More interesting points being made all around. I'm not sure if I would say there is a 'certification war' akin to VHS/Beta going on - I think both are suited for different purposes. The IIBA has a fairly strict requirement around number of verifiable and direct hours of experience that you must have prior to gaining certification. To my knowledge the other certification does not have this requirement.
Precluding that the IIBA certification is a way to get junior or wannabe BA's to give up money (since they don't qualify), one could look at their existence this way - such a certification exists to weed out so-called BA's with the term plastered across their resume and all the right terms listed in their previous experiences/skills. Granted, a good interviewer will expose these people, but sometimes PMs or directors who are not that knowledgeable in Business Analysis can be fooled relatively easily. A certification process can be used to ensure that people have a standard set of knowledge as well as direct experience in applying that knowledge.
Again, I'm not all for such certifications - in fact I am looking to get into Project Management in the next year or two and think that the stringent PMP requirements may inhibit my options locally due to the many 'PMP preferred/required' jobs I see. But I can see their value as a starting point for evaluation for a candidate, not necessarily as a hurdle nor a final decision making point.
Guy,
Now I may be wrong but I think the people doing the certification are trying to become BAs or are junior BAs trying to gain more credibility. I think they are being somewhat gullible if they think in the current market that a certification is a step up into a job. I'm much more interested in work experience and proper qualifications like university (college) degrees. But most important is work experience.
If someone isn't currently a BA then they probably won't get interviewed regardless of any certification. In a tight job market, something like a job progression from programmer to systems analyst indicates a project background and exposure to BA concepts on the job. Other relevant experience is business background in the project business area. A certification in this context is still pretty irrelevant - just a week long training course equivalent or so. Nice to have, sure, but largely irrelevant. In terms of education I'd be more interested in a degree with some analysis components or a relevant business degree.
It could be argued that certification is just a means to exploit people looking for something, anything to give them a leg up in their career.
Kimbo
Kimbo,
This is the conclusion I am reluctantly coming to...do you see any way around this (personally I think university degrees have the same problem as BA certification)?
Business Analysts should be demonstrably fit for purpose, how can this be demonstrated?
Guy
Larimar,
Yes I see your point but why does "The IIBA has a fairly strict requirement around number of verifiable and direct hours of experience" - what does that prove? Why that number of hours (whatever it is) and not that number of hours minus 1 or minus 2? What qualifies as "experience" - doing the job or doing the job properly? How could it be proved it was done properly? Who are the IIBA to declare that an arbitary number of hours of undefined experience is a measure of the suitability of someone to take an arbitaary multiple choice exam?
Problems problems...
A question for junior and aspiring BAs reading this thread;
Would you sign up to a Modern Analyst endorsed/branded BA accreditation - perhaps a knowledge test?
Hi,
Just to clarify my 'longer term' comment, and that is difficult given the speed of things within organisations today. Put it this way I knew testers who didn't have or want the ISEB testing qualification, yet you look at the job adverts know. I think Business Analysis is going to go the same way. We (society) are becoming more interested in certified skills than the equally/more important skills brought about by experience.
Everyone is trying to differentiate themselves to gain the best prospects. Yes there is benefit to the organisations providing the certification that can't be denied, but their view is that they are benefiting the employers by improving the quality of their staff, and the employees who can the differentiate themselves from everyone else. The benefit changes based on the perspective.
brought to you by enabling practitioners & organizations to achieve their goals using: