Business Analyst Community & Resources | Modern Analyst

My Certification Journey - Avoiding a CBAPtism by Fire (The Why)

Practice Manager — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 02:11:00 GMT

My Certification Journey – Avoiding a CBAPtism by Fire.

Industry Certification has always been one of my career goals. Ever since being first introduced to Business Analysis, the discussion of being certified by the most recognized industry body in this field, the IIBA, has been a consistent topic. This was only reinforced when I was first introduced to Business Analysis (BAPL), and its CEO Tim Coventry (a former president of the Australian Chapter of the IIBA). Tim and BAPL took me and many other lucky participants through an in-depth 10-month program detailing the ins and outs of Business Analysis. This course not only filled in some of the gaps in my knowledge, but it strengthened my passion for this very important role and understanding of the value it provides. And here I am today, 10 years from this introduction, and many more from my first foray into business analysis, a CBAP certified BA.

In this blog series I am going to take you through my journey. Starting with the Why (as all good BAs should), as well as the approach I followed, ‘The How’.

Why work towards certification?

These answers will often vary between individuals so I can only explain this from my own position. In one word I guess I could say, pride. I wanted to do this to achieve a level of industry recognition for my own pride and self-belief. Many will say that being certified won’t make you a better BA, or that there is no need to be certified as “I already have the job”.

Well part of this may be true. Whilst companies are not demanding certified BAs, there is no immediate barrier to gainful employment (though this is slowly shifting in the industry as certification is commonly desired by some large institutions). However, becoming certified and the understanding of the 6 Knowledge Areas (KA) of the BABOK v3 that comes with it, has made me a more aware BA. There were elements of the BABOK that have only recently made sense as I tried to understand as much of it as possible. At BAPL we have developed a CBAP Preparation Online Course, and one of the handouts with this is a context diagram of each KA, Task, and the inputs and outputs. Providing this level of visual over the text across the entire BABOK shows how interrelated each KA is and strengthens the applicability and scalability of the information contained within. For instance, at what point does a requirement or design need change approval or a change request in an adaptive initiative? Baselining is clear in a predictive approach, but adaptive approaches welcome change, even late in the game. The principles behind both are the same, even if the application differs.

The other driver for me, and I know this is a common feeling among many BAs is the self-imposed imposter syndrome. Exceptional Business Analysis drives significant value for organisations. Our role is significant. Often, we are in situations that can feel overwhelming and self-doubt creeps in. A friend once said to me, ‘Having certification gives me a comfort in knowing an industry has tested and approved of my level of knowledge. So, the situation is complex, but it is not because of my capability, it is simply a complex situation. Have confidence in myself in applying my knowledge, and work through the complexities one bit at a time’. As someone who also trains others in Business Analysis, and discussing Certification in these courses, I always felt a little empty or even fake when discussing the value of certification, knowing I had not followed through on the advice I was giving. For others it may be to provide a point of differentiation between themselves and other candidates in interviews. What ever your driver, set yourself a completion date ‘When’, and work through ‘The How’.

How did I achieve my CBAP?

Trividh Patel, CBAP — Sat, 09 Mar 2019 12:19:00 GMT

At first, I wanted to tell people how they should go about getting their IIBA certification. But then I thought the best way to do this is by actually telling “how did I achieve my own CBAP?” So, friends here is my story.

I started working as Business Analyst in 2002. I have used multiple elicitation techniques (such as interviewing, workshops, focus groups, etc.) and different requirements analysis techniques such as process modelling, use case modelling, user stories, prototyping, business rules analysis, non-functional requirements analysis, business case development etc. I have had good experience in business analysis projects working for clients worldwide.

By 2011, I already had about nine years of experience in business analysis when I have decided to go for my CBAP certification.

First thing I did was to check if I was eligible to apply for IIBA CBAP certification. So, I studied IIBA CBAP handbook and understood that IIBA evaluates business analysis experience in terms of 6 knowledge areas and I was supposed to have total of 7,500 hours of business analysis work experience and minimum 900 hours in at least 4 knowledge areas to apply for CBAP certification.

