The global skills and competency framework for the digital world

#1315 Business Analysis change request accepted

The BA Service Handbook identifies seven skills within the BA Service Framework. The SFIA BUAN skill encompasses all of these services. In addition, there are other SFIA skills that relate directly to some of the services. For example, Requirements definition (BA service) and REQM.

 Mapping of BA Service Framework to SFIA skills.

BA Service

SFIA skill (where exists)

Situation investigation and problem analysis

No specific SFIA skill although covered by BUAN

 

Feasibility assessment and business case development

No specific SFIA skill although covered by BUAN

 

Business process improvement

BPRE

 

Requirements definition

REQM, DTAN

 

Business acceptance testing

TEST ( plus possibly BPTS)

 

Business change deployment

CIPM

 

Stakeholder engagement

RLMT (stakeholder engagement is also a sub-category in SFIA)

 The coverage of the BUAN skill seems to confirm that this ‘skill’ definition actually describes a role and should be considered for review. The BUAN skill has an extensive scope and overlaps with several other skills (specifically those shown relating to the BA Service Framework but there are others such as BSMO). This scope results in a series of definitions (at each level of competency) that may not apply to an individual business analyst role.

It is suggested that SFIA should define skills relating to the two other services and then provide business analyst role profiles that encompasses selected BA services as appropriate to different contexts or levels of seniority.

The BCS publications Delivering Business Analysis: the BA Service Handbook and Business Analysis, 4th Edition provide a detailed definition of these services. These definitions align with each other and could be used as a basis for defining the missing skills.

Proposed change applies to Business situation analysis

Current status of this request: accepted

What we decided

Included in overall review of business analysis skills for SFIA 8

[email protected]
Oct 02, 2020 10:24 AM

Hello
for the following Skills:
Situation investigation and problem analysis & Feasibility assessment and business case development
The BA skills relate to research and stakeholder management (which is a BA service in itself as well as a skill), as well as, interviewing and workshop set up and running. For example:
To centralise a function in a global organisation a BA would investigate how that function works in each country/region and discover commonalities and differences. He/She would also research any specific legal requirement in country/region which needs to be upheld, to check for feasibility in globalising the function, as well as, interview stakeholder, formulate questionnaires or run workshops, to understand if the function processes are the same cross country/region, if they are used consistently or not at all and what needs to be changed and how. Stakeholders need to be identified, communicated to and their expectations managed (to deadlines). The BA needs to research/investigate understand and learn the business be able to fulfill both services above.

Apologies if I have misunderstood the purpose of this

Michaela

SFIA Updates Manager
Oct 02, 2020 10:48 AM

Hi Michaela - thanks for taking the time to contribute - much appreciated. At this stage the purpose is to do exactly what you have done! Share requests and ideas in relation to the BA skills. Please keep in touch as this progresses.

Peter Leather
SFIA Updates Manager

Michelle Shakesheff
Mar 15, 2021 01:16 PM

Hi, Peter,
As we discussed, I am supportive of this change request and feel that aligning the SFIA framework to the Business Analysis service framework will provide improved coverage of the BA role and will also align SFIA to the latest version of the BCS publication "Business Analysis" as well as the International Diploma for Business Analysis.