Books published by BCS Learning & Development Limited

This practical guide explores the business analyst role including typical responsibilities and necessary skills. It signposts useful tools and commonly used methodologies and techniques. A visual career roadmap for business analysts is also included, along with case studies and interviews with practising business analysts.

Engaging with customers through social media is essential for businesses in this day and age. Writing for social media can be difficult to get right and even big brands can get it wrong. This book walks you through how to deliver maximum benefit for your business through your social media writing.

Technical writing needs to be clear and it needs to be precise. This book shows you how to achieve this and more. Whatever the content or context, in this book you'll discover the essential tools and resources that you need to create technical writing that works for everyone.

With this book, aspiring data analysts will discover what data analysts do all day, what skills they will need for the role, and what regulations they will be required to adhere to. Practising data analysts can explore useful data analysis tools, methods and techniques, brush up on best practices and look at how they can advance their career.

In this book you'll discover the do's and don'ts of pitching your ideas through a business case. You'll learn what the essential components of a business case are, including what key questions you should be answering, how to structure your business case, factors to consider when thinking about benefits and risks, and how best to tackle ROI.

Agile testing brings many advantages to teams, from increasing overall product quality to providing greater scope for flexibility. Building on the ISTQB Foundation Level Agile Tester syllabus, this book covers Agile principles, methods and tools, showing you exactly how Agile testing can help you and your team.

Whether you're preparing for your service management foundation exam, or simply want to understand service management better, this new edition of our popular book covers the latest thinking and provides you with a comprehensive, practical introduction to IT service management. Building on their collective, extensive service management experience, the authors of this book walk you through essential concepts including the service lifecycle, processes, functions and roles and illustrate these with real-life examples. With this book you'll quickly gain understanding of the basic principles, terminology and benefits of service management.

Computational thinking (CT) is a timeless, transferable skill that enables you to think more clearly and logically, as well as a way to solve specific problems. With this book you'll learn to apply computational thinking in the context of software development to give you a head start on the road to becoming an experienced and effective programmer.

This is an essential guide to entity relationship and class modelling for business analysts in line with, and beyond, the BCS Data Analysis syllabus.

Today, companies worldwide are applying digital transformation to redesign traditional business models and strategies in the context of new disruptive technologies, digitally-savvy consumers, and our globally connected society. This strategic guide for business and IT executives focuses on how today's most disruptive technologies (including social, mobile, analytics, cloud, wearables, intelligent automation, robotics, and the IoT) can be applied in powerful combinations, together with platform business models, mastery of digital services, and leading practices in corporate innovation, to help you develop and execute your digital strategies for competitive advantage.

The role of service level manager is critical in that the agreements negotiated with customers should inform the activities of the service provider. This book aims to help those whose role is to establish, negotiate, manage or update service level agreements and to use these as the basis of continual service improvement.

Despite the sophistication of modern off-the-shelf IT products, most organisations find they don't get the benefits they expected. This practical book presents a proven decision-making process to help IT and business managers select the off-the-shelf software product that best fits the needs of their organisation, whether in the commercial or public sector. Offering a structured approach to managing stakeholders, requirements and candidate IT vendors, this practical 'how-to' guide will help deliver a rigorous, defensible decision within an aggressive timescale. As well as illustrating the techniques, this book includes case studies from business managers who have been through the process. Useful templates and additional articles are available by download from the supporting website.

Security architects are responsible for maintaining the security of an organisation's computer systems as well as designing, developing and reviewing security architectures that fit business requirements, mitigate risk and conform to security policies. They ensure that each unique set of security needs is addressed, that systems are protected and beneficial security change is implemented. The book provides practical, effective guidance for anyone looking to become a security architect or wanting to know more about what the role entails. It covers areas such as required skills, responsibilities, dependencies and career progression as well as relevant tools, standards and frameworks.

Identifying security gaps in an organisation's information systems is a first and vital step in protecting data and information. This is what makes the role of an information security (or assurance) auditor so important. However, this is a role that is often maligned as a 'check list monkey' who adds nothing to the business. This practical book confronts this stereotype and gives an excellent introduction to the role, covering areas such as purpose, required skills, responsibilities, interface and career progression as well as tools, standards and frameworks related to the role. Based on the author's extensive experience, it gives practical guidance to those new to the role or interested in developing a better understanding of what it entails.

