no physical existence and cannot be measured or quantified easily by human senses. Examples of intangible benefits are satisfaction, loyalty, quality etc. There is no example of intangible benefits in this extract (although image could be considered as an intangible benefit). Option B is not a correct answer, as it does not identify which categories of costs and benefits are described in this extract respectively. Tangible benefits are benefits that have physical existence and can be measured or quantified easily by human senses. Examples of tangible benefits are revenue, profit, market share etc. An example of tangible benefits in this extract is improved management information, in addition to the boost it will give to our image with our established customers, as it has physical existence and can be measured or quantified easily by human senses. Intangible costs are costs that have no physical existence and cannot be measured or quantified easily by human senses. Examples of intangible costs are reputation, image, morale etc. An example of intangible costs in this extract is significant investment in terms of software licenses and annual maintenance fees, which will not be negotiable until year four of the proposal, as it has no physical existence and cannot be measured or quantified easily by human senses. Option C is not a correct answer, as it does not identify any category of cost or benefit that has been described in this extract.

A consensus Business Activity Model (BAM) is a diagram that shows the high level activities that an organisation performs or delivers and the flow or sequence of the activities. It helps to understand what an organisation does, how it does it, who does it, where it does it and why it does it from a common or shared perspective of all relevant stakeholder groups. Therefore, options A, C and D are true statements about a consensus BAM. Option A is a true statement, as a consensus BAM is a conceptual model that represents a business situation or problem at a high level of abstraction. It helps to simplify and clarify the complexity and ambiguity of the business situation or problem. Option C is a true statement, as a consensus BAM shows the logical sequence of process steps that the organisation follows or performs to achieve its objectives and outcomes. It helps to identify the order and dependencies of the activities and how they are connected or related. Option D is a true statement, as a consensus BAM forms the basis of subsequent gap analysis that compares the current and desired situations or problems and identifies the differences or gaps between them. It helps to determine what changes or improvements are needed to bridge the gaps and achieve the desired situation or problem. Option B is not a true statement, as a consensus BAM does not show who undertakes the business activities, but what the business activities are. The actors or performers of the business activities are shown in another technique, such as RACI chart. Option E is not a true statement, as a consensus BAM does not describe a stakeholder’s perspective on what the business does, but a common or shared perspective of all stakeholder groups on what the business does. A stakeholder’s perspective on what the business does is described in another technique, such as CATWOE.

 A power/interest grid is a tool for analysing stakeholders based on their level of power or influence and their level of interest or involvement in the organisation or project. The grid has four quadrants: high power, high interest; high power, low interest; low power, high interest; and low power, low interest. The position of a stakeholder on the grid can help to determine the appropriate strategy for engaging and communicating with them. Therefore, option A is the correct answer, as the head of IT services currently occupies the high power, low interest quadrant. This means that he has the authority or ability to affect the outcome of the project, but he does not show much concern or involvement in it. Option B is not correct, as some power and influence and some interest would place the head of IT services in the middle of the grid, which is not a distinct quadrant. Option C is not correct, as high power or influence and high interest would place the head of IT services in the top right quadrant, which is not consistent with his lack of involvement. Option D is not correct, as low power and influence but high interest would place the head of IT services in the bottom right quadrant, which is not consistent with his authority.

Design Thinking is an approach for solving complex problems by focusing on human needs and desires. It involves five stages: empathise, define, ideate, prototype and test. Therefore, options B, D and E are correct answers, as they suggest good techniques to help with the different stages of Design Thinking. Empathise is the stage where the problem is explored from the perspective of the users and their emotions, motivations and pain points are understood. A good technique to help with this stage is Customer Journey Map, which is a visual representation of the steps and emotions that a user goes through when interacting with a product or service. It helps to identify the pain points and opportunities for improvement in the user experience. Create is the stage where the users are represented by creating personas, which are fictional characters that embody the characteristics, goals and needs of a typical user group. Personas help to empathise with the users and design solutions that suit their preferences and expectations. Define is the stage where the problem is clearly defined and articulated based on the insights gained from the empathise stage. A good technique to help with this stage is Current user needs or problems, which is a statement that summarises what the users need or want to achieve and what prevents them from doing so. It helps to focus on the core problem and set the direction for ideation. Option A is not a correct answer, as Prototype is not a stage of Design Thinking, but a technique that can be used in the Prototype stage. Prototype is the stage where the ideas are turned into tangible and testable prototypes that can be used to demonstrate and evaluate the solutions. A good technique to help with this stage is Scenario Analysis, which is a technique that explores how different scenarios or situations could affect the outcomes of the solutions. It helps to test the feasibility and desirability of the prototypes. Option C is not a correct answer, as Evaluate is not a stage of Design Thinking, but a technique that can be used in the Test stage. Test is the stage where the prototypes are tested with real users and feedback is collected and analysed to refine and improve the solutions. A good technique to help with this stage is Mind Mapping, which is a technique that organises and visualises information in a hierarchical and associative way. It helps to capture and structure feedback and identify patterns and insights.

