CBAP and BABOK

Presented to the Albany Capital District Chapter of the IIBA February 3, 2009

Mission: To develop and maintain standards for the practice of business analysis and for the certification of its practitioners The IIBA is an international non-profit professional association for business analysis professionals

March 2004
37 members 2 countries (Canada & US)

December 2008
7,791 members 81 chapters 68 countries 462 CBAPs (Certified Business Analysis Professional)

Business Analysis

Business Analysis is the set of tasks, knowledge and techniques required to identify business needs and determine solutions to business problems. Solutions often include a systems development component, but may also consist of process improvement or organizational change.

International Institute of Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK)

A Business Analyst works as a liaison among stakeholders in order to elicit, analyze, communicate, and validate requirements for changes to business processes, policies, and information systems.

Business Analysis Body of Knowledge

The BABOK is the collection of knowledge within the profession of Business Analysis and reflects generally accepted practice Describes business analysis areas of knowledge, their associated activities and tasks and the skills necessary to be effective in their execution Provides the basis for the CBAP certification

CBAP Certification

Qualified practitioners will receive the designation Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP)
This certification is designed for individuals with an advanced level of knowledge and experience The IIBA is considering a secondary certification to meet the needs of less senior Business Analysts Membership in the IIBA is not required to take the certification examination

CBAP

A recognized expert in identifying the business needs of an organization in order to determine business solutions CBAPs are acknowledged as competent individuals performing a role which is increasingly recognized as a vital component of any successful project

Benefits of CBAP Certification

Validation of skills and capabilities by a recognized external authority Recognition by peers and management as qualified and experienced to practice business analysis Confirmation of competence in the principles and practices of business analysis Advanced career potential by creating a separate and distinct career path within the information technology industry and

Certification Requirements
5 years (7,500 hours) of business analysis work in the last 10 years Demonstrated experience and expertise in at least 4 of the 6 BABOK Knowledge Areas Minimum high school diploma or equivalent 21 hours of BA professional development in the last 4 years 2 professional references

Work Experience

Acceptable activities include:

Hands-on business analysis activities (as per BABOK) Coaching or mentoring Business Analysts with respect to business analysis activities Development of an organizations business analysis methodology and/or best practices Development of business analysis training courses

Work Experience

Activities that will not apply include:

Non-supervisory management of business analysis activities (e.g., resource management, status reporting, performance management, etc.) Teaching business analysis training courses Selling requirements tools/software Project Management Testing

Knowledge Areas

Enterprise Analysis Requirements Planning and Management Requirements Elicitation Requirements Analysis and Documentation Requirements Communication Solution Assessment and Validation

Professional Development

Directly related to business analysis or its underlying fundamentals IIBA endorsed education provider courses qualify note if EEP course IIBA will review course outline to determine if other courses qualify Project management, programming, or testing courses will not qualify

References

Must be provided by a:
Career Manager (person who is responsible for your annual performance review) Internal or external client Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP)

The Certification Process

Submit application including:

Application form and application fee References Code of Conduct form Examination fee (due at least 60 days prior to exam date)

IIBA reviews to determine if requirements are met notifies via email within 30 days

Register for Exam

Approved applicant has one year to successfully pass the exam Within a month of approval, e-mail from Castle Worldwide with user ID and password to register online for a test center and test date If exam is passed granted CBAP certification If exam is not passed may retake the exam once after three month wait if still within one year eligibility

Current CBAP Exam Blueprint Percent of Knowledge Area

Enterprise Analysis Requirements Planning and Management Requirements Elicitation Requirements Analysis and Documentation Requirements Communication Solution Assessment and Questions 22.0% 22.7% 18.7% 20.7% 10.7% 5.2%

Certification Fees

Initial fees
$125 application fee that is nonrefundable $325 exam fee for IIBA members $450 exam fee for non-members

Rewrite fees
$250 for IIBA members $375 for non-members

Recertification

Recertification is required every 3 years Require 60 Continuing Development Units (CDUs) to recertify Renewal fee - $85 for IIBA members and $120 for non-members

Latest Developments

IIBA is piloting an online application process which includes payment of the application fee - plans are to launch the process in March BABOK v2 expected to be released in March Plans are to begin working on the next version of the CBAP exam in March or April 2009 New Career Center on IIBA website

BABOK v2 Knowledge Areas

Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring Enterpri Elicitatio Requireme Solution se n nts Assessmen Analysis Analysis t & Validation Requirements Management and Communication Underlying Competencies

BABOK

Identifies currently accepted practices Recognizes business analysis is not synonymous with software requirements Defined and enhanced by the professionals who apply it Captures the sum of the knowledge required for the practice of business analysis as a profession

What the BABOK is NOT

It is NOT a methodology nor does it prescribe or favor a methodology

It is NOT a how to business analysis instruction manual

Tasks

Applicable to all business analysis efforts

Necessary components of business analysis May be executed as often as necessary Consistently defined inputs and outputs

Techniques

Cover different methodologies or approaches

BPM (business process management), Agile, Iterative, waterfall, etc. Usage depends on the purpose Understand when techniques are appropriate

Example Task & Techniques

Task: Conduct Elicitation Activity Techniques:

Brainstorming Requirements Workshop Interview Prototyping Etc.

Future Plans

Publication of BABOK v2
Release of electronic copy in late March 2009 Free for IIBA members, nonmembers will be charged IIBA is investigating print options

Future editions expected every five years

Knowledge Sharing

Suman Akula has successfully completed his application to sit for the CBAP exam and is willing to answer questions about his experience Is there anyone else here who has completed or is in the process of applying to take the exam?