So, I studied IIBA BABOK guide version 2.0 and understood various business analysis tasks under each of the 6 knowledge area. This was the latest IIBA BABOK guide at that time. I started analysing my project experience from the IIBA perspective. I have listed down all the projects I have worked in my career and identified different business analysis tasks and activities I have performed and figured out number of hours I must have spent in each of those tasks and activities. I aggregated number of hours as per knowledge area and also calculated total hours of my business analysis experience.

To my surprise, I had well over 7,500 hours of business analysis experience and over 900 hours in all the 6 knowledge areas.

Next thing was to get 2 professional references and out of that one was supposed to be current contact. So, I approached my career manager and explained him benefits CBAP will bring to the organisation as well as to me. He gladly agreed to provide recommendation. Next, I approached single point of contact from one of the client organisation and he too agreed to provide me recommendations for CBAP certification. I have also contacted various colleagues from past projects and companies and got their buy-in in case IIBA would want to audit my project experience.

Next thing was to ensure I fulfil professional development in terms of contact hours. I understood from CBAP handbook that training can be in any area directly related to business analysis. As I already have had enough business analysis work experience, I thought of attending full time lean six sigma certification training. Please note that the training provider was NOT an Endorsed Education Provider or an EEP and still it was accepted by IIBA. Many people don’t know that IIBA does not mandate training provider to be an EEP but mandates training to be relevant to the business analysis and must be instructor led classroom or virtual live (for CCBA and CBAP application). However, for ECBA application training can be online without instructor.

After attending training, I have submitted online application on the IIBA website. I have provided information such as my education and work history details such as Project Name, Start and End dates, project Description, Total BA hours, Project contact details and various BA activities performed. I have also provided professional training details and two professional references.

After submitting application, I have paid application fee online. Within a week I received confirmation email from IIBA that my application was approved and I am supposed to pass the certification exam in 1 year from the date of approval email.

So I started preparing on my own for CBAP certification. I have studied IIBA BABOK guide at least 4 times. I have correlated concepts in the IIBA BABOK guide to my actual project experience. I have also figured out ways to remember concepts such as involvement of stakeholders and use of techniques in various business analysis tasks. It took me over 6 months to prepare.

Once I was confident I have identified nearest venue available for taking the exam and paid the exam fee.

I have registered and scheduled my CBAP exam for 15-March, 2012.

The exam venue was almost at one and half hour drive from my home and this time was subject to traffic conditions. So, I tried searching for a hotel near exam venue but there was no hotel nearby. So, I have approached a friend whose house was fortunately nearby the exam venue and he gladly agreed to let me stay overnight.

So, I stayed at my friend’s place and next day I reached venue on time. I showed my exam conformation emails and proofs of identification to the exam supervisor. I used provided username and password to logon the exam application.

I started attempting CBAP exam but soon I have started experiencing noise from other desks. I requested people and also to exam supervisor but it was of no use. Just then I remembered that I have ear plugs. Use of ear plug really helped to significantly reduce the noise and let me attempt exam without much disturbance.

I again started attempting questions. I have flagged certain questions for which I was not very confident. After attempting all the questions, I revisited flagged questions and took calculated risks and tried to figure out the best possible answer. After doing this, I still had about 20 minutes so I quickly browsed through all the questions and answers. I found couple of mistakes made while selecting my choice of answers. I made corrections and submitted my answers for evaluation.

Within just 30 seconds, I got message on my screen that I have successfully passed my CBAP exam!

I got email from IIBA confirming the same. I was also informed that my name will be included in list of CBAP recipient on the iiba website and also that I shall receive my certification kit in another 2 months time. I was also told that from now on I was licensed to use CBAP in my name and in my communication.

Well, that was my story and I am sure you too would have yours one day. All the Best!

