BAPv5 Exam Dumps - BCS Business Analysis Questions and Answers

A workshop is a technique for conducting group discussions and activities with stakeholders to elicit, analyse, validate and prioritise their views and needs. It helps to facilitate effective communication and collaboration among stakeholders and resolve conflicts or issues. Therefore, options B, D and E are correct answers, as they are possible reasons why Paul did not use a workshop to avoid delays. They describe different challenges or constraints that may prevent or limit the use of a workshop technique. Option B describes a challenge related to the geographical location of stakeholders. If the stakeholders are located in different time zones, it may be difficult or impractical to arrange a workshop that suits their availability and preferences. Option D describes a challenge related to the availability of stakeholders. If the key stakeholders have busy or conflicting schedules, it may be hard or impossible to organise a workshop that involves all of them at the same time. Option E describes a constraint related to the venue of the workshop. If a neutral venue is available for stakeholder discussions, it may be preferable or necessary to use it instead of a workshop, as it may reduce bias or influence from any stakeholder group. Option A is not a correct answer, as it is not a reason why Paul did not use a workshop to avoid delays. It describes an issue that may arise during a workshop, but not prevent or limit its use. If one stakeholder has a dominant personality, it may affect the dynamics and outcomes of the workshop, but it can be managed by using appropriate facilitation skills and techniques. Option C is not a correct answer, as it is not a reason why Paul did not use a workshop to avoid delays. It describes an objective that may be achieved by using a workshop, but not prevent or limit its use. If consensus from stakeholders needs to be established, it may be beneficial or essential to use a workshop, as it can help to reach a common understanding and agreement among stakeholders.

A logical dependency arrow on a BAM shows that one activity depends on another activity for its completion or initiation. In this question, the doing activity of ‘sell bespoke kitchens’ depends on the planning activity of ‘determine range of products’, as the customers need to select products from a predefined range when they design their kitchens. Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

CATWOE is a technique for exploring stakeholder business perspectives by identifying six elements: Customer, Actor, Transformation, Worldview, Owner and Environment. It helps to understand how different stakeholders perceive a business situation or problem and what they expect from a solution. Therefore, option D is the correct answer, as environment is the element that cannot be identified from this scenario. Environment is the element that describes the external factors or constraints that affect a stakeholder’s perspective or limit their options. It helps to explain what factors or constraints are beyond the stakeholder’s control or influence. There is no information in this scenario that indicates what external factors or constraints affect Maria and Nelly’s perspective or limit their options. Option A is not a correct answer, as transformation is the element that can be identified from this scenario. Transformation is the element that describes what changes or processes take place in a business situation or problem or its solution. It helps to identify what inputs are converted into outputs in a business situation or problem or its solution. An example of transformation in this scenario is sourcing jewellery products from an overseas manufacturer and marketing them in luxury presentation boxes made by local craftsmen. Option B is not a correct answer, as actor is the element that can be identified from this scenario. Actor is the element that describes who carries out or performs a business situation or problem or its solution. It helps to identify who are responsible for implementing or delivering a business situation or problem or its solution. An example of actor in this scenario is Darren, who makes up the boxes and keeps the stockroom full. Option C is not a correct answer, as owner is the element that can be identified from this scenario. Owner is the element that describes who has the authority or power to start or stop a business situation or problem or its solution. It helps to identify who are the decision makers or influencers of a business situation or problem or its solution. An example of owner in this scenario is Maria and Nelly, who own the jewellery shop and are considering whether to renew the lease.

A SWOT analysis is a technique for identifying and evaluating the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that affect an organisation or project. It helps to assess the internal and external factors that influence the performance and potential of the organisation or project. Therefore, options A, B and C are correct answers, as they should be included in the SWOT analysis for the company that sells van insurance. They describe different types of factors that affect the company’s situation and prospects. Option A describes an opportunity, which is a favourable or advantageous circumstance or situation that arises from the external environment and that can be exploited to achieve the objectives of the organisation or project. An example of an opportunity is the increase in home shopping, which has led to an increase in delivery drivers and vehicles across both markets. This creates a potential demand for van insurance that the company can cater to. Option B describes a weakness, which is a negative or unfavourable characteristic or situation that arises from the internal environment and that can hinder or prevent the achievement of the objectives of the organisation or project. An example of a weakness is the inability of the call centre to deal with the large influx of calls, which may result in poor customer service, dissatisfaction and loss of business. Option C describes a threat, which is a harmful or adverse circumstance or situation that arises from the external environment and that can endanger or damage the achievement of the objectives of the organisation or project. An example of a threat is the new regulatory hurdles following Brexit, which may affect the company’s ability to trade in Ireland and reduce its market share and revenue. Option D is not a correct answer, as strength is not a factor that has been discovered in the investigation for the SWOT analysis. A strength is a positive or favourable characteristic or situation that arises from the internal environment and that can facilitate or enhance the achievement of the objectives of the organisation or project. Option E is not a correct answer, as technology is not a type of factor that can be included in a SWOT analysis. Technology is an aspect of the external environment that can affect an organisation or project positively or negatively, depending on how it is used or adapted to.

