Year
2023Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Prerequisites
ITEC100 Information Technology in Action
Incompatible
ISYS324 Business Analysis
Teaching organisation
150 hours over a twelve-week semester or equivalent study period
Unit rationale, description and aim
Organisations need people with business analysis skills who can analyse users’ needs and design relevant, feasible and effective solutions. This unit explores business analysis as a discipline with an emphasis on requirements analysis, especially data requirement analysis. It provides students with the knowledge and practical skills to identify, classify, elicit, analyse and communicate and validate business and data requirements.
The goal of this unit is to enable students to apply various requirements elicitation, analysis, modelling and specification techniques to identify business and data requirements and determine data-driven solutions for business, society and environmental problems.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
LO1 - Describe business analysis concepts, methods, tools and applications (GA5, GA8)
LO2 - Identify stakeholders, understand their needs and capture their requirements (GA5, GA10)
LO3 - Critically analyse, validate and communicate different types of business requirements of various stakeholders (GA5, GA9)
LO4 - Apply relevant tools and techniques to elicit business/data requirements for business, society and environmental problems and evaluate the feasibility of solutions (GA2, GA5)
Graduate attributes
GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society
GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information
GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media
GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.
Content
Topics will include:
- Introduction to Business Analysis
- Initiating the Project
- Analysing rquirements
- Requirement specification validation & elicitation
- Requirement specification documentation
- Requirement specification communication
- Business Analyst role in solution design & feasibility study
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit is offered in two different modes (“Attendance” mode and “Online” mode) to cater for the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants and maximise effective participation for isolated and/or marginalised groups.
Attendance Mode
In attendance mode, students will require face-to-face attendance in blocks of time determined by the School. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for students to prepare and revise.
Online Mode
This unit utilises an active learning approach whereby students will engage in e-module activities, readings and reflections, and opportunities to collaborate with peers in an online environment. This can involve, but is not limited to, online workshops, online discussion forums, chat rooms, guided reading, and webinars. To deliver core content, pre-recorded lectures will be incorporated within the online learning environment and e-modules. In addition, electronic readings will be provided to guide students’ reading and extend other aspects of online learning.
Students should anticipate undertaking 150 hours of study for this unit over a twelve-week semester or equivalent study period, including class attendance, readings, online forum participation and assessment preparation.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment strategy for this unit is based on the need to determine authentic student achievement of the learning outcomes.
A reflective report and a case study are included to allow students to be engaged in a simulated business environment, enhanced learning experience and integration of theory and practice. In accordance with professional accreditation requirements, the project work provides assurance of assessment authenticity and students have attained the required knowledge, skills and dispositions.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment 1: Developmental exercises This assessment consists of a series of weekly exercises. The feedback from this assessment will help students to be ready to apply the concepts in the next assessments. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Practical task Artefact: Report | 20% | LO1 | GA5, GA8 |
Assessment Task 2: Business requirement report This assessment tasks consist of a report. This task requires students to demonstrate communication skills required to identify and apply the relevant business requirements using relevant tools for any organisation by identifying project scope, stakeholders and feasibility. Students will be expected to locate and use appropriate methods, tools and diverse resources to systematically analyse the given case study. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Business Report Artefact: Written report (900-1000 words) | 35% | LO2, LO4 | GA2, GA5, GA10 |
Assessment Task 3: Case study This assessment task consists of a requirement specification document for the given case study. The report should demonstrate practical skills (including critical thinking, written communication, evaluating and using relevant resources and tools) required to create requirement specification document after analysing and validating different types of business requirements for the case study, report should include details of liaising with appropriate business stakeholders to obtain feedback and negotiate successful sign off the specification document. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Case study Artefact: Written report (1800-2000 words) | 45% | LO2, LO3, LO4 | GA2, GA5, GA9, GA10 |
Representative texts and references
Paul, D. & Cadle, J., 2020, Business Analysis, 4th edn, BCS Learning & Development Limited.
Cadle,J. Paul, D., Hunsley, J., Reed, A., Beckham, D., 2021, BUSINESS ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES, BCS Learning & Development Limited.
Lynda Girvan, Debra Paul, 2017, Agile and Business Analysis: Practical guidance for IT professionals, BCS Learning & Development Limited.
Blais, S, Business Analysis: Best Practices for Success, Wiley, Hoboken, US. https://www.wiley.com/en-au/Business+Analysis%3A+Best+Practices+for+Success-p-9781118076002
James, Vicki. (2015). Leveraging Business Analysis for Project Success. Business Expert Press. http://portal.igpublish.com/iglibrary/search/BEPB0000397.html?1