About Author - Trividh Patel, CBAP

Trividh Patel has over 17 years of experience in Business Analysis and Consulting in IT services industry.

He has worked for leading IT Services companies as Business Architect, Lead/ Sr. Business Analyst, and as IT Project Manager. He has executed several business analysis projects for reputed organisations from USA, UK, Europe, Middle East, Japan and India. He has good track record of leading team of Business Analysts to deliver business analysis projects.

Trividh Patel has done MBA in Systems and Bachelor of Engineering from University of Mumbai (India) and is Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) by International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), Canada since March 2012. He is also Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB).

Trividh Patel can be reached on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/trividhpatel-cbap

Things to know before you start your BA career

Bharat Mamtani — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 02:18:00 GMT

Now when I am already a successful BA since many years, I would like to share few moments with everyone.

During my first months as a business analyst, life was filled with a sort of inner turmoil. Even though I had books on how to write requirements documents, had received individual mentoring on putting together use cases, and had a trusted set of templates to follow, there was something uncertain about how the business analysis process would actually unfold.

I found myself making a lot of mistaken assumptions about what to expect, having those assumptions prove to be unfounded, and then needing to find ways to adjust and course correct. Looking back, there is nothing unexpected about my experiences, except that they were unexpected to me at the time.

Knowing that many of you are just getting started, today I am sharing 4 of the things I wish someone had told me when I was just starting out in my business analysis career.

Need to set expectations early and often, and then again and again and again…

As a business analyst, it’s not uncommon to receive too many assignments, tasks that are outside your bailiwick, or unreasonable deadlines. I was surprised to find myself constantly explaining what I was doing, why it was taking so long, and what could be expected of me over the coming weeks, even though I didn’t always know what the next week would look like!

I also found that deadlines would seem reasonable but became overly optimistic when I didn’t hear back from stakeholders in a timely manner, couldn’t get time on the calendar with a critical stakeholder for weeks at a time, or encountered unexpected issues.

I learned to continually clarify my role, communicate about what would be done when, and seek feedback to be sure I was meeting expectations.

Getting information could be a little painful

Early on in my career, I naively expected unlimited access to stakeholders and their unhindered involvement in and passion about my projects.

The reality was much different. My stakeholders had multiple projects, conflicting priorities, and too much to do. Even when my project was important to them, it could still be difficult to get the information I needed in a timely manner.

Over my career, I learned to be a bit of a squeaky wheel – a very polite, diplomatic, and conscientious one – but squeaky nonetheless. My projects started to move more smoothly and I met my deadlines with less angst.

Although being the requirements author, you aren’t the requirements owner.

I love to write and I love to write requirements. But I could get so caught up in writing and documenting and modeling that I would take on more ownership than was prudent. This would lead to a lack of buy-in from critical stakeholders, which could translate to unexpected changes late in the project.

The reality is that we absolutely need stakeholders to take ownership of the content going into the requirements document, even as we author that document on their behalf. And yes, they are likely to resist reading, reviewing, and providing feedback on requirements.

I learned that providing early, incomplete drafts that were clearly imperfect would help stakeholders see that they could add a lot of information and clarity into the requirements. I also learned to be very specific about the status of any given deliverable when sending it out, and equally specific about what I was asking of my stakeholders of this document at this time.

Dealing with issues professionally would take a new kind of finesse

I’ve always been a proactive person and a bit of a whistle-blower. When a new issue surfaced, I would signal the alarm, rally the troops, and facilitate a problem solving meeting.

However, discovering requirements is a gradual process of gaining clarity and minimizing ambiguity. At a certain point in time, every requirement was once an issue. Business analysis surfaces so many issues that you can’t possibly resolve all of them immediately.

With experience, I learned to blow the whistle more softly, keeping everyone informed about what was surfacing, but not unnecessarily alarmed. To keep the requirements process moving forward, I also learned to take ownership of the issues that surfaced inside of the requirements, and make more decisions about how to resolve issues and which options to choose or recommend.

