So how was it for you?  A blog by Andy Lomas.

A question normally greeted with an awkward pause while my brain figures out the likely consequences of the next words uttered.  So I have learnt it’s best to avoid that question wherever possible or not over commit. It was alright being my stock reply.  

However, having ‘volunteered’ to write a few words about the recent Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis, alas, I can avoid it no more. ‘It’s alright’, I feel, isn’t going to cut it.

So the Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis course is over three days with and exam on the afternoon of the final day. It covers the breadth of business analysis. Examples of the course content include; strategy analysis, stakeholder analysis and management, documenting requirements, modelling requirements to name a few.  

Now I say this is a foundation course but the trainer asked why are you doing the most difficult course first?  This set alarm bells ringing in my head. Apparently it’s better to do the practitioner course and core courses before tackling the knowledge based Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis.  

The reason is that this course is INTENSE. There is a lot to cover over the three days, plus I spent several hours in the evening doing the homework, reviewing what we had already covered and then reading ahead for the following day. 

The days themselves were long and I now sympathise with a computer trying to download a large file while some idiot keeps clicking the mouse. Yep my brain was pretty much ‘locked’ at the end of each day.

The three day format of the course left little time for consolidation particularly on the last day.  In the good old days this used to be over a five days! The course finished at 2:30 pm and we were in the exam at 3:15pm. My head was still reeling from day three subjects; modelling requirements, delivering requirements, delivering a business solution.

So other than waking up on the next two nights wondering if I had put the right answer down and absolutely convincing myself I was resitting, what did I learn?

1. There’s life in the old dog yet, I passed!
2. My thirst for knowledge has not diminished; I want to continue and get my Diploma.
3. I know more about Airbus A380, Ryan Air and British Airports Authority then I want to.
4. How to not pay a parking fine, get free cash and free fuel. None of which I would ever do.

On a serious note point 4, however, demonstrates how a failure in a process upstream creates opportunities for exploitation that if not corrected quickly lead to consequences not previously imagined - a lesson for all.

Would I recommend the Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis?  Absolutely.