A business rule is a statement that defines or constrains some aspect of a business situation or problem or its solution. It helps to ensure consistency and compliance with policies, regulations, standards or criteria within an organisation or project. Business rules can be classified into four types: external constraints, internal policies, external procedures and internal procedures. Therefore, option B is the correct answer, as it identifies which types(s) of business rule have been described in this extract respectively. External constraints are business rules that originate from outside an organisation or project and are beyond its control or influence. They help to ensure compliance with laws, regulations, standards or criteria imposed by external authorities or bodies. An example of external constraints in this extract is legislation ensuring protection for the most vulnerable people in our society can affect the criteria, as it originates from outside the local council and is beyond its control or influence. Internal policies are business rules that originate from within an organisation or project and are under its control or influence. They help to ensure alignment with objectives, strategies, values or principles established by internal decision makers or influencers. An example of internal policies in this extract is the criteria are agreed by the council housing committee, who meet on a regular basis and seek to ensure that the criteria continue to enable effective housing allocation, as it originates from within the local council and is under its control or influence. Option A is not a correct answer, as it does not identify which types(s) of business rule have been described in this extract respectively. Internal policies and internal procedures are not the types of business rule that have been described in this extract. Internal procedures are business rules that specify how an activity or task should be performed or delivered within an organisation or project. They help to ensure quality and consistency of performance or delivery within an organisation or project. There is no example of internal procedures in this extract. Option C is not a correct answer, as it does not identify which types(s) of business rule have been described in this extract respectively. External constraints and external procedures are not the types of business rule that have been described in this extract. External procedures are business rules that specify how an activity or task should be performed or delivered outside an organisation or project. They help to ensure compatibility and interoperability of performance or delivery with external parties or systems. There is no example of external procedures in this extract. Option D is not a correct answer, as it does not identify any type of business rule that has been described in this extract.

A risk is an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on one or more project objectives. To ensure that risks are appropriately recorded, they should be documented in a consistent and structured way, such as using a RAID log (Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies). A RAID log should include information such as the risk description, impact, probability, source, owner, mitigation actions, status and date. Therefore, options B and C are essential for recording risks, as they help to identify where the risk originates from and who is responsible for managing it. Option A is not relevant to recording risks, as it is the name of the tool used to document them. Option D and E are not relevant to recording risks, as they relate to the countermeasures or actions taken to address them, not the risks themselves.

 Porter’s Five Forces model is a technique for analysing the competitive forces that affect an organisation or industry. It helps to assess the attractiveness and profitability of an organisation or industry. Porter’s Five Forces model consists of five forces: threat of new entrants, bargaining power of customers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of substitute products and competitive rivalry. Therefore, option B is the correct answer, as these preliminary findings would be documented in the bargaining power of customers force of Porter’s Five Forces model. Bargaining power of customers is the force that measures the ability and influence of customers to affect the price, quality and quantity of products or services offered by an organisation or industry. It depends on factors such as customer concentration, switching costs, differentiation and loyalty. An example of bargaining power of customers in this scenario is the market is saturated, customers have a lot of choice and it is easy for them to switch from one bank to another, which implies that customers have high bargaining power and can demand lower prices or better services from banks. Option A is not a correct answer, as these preliminary findings would not be documented in the threat of new entrants force of Porter’s Five Forces model. Threat of new entrants is the force that measures the likelihood and impact of new competitors entering an organisation or industry. It depends on factors such as entry barriers, economies of scale, capital requirements and brand loyalty. An example of threat of new entrants in this scenario is an overseas bank launching a new bank in the UK, which implies that there is a potential threat of new entrants to the existing banks in the UK. Option C is not a correct answer, as these preliminary findings would not be documented in the bargaining power of suppliers force of Porter’s Five Forces model. Bargaining power of suppliers is the force that measures the ability and influence of suppliers to affect the price, quality and quantity of products or services supplied to an organisation or industry. It depends on factors such as supplier concentration, switching costs, differentiation and dependency. An example of bargaining power of suppliers in this scenario is the suggested changes to the business structure will affect our relationships with suppliers, which implies that suppliers may have some bargaining power over the organisation or industry. Option D is not a correct answer, as these preliminary findings would not be documented in the threat of substitute products force of Porter’s Five Forces model. Threat of substitute products is the force that measures the likelihood and impact of customers switching to alternative products or services that satisfy their needs or wants better than those offered by an organisation or industry. It depends on factors such as availability, price, quality and performance of substitute products or services. There is no example of threat of substitute products in this scenario.

