The course follows the BCS syllabus leading to the BCS accredited examination, Foundation Certificate in Business Change.
This course is designed for anyone involved in or affected by change initiatives required to deliver business benefit.These initiatives are likely to include the implementation of revised business processes and/or IT systems. It considers the underlying concepts in the areas of business and requirements analysis, change management and the consultancy skills necessary to ensure maximum value is achieved from the implementation.
There are no specific prerequisites to attending the course. The course is intended for people needing to develop their understanding of and expertise in the principles of business change and for those wishing to take the accredited BCS examination, Foundation Certificate in Business Change.
Candidates who pass this qualification will be able to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the underlying principles and philosophies of Business Change, including those that relate to business and IS strategy, business improvement definition, designing and implementing business change, and business management. They should also have an appreciation of the key techniques that can be employed to support the business change life-cycle. The syllabus reflects general and well-established best practice for business change work.
Session 1 - Business Change Principles
We examine what is meant by a business change project, IT as a driver and as enabler of business change, and core competences and their implications for outsourcing.
We then provide an overview of a life cycle for business change. The stages of this life cycle are examined in detail during the remainder of the course.
Finally the session considers the various stakeholders involved in a business change project.
Session 2 - Business and IT Alignment
We consider the importance of aligning the business and IT strategies and look at techniques to achieve this goal. In so doing, we examine how internal and external influences as well as cultures, local and international, affect an organisation's strategy and the way in which a commercial organisation will choose to compete.
We review how an enterprise architecture can assist aligning the strategies of the business and of IT and it maintaining appropriate governance of a change project.
Session 3 - Business improvement definition
This session describes how an holistic approach to business analysis can help to identify business improvements.
Specific techniques studied include systems thinking, gap analysis, requirements elicitation and analysis and creating a business case.
The last part of the session considers the definition of a programme and its relationship to projects.
Session 4 - Business design
Having defined the required changes, this session shows how to take an holistic view to design the inter-related elements required to produce a solution to the problems giving rise to the need for change.
We consider design of changes to the organisation, jobs and roles, business processes, information and IT.
Session 5 - Business change implementation
The designed changes now need to be implemented. First and foremost, this requires planning.
The solution needs to be acquired and deployed. Stakeholders need to buy into the new ways of doing things. And finally the implementation needs to be reviewed.
Session 6 Benefits management and Realisation
The purpose of change is to achieve benefits for the organisation. Realisation of benefits does not usually happen by chance and needs to be carefully planned.
We look at the nature and classification of benefits and how to measure them. Benefits are anticipated in the business case; they are the basis on which the programme and projects were initiated. Benefits realisation is about ensuring that the planned benefits are actually achieved. We consider who does this and how they do it.