Now that you know what to expect

Now that you know what to expect, perhaps you won’t be as caught off-guard as I was during your first days as a business analyst!

Happy Analysis !!!

The Social BA - 5 Reasons to get Active Online

ccecere — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 13:32:00 GMT

Business analysts who are self-avowed social media enthusiasts will tell you that being part of a large, online community where help is only a click away is worth the time and effort. In fact, these professionals suggest that the only problem with a bit of scanning, reading, clicking, or posting on LinkedIn and Twitter every day is finding the time in a busy BA’s schedule.

Yet even the BA who is the most fanatical fan of social media admits that the endeavor has the potential to be very addictive. And upper management often looks at virtual networks with one eye on the clock and another on the purse strings. Yet most executives are coming to the realization that social sites are here to stay.

The BA Benefit of Being Online

What are the benefits to BAs who spend time on these sites? Senior Business Analyst Amirudapriya Balakumar says she has always believed that a “cumulative brain/thought process” is greater than the knowledge held by one person. She looks toward LinkedIn for enhanced knowledge and awareness. Business Analyst Peter Measures agrees, “I really enjoy having my perspective on the profession challenged on LinkedIn. It is a really useful learning tool.”

Having your professional convictions confirmed or questioned, thereby helping you grow as a BA, is a great reason to become part of an active, online community, but there are at least five additional reasons BAs should consider joining other BAs online:

1. Re-engage. One of the greatest, but often overlooked, benefits of social media for BAs is that they become re-engaged with the profession that they love. Quite simply, when you’re able to socialize with others who are performing the same work and facing the same challenges, you become re-energized. Each and every day I hear from BAs who are sharing ideas, attending classes or webinars, speaking at events or networking at meetings. Who can read these updates and not be inspired to do the same?

2. Share. There are many BAs who work as solo practitioners at small organizations and for them a virtual community can be a lifeline where they are able to brag or vent without limits. When this tweet went out, “You know you’re a BA when …” Business Analyst Sarah Entwistle tweeted back “… you have your head in your hands.” Because there are times when only another BA understands what you are going through, it’s good to know you are always able to go on LinkedIn and ask an old colleague for advice, post a question on a BA group, or shout out a quick query on Twitter. More often than not—and rather quickly—you are offered a needed template, linked to a helpful web page, sent a white paper or directed to someone who can offer more specific help.

3. Keep up. There may be no single better way to stay in tune with the latest BA trends and strategies than online and with social media. There is a constant stream of links to web pages, white papers, articles, slides, templates and other resources—and it’s usually free. Yes, it often takes some doing to work through the “spam” and get to the information you need, but diligent BAs will join the LinkedIn groups that discuss topics that interest them most, follow those on Twitter with the best information, and search on hashtags that are the most helpful. (See below for some tips.)

4. Network. The fact that social media gives you a chance to interact with other BAs is undeniable. You can easily get to know those who face the same challenges and interact with others who can offer you career advice and personal opportunities. You have the ability to ask questions of experts, voice your disagreement with the status quo and, perhaps, influence the future of your profession.

5. Find employment. Of course, social media allows you to talk with recruiters and hiring managers who are looking for professionals like you. Jobs and other opportunities are posted daily. Just ask Senior Business Analyst Debra Bambridge who is a recent convert to LinkedIn and freely admits she snagged an interview because of her online affiliation with a respected professional.

Comradery Amid Chaos

There are many groups that exist on LinkedIn and the landscape can seem chaotic. But there are ways to narrow your options and find useful discussions. The first step is to search “Business Analysis” under “Groups.” The results will show the name of each group, as well as the size and how active the group is. They’ll also tell you who in your network is a member of the group and you can further filter your search from there. Here are some popular groups to consider starting with:

IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis) with over 35,000 members. Lots of job postings in main discussion section, but there are resources posted and some conversation.
Your local IIBA Chapter group. Some are better than others.
Business Analyst Times and ModernAnalyst.com – Business Analyst Community each have a group. Both are active.

