The empowerment success of Business Analysis courses conducted by Cape-based Faculty Training Institute in Cape Town and Johannesburg is given weight by the views of many Dip.BA graduates who have faced the challenge of combining responsibilities at work and home with studying, attending lectures, and completing assignments during the six-month part-time programme.
A sample of the 22 candidates who graduated after a recent Johannesburg course agreed that almost from the beginning they were able to apply in practice the principles learned in lectures to tasks in which they were directly involved in the workplace.
Take Marius Jacobs, Human Resource Manager at Harmony Gold Mining Company, whose career evolved from HR to IT, saw an advantage in the detail of the diploma course that would help in making decisions on the right type of project approach in implementing systems and processes, especially as he was engaged with a projects team integrating IT systems and processes.
He said: "The course material was outstanding and very much to the point in covering what the IT environment can offer, the approach in the way a project should be tackled, and the tools it gives you to apply in the work environment. From a personal point of view I have complete confidence in the tools I can use to make good, sound business decisions about the integration of systems and processes."
Elaine Lemmer, a professional officer at the National Research Foundation, who works for THRIP (Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme) and is responsible for IT systems and for the efficient administration of a grant management system for developments in which the NRF and industry share costs and risks.
She said: "After the first three days of lectures I was already able to apply newly learned skills to the drawing up of a business case for an IT development project within the organisation. The course was so thorough I felt as if I had attended varsity for a year."
Alouette Barker is a business analyst in Absa Bank`s Call Centre Solutions Area, which deals with analysis of how to implement requirements from other bank units into the call centre operation. She said the course was one of the best she had ever attended because of the way theory and practical application were integrated.
"It was well structured and very well presented. It`s something quite new and you need to have a little experience or exposure to business analysis to take it all in.
"We could immediately implement whatever was taught into our working environment and I am already implementing this knowledge in the way my documents are prepared. Members of our team are already benefiting from guidance on applications and how to approach certain projects and problems."
For Sharon Lintott, a business analyst with Prism Holdings, the JSE-listed secure electronic transactions company, the FTI diploma was perfectly suited to her focus on growing her systems specification skills. Lintott, who has attended many courses and who used to be a trainer herself, was the top course graduate.
"I think the course is brilliant. I believe it taught me a lot of different techniques on how to approach projects and problems. It demonstrated the vast difference between the role of the systems analyst as it was 10 years ago to that of a business analyst today. It also highlighted the value inherent in the business analyst function and the benefit it can add to an organisation."
While on the course, Lintott was engaged at Prism in a project for financial transactions devices for a major retailer and was involved in the analysis, specification and testing in respect of this specific project.
Ina Rousseau, one of seven business analysts with Investec`s Asset Management Division, who attended the course, was another top graduate.
"Although I don`t have an IT background, I came into a project to upgrade an IT system that involved me in training and because of my business background I moved into business analysis. I took the FTI course because, although I believe I know the bank`s business very well, I felt that my skills as a business analyst could be improved.
"As an individual, I certainly have acquired more confidence in my skills because I have a better understanding of where other members of the team are coming from and I know exactly what they are talking [about] in the context of documentation, process models or entity relationship diagrams. The fact that several of my colleagues involved in different aspects of the business were on the course was really nice: we all talk the same language and can use the same tools in the way we approach projects. We are better able to assess the impact of any changes we make in our systems on the entire business."
Rousseau`s colleague, Brad Rogers, with an accounting background, said a group in the Asset Management Division decided to attend the course on evidence that other bank colleagues spoke highly of it and because the group would share the same knowledge base.
"We also appreciated that the main purpose of the course is to empower people. Empowerment is not only a buzzword but also, I think, an absolute requirement in terms of skills shortages and enlarging and enhancing the skills of people who are in particular positions. The general structure of the course was just so nice. The workshops were totally hands-on, involving exercises and group work.
"The course definitely has made a major difference in the way we do things right. I`m sure that in new projects, we`ll be able to roll-out everything we have learned, especially in the way we gather knowledge and re-write documentation templates. On the whole, all the tips and suggestions we`ve learned will make a big difference right through the lifecycle of a project."
Another colleague, Reshma Kara, a business analyst responsible for management information statistics, said the course provided a much clearer definition of the role of business analysts.
"I thought it [the course] was brilliant. We did a lot of practical work, which almost immediately pointed the way to doing things better and with greater understanding. At most other courses, all you hear is theory. Here we were doing a lot of practical work and working on assignments that really made you think.
"Looking back on previous projects, I know I could have applied what the course taught to many aspects. Going forward, application of what we learned can be translated into high productivity and greater accuracy in what we do."
Janet Pretorius is a business analyst in training at the South African Reserve Bank, whose line manager had previously graduated with the FTI Diploma and who had recommended that she follow his example.
"The course was my first exposure to business analysis on this scale although this had been part of my B.Compt studies and auditing training. Because it was a new field to me, it was tough. The theory was clear enough but I often had difficulty in applying the practical aspects. But I now look at projects in a completely new way, which is tremendously useful. I believe there will be a benefit in significantly increased productivity because the tools we acquired will reduce the chance of errors and problems in the evolution of a project. Analysis done properly from scratch and with properly prepared documentation will also create better understanding between team members."
Lorna van Wyk and Blake Edwards are business analysts in the e-Business Division at Mutual & Federal who are engaged in workflow and business intelligence. Van Wyk was previously engaged in business development geared to mainframe computer development and enhancement.
She said: "I expected to learn new things that would help give a better structure to the work we were doing. It [the course] was extremely beneficial. I actually used what I had learned within the first couple of weeks and I was able to use this practical advantage both internally at work and in my business case presentation. The course gave me the necessary tools to prepare specifications and gather information more accurately.
"This newfound knowledge assisted tremendously in the very first project I got involved in after completing the course where I submitted specifications to three vendors for a proof of concept. The vendors managed to develop and presented their systems to my exact specifications."
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