Helping Hand Questions for BAPv5

The guidance on prior research for business analysis work states that analysts should first study relevant background material to gain an “entry point” into the domain before undertaking deeper investigation. For projects focused on specific processes (such as re-engineering a customer-facing process with excessive handoffs), the documentation explicitly recommends studying procedure manuals and current system documentation to understand what the process is supposed to be and how it is documented. It also recommends studying the organisation chart to understand reporting lines, functional groupings, and where responsibilities and handoffs may occur—particularly important here because the goal is to reduce handoffs and support remote working practices.

Financial statements and annual reports can be useful for strategic or corporate-level analysis, but the scenario is operational and process-focused (re-engineering a process linked to declining customer satisfaction). The most direct “initial analysis” sources, aligned with the prescribed prior-research approach for process-oriented work, are therefore procedure manuals/documentation and organisation charts.

Crucially, the guidance cautions that documentation may become out of date and can reflect “what we thought it ought to have been,” so these sources support orientation and preparation, but they must be followed by proper investigation techniques (e.g., interviews, observation, workshops, and quantitative methods) to confirm what actually happens in practice.

A mind map is a technique for organising and visualising information in a hierarchical and associative way. It helps to generate, structure and classify ideas and concepts and show how they are related or connected. Therefore, option A is the correct answer, as a mind map would enable Girby to model the arising themes and how they relate to each other. A mind map would help to identify the main theme or problem (declining production) and the sub-themes or causes (staff blaming each other, more parts being faulty etc.) and arrange them in a tree-like structure. A mind map would help to use colours, symbols, images and keywords to represent and emphasise the themes and their relationships. A mind map would help to analyse and evaluate the themes and their relationships and identify any patterns or gaps that may exist. Option B is not a correct answer, as a business activity model is not a technique for modelling the arising themes and how they relate to each other. A business activity model is a technique for modelling business activities within an organisation or project at a high level of abstraction. It helps to understand what an organisation does, how it does it, who does it, where it does it and why it does it. Option C is not a correct answer, as a rich picture is not a technique for modelling the arising themes and how they relate to each other. A rich picture is a technique for drawing a holistic view of a complex situation or problem using informal symbols and images. It helps to capture the main elements and aspects of a situation or problem and how they interact or influence each other. Option D is not a correct answer, as a business process model is not a technique for modelling the arising themes and how they relate to each other. A business process model is a technique for modelling business processes within an organisation or project at a low level of abstraction. It helps to understand how business processes are performed or delivered in terms of inputs, outputs, activities, tasks, roles, rules, events etc.

An external requirement is a business rule that is imposed by an external source, such as a law, regulation, or standard. The business rule in this question is a legal obligation that EuroCoach has to comply with, so it is an external requirement. Option C is the correct answer.

The business analysis guidance makes it clear that a business case is not a “one-and-done” document that stops being useful at implementation. Instead, it is revisited at multiple decision gates through the lifecycle, including points after development estimates are known, before deployment, and later during operation when benefits realisation is checked. This directly contradicts statement A, because the business case remains relevant beyond implementation to confirm assumptions and verify whether expected benefits were actually achieved.

Statement B is also incorrect. The guidance explicitly states that the “do nothing / maintain the status quo” option should always be considered and will usually appear in the business case. It may sometimes be rejected due to unacceptable consequences, but it should still be included so decision-makers understand the risks of inaction.

Statement C is correct because the business case should consider both tangible and intangible benefits. The documentation explains that many benefits (for example improved customer satisfaction or staff morale) can be intangible, meaning they cannot be credibly valued in advance. While organisations vary in how they treat intangibles, the framework recognises them as legitimate benefits (with the caution not to overstate them or assign “spurious” values).