Twitter users do not have groups to join. BAs on this site follow those who offer them the information they need—@BABOK (the official Twitter account of the International Institute of Business Analysis) and @IIBA_Boston for example—and use hashtags to further filter the content they see. You can search on any keyword preceded with a hashtag. According to a recent poll of BAs on Twitter, the following hashtags help BAs keep up with the most relevant industry posts:

· #BAOT or #baot (business analysts on twitter)

· #rqmnts (requirements) or #requirements

· #IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis)

· #businessanalysis

· #businessanalyst (primarily for job hunters)

· #BABOK (Business Analysis Body of Knowledge)

· #CBAP (Certified Business Analysis Professional)

Cathy Cecere

Marketing Manager with Doreen Evans Associates, Inc.

http://www.doreenevans.com

Difference between a Brainstorm and Focus Group

Linda Erzah, CBAP — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 05:08:00 GMT

If you work in new product development or have participated in maintenance projects, then most likely you have used either the focus group or the brainstorming technique. The brainstorming technique is used to produce ideas and increase creativity. For example, after you’ve defined your problem and are looking for the different solution options, you gather a few folks from your project team (mostly the development team) and ask them about what they think a solution could be. The result of these gatherings could be ideas/solution that are obvious, or the so-not-obvious-out-of-the-norm options. Brainstorming is a way to ensure that your organization remains innovative.

Focus group can also be used to gather ideas; however, focus group goes a bit further.

For example, focus group is used after the development of a prototype, in order to get an idea of how the market will respond to certain features of the solution.

During a focus group, you are looking to gather the attitudes (in forms of comments and feedback) about an idea, a solution or even a process. The participants of this meeting should be outsiders; meaning folks who are most likely to use/consume to product. The result of a focus group would be the answers or feedback you’ve gathered during the meeting. This feedback can be compiled and organized by themes to present to the sponsors.

Here are the main differences between the two techniques:

	Brainstorming	Focus Group
Purpose	Generate ideas	Improve existing ideas
Trigger	A need to solve a problem	A need to study an existing idea, solution or process
Condition	Problem exist	Idea, solution or process exist
Setup
Number of participants	6 - 8	6 - 12
Participant types	Heterogeneous	Can be homogeneous or heterogeneous
Person running the show	Facilitator	Skilled moderator
Knowledge of topic of discussion	Not necessary	In depth knowledge of topic of discussion
Guide	Develop criteria for evaluating and rating ideas	Create a discussion guide and moderator scripts
Game Time
Ground rules	Must have	Nice to have
Duration	Restrict time to produce ideas 1 – 2 hrs	1 – 2 hrs and sometimes over several days
Type of questions to ask	Progressive closed-ended to generate and build on ideas	Can be open-ended to generate qualitative data or closed-ended to generate quantitative data
Observers	No	Yes
Result	List of ideas combined to form themes	Report of findings Could be - bullet list of information learned - comparative analysis between to solutions - summary of response collected for each question

Recent CBAP from Portugal

Jorge costa — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:14:00 GMT

Hello BA's

I´m a recent CBAP and first's in Portugal.

I think the market of business don't know importance of the certification and i'm waiting to see the development of the CBAP here.

CBAP

KIERANC — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:15:00 GMT

I have just completed the CBAP and would like to share some of my thoughts about the process involved and the exam as I experienced it. I am based in Ireland and sat the final exam by CBT with Castle Worldwide.

Exam Preparation

In my case I had to study alone for the examination. I would have liked if there was a study group locally but unfortunately that was not one available. I had to devote a lot of my time and attention to my preparation mainly on weekends. To help with my study I purchased the IIBA™ CBAP Exam Prep Study Guide from B2T Training. The study guide consisted of practice questions for all six knowledge areas and also provided an overview of the structure of the exam. This really helped me to focus my efforts in conjunction with the BABOK™.