The role of the business analyst is to formulate options for a way forward and produce business cases setting out conclusions and recommendations. This professional discipline requires the widest possible array of tools and the ability to use each when and where it is needed. The new edition provides 99 possible techniques and applies them within a framework of stages. It complements Business Analysis (ed Debra Paul, Donald Yeates and James Cadle), also published by BCS, and offers a more detailed description of the techniques used in business analysis, together with practical advice on their application. This book will be of enormous benefit to business analysts, managers and to students of information systems and business strategy.

Method and process are important in business analysis, but knowing how to use them is even more so. As a business analyst you can increase your effectiveness most by developing your soft skills, recognising that finesse can be more effective than force. Once developed, you will find that these skills are transferable across project types and whole industry sectors. This book illustrates the application of NLP to develop competencies - better equipping you to communicate across cultures, reframe problems, manage stakeholder groups, resolve conflicts, motivate teams and become an even better leader.

Systems development is the process of creating and maintaining information systems, including hardware, software, data, procedures and people. It combines technical expertise with business knowledge and management skill. This practical book provides a comprehensive introduction to the topic and can also be used as a handy reference guide by those already working in the field. It discusses key topics of systems development such as lifecycles, development approaches, requirements engineering and how to make a business case, among others. It is the only textbook that supports the BCS Certificate in Systems Development.

Problem management is the one IT service management process that tends to return more benefits more quickly than any of the others. Based on the author's extensive experience and backed up by suggestions and ideas from other practitioners, this book offers practical, real-world guidance on all aspects of implementing and running an effective problem management function, from proposition and justification of the function to different ways of organising it. Offering advice and recommendations tailored to different types of organisations, it gives IT practitioners, consultants and managers the tools to add real value to their businesses.

Data is a valuable corporate asset and its effective management can be vital to an organisation's success. This professional reference guide covers all the key areas of data management including database development, data quality and corporate data modelling. It is not based on a particular proprietary system; rather it is business-focused, providing the knowledge and techniques required to successfully implement the data management function. The book is aimed at all those involved with data management, including IT/IS and business managers, consultants, and business analysts, as well as data management practitioners from all business sectors. This new edition covers web technology and its relation to databases and includes material on the management of master data.

This practical guide is written for people and organisations that are implementing a business continuity management system and certification in line with ISO 22301. The development of a BCMS requires commitment, time, resourcefulness and management support. This book will fully equip those new to business continuity management or to management systems with survival skills for the ups and downs of the journey. It is divided into four parts; the first two focus on the management system aspects and the remaining two look at the requirements of the standard and translate them into user-friendly guidance notes. Included are checklists to self assess progress and worksheets to assist with the development of a BCMS as the reader progresses through the handbook.

Finance is as fundamental to the IT world as it is to most other aspects of life. However, many IT professionals lack knowledge of the particular financial principles on which decisions about IT should be based - decisions that often have serious financial implications for their organisations. Assuming no prior knowledge, this new edition covers all aspects of finance relevant to IT professionals and is updated with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) terminology. It is ideal for IT decision makers - managers, practitioners, buyers, sellers, consultants and project managers - who wish to conquer their fear of finance or refresh existing knowledge.

Engaging with social media such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter is now a key part of global business communications. Blogs, microblogs, social networking and social news sites have become the new tools for effective marketing and sales. This book is an excellent resource for anyone planning a social media strategy or individual campaign. It includes: specific sites for various types of networking and engagement; blogs and microblogs; online presence and creating a social media brand; brand perception and reputation; legal issues; connecting to a global audience; job recruitment via social media; how different age groups interact online; viral marketing; creating brand advocates and how they can broadcast the message; future predictions. This new edition is updated to cover the latest thinking, practices and technology such as Google+.

Secret wartime projects in areas such as code-breaking, radar and ballistics produced a wealth of ideas and technologies that kick-started the development of digital computers. This is the story of the people and projects that flourished in the post-war period. Their influence is still discernable deep down within today's hardware and software.

All professionals need strong interpersonal skills as they are a fundamental requirement in any business environment. The importance of these skills cannot be overstated in today's business world particularly in the light of current economic conditions. Numerous books cover interpersonal skills, but none specifically address their application within professional job roles, in particular those within the IT industry. This book fills that gap, providing guidance on all of the key skills and forming a comprehensive reference manual that will be relevant to a huge variety of situations. Topics include: building rapport; team working; leadership; negotiation; written communication; managing conflict; presentation skills; coaching and mentoring; problem solving.