BCS BA Found. · BCS · What is Business Analysis? · Bank updated 2026-07-03
BCS BA Found. practice questions: What is Business Analysis?
5 free questions from 9 on this area · answer and explanation for each · no sign-up
These 5 questions come from the What is Business Analysis? section of our BCS BA Found. bank (9 questions on this area, which carries 5% of the real exam). Every question is original, with the correct answer explained and linked to the source it is drawn from.
1/5 · What is Business Analysis?
A regional retail chain's customer service director tells the business analyst: 'Customers are complaining about delayed refunds — please specify a new automated refund-tracking system for the IT team to build.' Applying the BA principle of addressing root causes rather than symptoms, what should the business analyst do first?
ARecommend that the director escalate the complaint volume to the executive board as a governance risk.
BBegin writing functional requirements for the refund-tracking system exactly as described by the director.
CAsk the IT department to prioritise the refund-tracking system in the next development sprint.
DInvestigate the current refund process to identify the underlying causes of the delays, such as manual approval bottlenecks or unclear policies, before considering any solution.
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2/5 · What is Business Analysis?
A finance manager insists: 'We need a new expenses app — that is the requirement, please pass it to the developers.' Applying the BA principle that business analysis is about business improvement rather than IT change, what is the most appropriate first response from the business analyst?
AExplore the underlying business objectives and current process for managing expenses, to establish what business improvement is actually needed before considering any technology.
BRefuse to engage until the finance manager submits a formal IT change request through the change advisory board.
CAsk the finance manager to specify the exact software features they want in the app.
DAccept the app as the defined requirement and produce a technical specification for the development team.
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3/5 · What is Business Analysis?
Which statement best reflects the BCS-endorsed principle that business analysts should identify options rather than jump directly to a solution?
AThe business analyst should adopt whichever solution was successfully implemented in a comparable organisation, since a proven external example removes the need for further options analysis.
BThe business analyst should present the sponsor with a single, fully costed recommendation, since offering choices merely delays decision-making.
CThe business analyst should leave the identification of options entirely to the IT department, since business analysts are only responsible for defining requirements once a solution is chosen.
DThe business analyst should identify and appraise a range of feasible ways of meeting the business need, including a 'do nothing' option, before a preferred way forward is selected.
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4/5 · What is Business Analysis? · hard
An organisation engages an external management consultant, who has never worked for the organisation before, to investigate a recurring operational problem, identify options for improvement, and define the requirements for a revised process. No one internally holds the job title 'Business Analyst'. Which statement best reflects how the BCS Business Analysis Foundation syllabus would characterise this situation?
AThis cannot be business analysis, because the syllabus restricts the term to work carried out by permanent employees holding the specific job title 'Business Analyst'.
BThis is business analysis only once the external consultant is offered a permanent contract, since the syllabus defines the role strictly as an ongoing internal function.
CThis cannot be business analysis, because 'internal consultancy' means the work must be commissioned and delivered entirely by the IT department.
DThis is still business analysis work: although business analysis is often described as an internal consultancy role, the same underlying activities and competencies can be carried out by an external consultant, or by staff without the job title 'Business Analyst'.
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D is correct. The syllabus commonly describes business analysis as functioning like an 'internal consultancy' — an advisory role without direct authority, typically performed by staff inside the organisation. However, this is a description of working style, not a strict rule: the underlying activities and competencies of business analysis can be, and often are, carried out by external consultants or by people without the specific job title of business analyst.
↗ the BCS Business Analysis Foundation syllabus — What is Business Analysis?
5/5 · What is Business Analysis?
A chief executive commissions a piece of analysis purely to decide whether the organisation should enter a new geographic market, before any consideration is given to specific processes, systems, or job roles. According to the BCS Business Analysis Foundation syllabus, at which level of business analysis is this work primarily taking place?
AIT systems level, since any strategic decision will eventually be delivered through changes to information systems.
BBusiness system level, because deciding to enter a new market is equivalent to defining the scope of a new business system.
CStrategy (enterprise) level, which is concerned with the organisation's overall direction and external environment, ahead of any process or systems-level analysis.
DBusiness process level, because the syllabus states that all business analysis assignments must begin by modelling current 'as-is' processes.
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C is correct. The BCS syllabus describes business analysis as operating at several levels, from strategy/enterprise level (organisational direction, external environment) down through business process and business system levels to IT systems level. A decision about whether to enter a new market, made before any process or system detail is examined, sits at the strategic level.
↗ the BCS Business Analysis Foundation syllabus — What is Business Analysis?
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