The elements of PESTLE that are identified in this email are Economic, Environmental and Legal. Economic factors are related to the costs and prices of the business and its competitors. In this email, Nastya mentions that their competitors have lower costs and that they need to secure a better component price and negotiate with their energy supplier (B). Environmental factors are related to the natural resources and sustainability of the business and its impact on the environment. In this email, Nastya mentions that she wants a full review of the biodegradability of the packaging of all their products and that she is mindful of the costs of renewable power (E). Legal factors are related to the laws and regulations that affect the business and its operations. In this email, Nastya mentions that their employment regulations need revisiting due to changes in pension rules and paternity/maternity rights (L).

A key performance indicator (KPI) is a measurable value that demonstrates how effectively an organisation is achieving a key business objective or critical success factor (CSF). A KPI should be relevant, specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound (SMART). Therefore, options C, D and E are appropriate KPIs for the CSF ‘provide excellent customer service’, as they measure aspects of customer satisfaction and loyalty that are directly related to the quality of service provided by the hotel chain. Option A is not an appropriate KPI, as it does not measure customer service, but rather customer consumption. Option B is not an appropriate KPI, as it does not measure customer service, but rather customer preference.

A workshop is a technique for conducting group discussions and activities with stakeholders to elicit, analyse, validate and prioritise their views and needs. It helps to facilitate effective communication and collaboration among stakeholders and resolve conflicts or issues. Therefore, options B, D and E are correct answers, as they are possible reasons why Paul did not use a workshop to avoid delays. They describe different challenges or constraints that may prevent or limit the use of a workshop technique. Option B describes a challenge related to the geographical location of stakeholders. If the stakeholders are located in different time zones, it may be difficult or impractical to arrange a workshop that suits their availability and preferences. Option D describes a challenge related to the availability of stakeholders. If the key stakeholders have busy or conflicting schedules, it may be hard or impossible to organise a workshop that involves all of them at the same time. Option E describes a constraint related to the venue of the workshop. If a neutral venue is available for stakeholder discussions, it may be preferable or necessary to use it instead of a workshop, as it may reduce bias or influence from any stakeholder group. Option A is not a correct answer, as it is not a reason why Paul did not use a workshop to avoid delays. It describes an issue that may arise during a workshop, but not prevent or limit its use. If one stakeholder has a dominant personality, it may affect the dynamics and outcomes of the workshop, but it can be managed by using appropriate facilitation skills and techniques. Option C is not a correct answer, as it is not a reason why Paul did not use a workshop to avoid delays. It describes an objective that may be achieved by using a workshop, but not prevent or limit its use. If consensus from stakeholders needs to be established, it may be beneficial or essential to use a workshop, as it can help to reach a common understanding and agreement among stakeholders.

Divergent thinking and convergent thinking are two types of thinking processes that can be used to solve problems creatively and effectively. Therefore, options A and B are correct answers, as they describe the purpose of both divergent and convergent thinking respectively. Option A describes the purpose of divergent thinking, which is to generate ideas. Divergent thinking involves exploring multiple possible solutions to a problem without judging or evaluating them. It helps to stimulate creativity and innovation by expanding the range and diversity of ideas. Option B describes the purpose of convergent thinking, which is to review ideas for way forward. Convergent thinking involves analysing and evaluating multiple possible solutions to a problem and selecting the best one for further development and implementation. It helps to ensure feasibility and suitability by narrowing down the range and diversity of ideas. Option C describes an aspect of divergent thinking, which is creatively considering multiple solutions to the problem, but not its purpose. The purpose of divergent thinking is to generate ideas, not just consider them creatively. Option D describes an aspect of convergent thinking, which is defining the solution in detail, but not its purpose. The purpose of convergent thinking is to review ideas for way forward, not just define them in detail. Option E describes an aspect of convergent thinking, which is defining the action to be taken, broadly, but not its purpose. The purpose of convergent thinking is to review ideas for way forward, not just define the action to be taken, broadly.

A cost is an expenditure or sacrifice incurred or expected to be incurred as a result of a business change. A benefit is an advantage or improvement that is gained or expected to be gained as a result of a business change. Costs and benefits can be classified as tangible or intangible, depending on whether they can be measured in monetary terms or not. Therefore, options B and D are correct answers, as they describe intangible costs and benefits that are not easily quantified or valued. Intangible costs include the temporary reduction in productivity due to the introduction of new business policies and processes. Intangible benefits include the enhancement of the company’s reputation as the market leader due to being the first to receive compliance certification. Option A is not a correct answer, as tangible costs are not described in the extract. Tangible costs are those that can be measured in monetary terms, such as the cost of purchasing new equipment or hiring new staff. Option C is not a correct answer, as tangible benefits are not described in the extract. Tangible benefits are those that can be measured in monetary terms, such as the increase in revenue or decrease in expenses.