BCS BA Found. · BCS · What is Business Analysis? · Bank updated 2026-11-04
BCS BA Found. practice questions: What is Business Analysis?
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These 5 questions come from the What is Business Analysis? section of our BCS BA Found. bank (12 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.
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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 about delayed refunds to the executive board as a governance risk, rather than examining the refund process itself.
BBegin writing functional requirements for the refund-tracking system exactly as described by the director, so that the delays in the refund process can be fixed by the IT team.
CAsk the IT department to prioritise the refund-tracking system in the next development sprint, so that the delays in the refund process are resolved by the build as soon as possible.
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.
2/5 · 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.
3/5 · 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'.
Answer: D. 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.
Source: the BCS Business Analysis Foundation syllabus - What is Business Analysis?
4/5 · What is Business Analysis? · easy
Within the BCS Business Analysis Foundation syllabus's framework of business analyst competencies, into which category does 'an understanding of the sector in which the organisation operates, including its regulatory environment and organisational culture' fall?
AProfessional techniques
BBusiness knowledge
CIT skills, treated as a separate category from business knowledge in the framework
DPersonal qualities
Answer: B. The BCS competency framework for business analysts groups required competencies into personal qualities, business knowledge and professional techniques. Sector, organisational and technology awareness fall under business knowledge, which is distinct from the interpersonal attributes covered by personal qualities and the specific methods covered by professional techniques.
Source: the BCS Business Analysis Foundation syllabus - What is Business Analysis?
5/5 · What is Business Analysis?
A retailer has chosen an option that combines a new IT system with revised store procedures. A new team member asks how responsibility is divided between the business analyst and the project manager for this initiative. Which description is correct?
Athe project manager recommends the options and the business case, and the business analyst then delivers the chosen one
Bthe business analyst advises on options and the business case, and the project manager delivers the chosen one
Cthe business analyst and the project manager each deliver whichever options they personally recommended
Dthe project manager defines the tactics and options, while the business analyst documents the requirements
Answer: B. Per the Chapter 1 introduction, BAs are engaged early, investigate ideas and problems, formulate options and produce business cases, so their work precedes that of the project manager. Project managers are responsible for delivering the content of the selected options, such as IT systems or improved processes.
Source: Paul, Cadle, Turner (eds), Business Analysis Techniques, 2nd ed., BCS, https://shop.bcs.org, Chapter 1 introduction, p. 1
Source: the BCS Business Analysis Foundation syllabus v4.1 + 'Business Analysis, 4th Edition' (Paul & Cadle, BCS 2020) - Investigating the Business Situation
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