BCS Professional Certificate in Agile Business Analysis

This course explores how Agile principles, tools, and techniques can be applied to business change initiatives. It is designed for experienced business analysts and professionals working in change and transformation roles who wish to develop their understanding of Agile practices in a business context. Learners will examine how business analysts contribute within Agile frameworks and engage with Agile methods including user stories, functional modelling, backlogs, and prioritisation.

By the end of the course, participants will have developed practical strategies for working as an Agile business analyst and will be prepared to sit the BCS Professional Certificate in Agile Business Analysis exam.

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Describe the Agile philosophy and interpret the Agile Manifesto
• Explain Agile principles including collaboration, iteration, and continuous improvement
• Apply Agile methods and techniques including user stories and product backlogs
• Understand the role of a business analyst in Agile environments
• Analyse stakeholder engagement in Agile contexts
• Identify and eliminate waste using Lean techniques and Functional Model Mapping
• Define and decompose business goals
• Estimate and manage requirements and iterations using Agile tools
• Develop visual planning tools such as Kanban boards, scenarios, and prototypes

Learners should have prior knowledge equivalent to the BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis or the BCS Solutions Development Diploma. Familiarity with techniques such as CATWOE, Business Activity Modelling, and Use Case Diagrams is expected.

Target audience

This course is suitable for experienced business analysts, business architects, business managers, and project managers seeking to deepen their understanding of Agile philosophies and methodologies in the context of business analysis. It is also intended for those working toward the BCS Advanced Diploma in Business Analysis who already hold the International Diploma.

The Agile Philosophy

• The history of Agile and the Agile Manifesto
• Agile components
• Agile and the business environment
• Lean Business Analysis and thinking

Agile Key Principles

• Collaborative working
• Self-organising teams
• Continuous improvement
• Iterative development/incremental delivery
• Plan and build in change

Agile Methods

• Linear vs empirical methods
• Evolution and history of the methods
• Agile methods - DSDM, UP, SCRUM, XP, Lean Software
• The BA role in Agile

Understanding Stakeholders

• Stakeholder groups
• Agile AB role in engaging and managing stakeholders
• Agile Modelling
• Models and hierarchy
• MoSCoW prioritisation
• Decomposing and organising business goals

Agile Techniques

• User stories
• Managing requirements with the product backlog
• Estimating using Delphi and story points
• Managing the iterations, including velocity

Agile BA Planning

• Using storyboarding, scenarios and prototyping
• Creating a Kanban board

The BA Role

• Agile business analysis
• The idea of the 'generalising specialist'

Exams and assessments

This course includes a BCS Professional Certificate in Agile Business Analysis exam voucher. The exam is a one-hour, closed-book, multiple-choice assessment via remote proctor. Learners must schedule the exam to take place after the course. The exam voucher expires 12 months after confirmed attendance of the course.

Hands-on learning

Throughout the course, learners will engage with real-world case studies, collaborative discussions, and guided exercises. Practical tools such as storyboards, Kanban boards, and backlog prioritisation will be used to simulate Agile working environments and enhance applied understanding.