 An investment appraisal calculation is a technique for assessing whether a proposed business change or solution is financially viable and worthwhile. It helps to compare the costs and benefits of different options and select the best one based on objective criteria. There are different types of investment appraisal calculations, such as payback calculation, net present value, internal rate of return and discounted cash flow. Therefore, option A is the correct answer, as payback calculation is the simplest investment appraisal calculation that considers the tangible costs and benefits of a project, as well as showing when it will have saved as much money as it has cost. Payback calculation measures how long it will take for a project to recover its initial investment by comparing its cumulative cash inflows with its cumulative cash outflows over time. It helps to show how quickly a project will break even or generate profit. Option B is not a correct answer, as net present value is not the simplest investment appraisal calculation that considers only tangible costs and benefits. Net present value measures how much value a project will add or subtract from an organisation by comparing its present value of cash inflows with its present value of cash outflows over time. It helps to show how profitable a project will be in today’s terms. Net present value requires discounting future cash flows using an appropriate discount rate, which adds complexity to the calculation. Option C is not a correct answer, as internal rate of return is not the simplest investment appraisal calculation that considers only tangible costs and benefits. Internal rate of return measures how efficient a project is by calculating its annualised effective compounded return rate or rate of growth over time. It helps to show how attractive a project is compared to other investment opportunities. Internal rate of return requires finding an unknown discount rate that makes net present value equal to zero, which adds complexity to the calculation. Option D is not a correct answer, as discounted cash flow is not an investment appraisal calculation itself, but a method for estimating future cash flows by applying an appropriate discount rate to reflect their present value. Discounted cash flow can be used in other investment appraisal calculations, such as net present value or internal rate of return.

The notes that will go into the MOST analysis are a, b and d, as they correspond to the elements of Mission, Strategy and Tactics. The mission is to supply 10% of the local bespoke furniture market by the end of the financial year (a). The strategy is to adopt new 3D printing technologies to gain an advantage when quoting for bespoke furniture designs (d). The tactics are to invest in local radio advertising and appoint a creative team to develop an appropriate advertisement (b). Note c is not part of the MOST analysis, as it is not related to any of the elements.

A Target Operating Model (TOM) is a high-level description of how an organisation wants to operate in order to achieve its vision and strategy. It defines what an organisation does, how it does it, who does it, where it does it and why it does it. A TOM can be used in gap analysis to compare the desired situation with the existing situation and identify what needs to change to achieve the desired situation. Therefore, option A is the correct answer, as using a TOM in gap analysis would help to assess how far the organisation’s current activities support the desired situation. By comparing the current activities with those defined in the TOM, a gap analysis would help to identify what activities are missing, redundant or inefficient in achieving the desired situation. Option B is not a correct answer, as using a TOM in gap analysis would not help to identify how the organisation should structure itself to support the desired situation. The structure of an organisation is one aspect of a TOM, but not its main purpose. A TOM defines what an organisation does more than how it organises itself. Option C is not a correct answer, as using a TOM in gap analysis would not help to determine which activities in the desired situation are not financially feasible. The financial feasibility of an activity is not determined by comparing it with a TOM, but by conducting a cost-benefit analysis or a business case. Option D is not a correct answer, as using a TOM in gap analysis would not help to establish which stakeholder views will not be reflected in the desired situation. The stakeholder views are not determined by comparing them with a TOM, but by conducting a stakeholder analysis or a CATWOE analysis.