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A Pragmatic Guide to Business Process Modelling by Jon Holt  (9)  £28.45

Writing Better Requirements by Ian Alexander  (2)  £18.99

Writing Effective Use Cases (Crystal Series for Software Development) by Alistair Cockburn  (9)  £17.39

Software Testing: An ISEB Foundation by Brian Hambling  (4)  £17.99

UML 2 for Dummies (For Dummies) by Michael Jesse Chonoles  (5)  £10.47

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Review
A wide-ranging text, which challenges those who already believe that currently IT systems are often inefficient and do not meet the organisaton's needs. Although an introductory book it is both practical and readable even for the experienced practitioner. --Kybernetes, volume 35 issue 9, 2007

Synopsis
"Business Analysis" provides workable skills and techniques, underpinned with academic theory. It is a practical introductory guide for anyone involved with any aspect of business analysis or improving the effectiveness of IT and its alignment with the organisations' business objectives. Reports about IT systems which do not satisfy business requirements, or that fail to realise the expected benefits to organisations are rife. In response, companies have increased their effort in the areas of programme, project and service management, which has undoubtedly produced improvements. However, without a comprehensive understanding of the business environment in which any IT or Information System will need to perform, and how the resulting business and IT systems are to be aligned, real success is unlikely ever to be achieved. Many business analysts have a business background and have a limited understanding of IT and how computer systems are developed. This, in conjunction with changes to the way businesses approach R&D and product delivery, such as outsourcing, has increased the need for the techniques explored in Business Analysis. Whether undertaking business analysis from a management role or with a background in IT systems analysis, design or development, this book describes the fundamental skills and competencies of business analysis itself, such as identifying business drivers and engineering requirements, but also those of business process modelling, change management, internal consultancy and an ability to understand the information and data needs of a business. "Business Analysis" encompasses the key early stages of the development cycle, as well as insights into the nature of a business and how it changes. The book also considers the business drivers that led to the development of business analysis. The coverage includes: Competencies of a Business Analyst; A framework for Business Analysis; Strategy analysis; Stakeholder analysis; Modelling business systems; Business process modelling; Business case development; Requirements engineering; Managing business change; and Information Resource Management. The book also supports the ISEB diploma in Business Analysis. Written by a team of experts in both doing business analysis and teaching others about it, this book deals with life as it is in a down-to-earth way, as well as providing some underpinning theory about the nature of business analysis.

A Pragmatic Guide to Business Process Modelling by Jon Holt  (9)  £28.45

Writing Better Requirements by Ian Alexander  (2)  £18.99

Writing Effective Use Cases (Crystal Series for Software Development) by Alistair Cockburn  (9)  £17.39

UML for the IT Business Analyst: A Practical Guide to Object-Oriented Requirements Gathering by Howard Podeswa £34.19

Strategic Management and Business Analysis by David Williamson  (1)  £25.99

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3 Reviews 5 star:    (0) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (3 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   49 of 50 people found the following review helpful: Great breadth, good depth., 23 Nov 2006 By  Neil Venn "IT Trainer and Consultant" (Hemel Hempstead, Herts., UK.) - See all my reviews    This book is a compilation of chapters by a variety of authors who are all experts in the business analysis domain. Thankfully though, the editors have a good job of keeping the structure, language and depth pretty consistent. It is consistently fairly dry but there was little that really sent me to sleep like some books in this domain that I could mention. I think it covers the breadth of skills you are likely to need as a business analysis, but keep in mind that it is published by the British Computer Society to address the ISEB Business Analsys Diploma, so it may cover more that most analysis will use in their daily jobs. In terms of depth, it gives you enough to get started and hold your own for a while, but you will probably want to invest in more detailed references on specific topics such as Soft Systems Methodology, process modelling with UML or data modelling with ERDs - depending on your previous experience and the demands of your role. In summary: a highly recommended introduction to Business Analysis, useful whether you are new to the role, thinking about a change or have some experience and want to work out in what direction to expand your knowledge.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   13 of 13 people found the following review helpful: Good revision for the ISEB exam, 25 Mar 2007 By  ardibee (London) - See all my reviews I bought this book to revise for my imminent oral exam for the ISEB Business Analysis Diploma, as it's taken me three years to cover all four modules of the course (I've long since lost my course notes!). It's a great book for revising what you (think you) already know, and picking up a few more things you might not have picked up along the way. It would also make a great introduction for someone without a formal IT qualification who is thinking of becoming a Business Analyst. It won't, however, teach you to be an expert in any of the techniques and topics it covers, but it will let you know that they are there to be discovered (and hopefully mastered) - and each chapter contains an excellent bibliography, should you be inspired to dig a little deeper. Considering the size of the book and the breadth of the topics it covers, it was never going to deal with each topic in depth. Whether it gets me through the exam or not - I'll update this review when I find out!  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: Great overview for junior BAs, 27 Feb 2008 By  H. Schwarz "HS" (London) - See all my reviews    This book was great for preparing for job interviews and to brush up on topics you may have studied or worked with previously and not used for a while. It's also a great way to decide on what to specialise in, as there are so many variations of business analysis roles. Also a great starting point for anyone looking to do the ISEB diploma.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you?