I used cards as study tools for exam terms and definitions of each knowledge area and also tried to memorize the tasks and activities within each knowledge area - the input and output of each activity across all knowledge areas. I also did the full-blown practice examination in the book beforehand so that the real ones would not appear so daunting.

Examination Itself

In the exam itself there were some 150 questions and you have 3.5 hours to complete the exam. The exam is geared toward senior business analysts with a fair bit of experience. The CBAP™ certification exam is taken via CBT, and is graded immediately. In terms of sitting for the exam the main thing is to well prepared and rested. You will be sitting for a long time. The week before the exam, go to the exam centre and make sure you know how to get there. The night before the exam, try to get a good night's rest as it is three-hour-long and being focused and alert is the best thing you can do for to give yourself the best chance. Allow time the morning of the exam to get there on time. Also treat yourself to a good breakfast on the day to get your energy levels up.

The main thing during the exam itself is to try to put everything you've learned to use and take your time. You probably cannot overemphasise this. You're not scored on how quickly you complete the exam and rushing can lead to costly mistakes. If you do not pass the exam, you must then wait three months before you are allowed to re-take it. Once you push the "I am finished " button, the computer grades your test and notifies you of your pass/fail status within the longest 30 seconds of your life.

Certainly the examination can be daunting but is very fair in all respects. The main thing is to prepare well and try to think of what the BABOK™ mindset is in terms of the answers expected.

Post-Exam

Celebrate! The CBAP™ is a real measure of your professional achievement as an Analyst. Good luck with your studies.

Your Journey to the CBAP® Certification Exam

Diane Johnson — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:54:00 GMT

Pursuing your International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA^®) Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP^®) certification? The adage “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey” certainly applies to this challenging professional effort.

Earning the CBAP^® certification is the accumulation of your professional development and knowledge; crossing the finish line just affirms what you’ve learned throughout your career. Nevertheless, preparing for the 150-question CBAP^® certification exam requires structure in your preparation approach and efficient, effective use of your time. Here are some hints for the long road ahead:

1. The IIBA^® Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK®), Version 1.6, is your roadmap. The CBAP^® journey will require you to blend your experiences with the guidelines stated in plus its cited references. When preparing for the exam, you should brush up on topics, knowledge areas, and techniques from the BABOK® V1.6.

2. Know the IIBA^® answer. Most of the time, when comparing your lessons learned with the stated guidelines in the BABOK® V1.6, your experiences will be confirmed. However, for instances when your lessons learned don’t match the BABOK® V1.6, remember your objective: passing the exam. Know the acceptable answers of the governing body that is offering the certification.

3. Contact a local IIBA^® chapter. Many chapters offer study groups and contacts of peers who have already achieved their CBAP® certification. Also, if you aren’t already a member, it’s likely you’ll want to join after certification, and the CBAP^® exam fee is $125 less for members (it essentially reimburses the $125 application fee required of all certification candidates).

4. Work with a study group. Study group activities offer the best approach to exam preparation other than taking a CBAP^® exam prep course. Suggested study group activities include:

Conducting a walk-through of CBAP^® applications before submission and ensuring that experiences cited fall within the exam qualification guidelines.
Chart the processes of the six knowledge areas in the BABOK® V1.6 and understand the natural sequence (parallel and iterative) of the flow.
Create a group glossary of terms, ensuring the definitions are derived from the BABOK® V1.6 and other BABOK® V1.6 references as needed.
Review and compare techniques cited in the BABOK® V1.6. Know when and in which situations to use them (strengths, weaknesses and alternative techniques).

5. Individually conduct a self-assessment on specific topics. Identify your weak areas and beef up your knowledge on those topics. In addition, familiarize yourself with the jargon used in each knowledge area. This preparation can take from one to three months of part-time study, depending on your study group progress and level of experience.

Glenn R. Brûlé, Executive Director, Client Solutions, ESI International, is author of CBAP^® Exam: Practice Test and Study Guide, First Edition.