2017 Certification is for Everyone The WHY and

2017: Certification is for Everyone The WHY and HOW of IIBA™ Certification

Housekeeping The advice and opinions in this slide deck are mine alone. They do not represent the views of the IIBA, The Pittsburgh IIBA Chapter, our employers or anyone else. Mathew Mc. Connell, CBAP mathew. mcconnell@gmail. com 2/13/2017

What is Business Analysis? “Business Analysis is the practice of enabling change in an enterprise by defining needs and recommending solutions that deliver value to stakeholders. Business Analysis enables an enterprise to articulate needs and the rationale for change, and to design and describe solutions that can deliver value. ”

How I describe what I do to my mother Break complex ideas down into the details. Solve problems. Figure out how to change stuff. Strategery

Is Certification Worth It? Advantages Higher Pay (3% - 13% on average) Certifies experience and competence Satisfaction

Who would you hire? Mary Kate • Nine years’ BA experience • Six years’ experience in your domain Ashley • Nine years’ BA experience • MBA from Pitt • Six years’ experience in your domain • Proficiency in SQL • MBA from Pitt • Experience leading JAD sessions • Proficiency in SQL • Experience leading JAD sessions • CBAP®

What’s this about a new version? Currently, the IIBA™ outlines certification rules in the Business Analyst Body of Knowledge (BABOK ® version 3. 2009 - The IIBA™ published BABOK® v 2 2015 - The IIBA™ published BABOK® v 3 The new BABOK ® is 280 pages longer than version 2. There is a significant amount of new information to learn. September 2016 - The IIBA™ changed the structure and content of certification exams.

BABOK ® 3. 0 How the BABOK is organized Business Analysis Core Concepts Model™ Knowledge Areas Tasks Purpose Description Inputs Elements Guidelines and Tools Techniques Stakeholders Outputs Perspectives (for now, not part of the test? )

Seven Knowledge Areas Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring Elicitation and Collaboration Requirements Life Cycle Management Strategy Analysis Requirements Analysis and Design Definition Solution Evaluation Underlying Competencies

50 Techniques 1. Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria 2. Backlog Management 3. Balanced Scorecard 4. Benchmarking and Market Analysis 5. Brainstorming 6. Business Capability Analysis 7. Business Cases 8. Business Model Canvas 9. Business Rules Analysis 10. Collaborative Games 11. Concept Modelling 12. Data Dictionary 13. Data Flow Diagrams 14. Data Mining 15. Data Modelling 16. Decision Analysis 17. Decision Modeling 18. Document Analysis 19. Estimation 20. Financial Analysis 21. Focus Groups 22. Functional Decomposition 23. Glossary 24. Interface Analysis 25. Interviews 26. Item Tracking 27. Lessons Learned 28. Metrics and KPIs 29. Mind Mapping 30. Non-Functional Requirements Analysis 31. Observation 32. Organizational Modeling 33. Prioritization 34. Process Analysis 35. Process Modelling 36. Prototyping 37. Reviews 38. Risk Analysis and Management 39. Roles and Permissions Matrix 40. Root Cause Analysis 41. Scope Modelling 42. Sequence Diagrams 43. Stakeholder List, Map, or Personas 44. State Modelling 45. Survey or Questionnaire 46. SWOT Analysis 47. Use cases and Scenarios 48. User Stories 49. Vendor Assessment 50. Workshops

Four IIBA Certifications

Entry Certificate in Business Analysis Demographic Students, New to Business Analysis, Managers of BAs Experience None Professional Development 21 hours Focus Requirements Analysis and Design Definition Elicitation and Collaboration Requirements Lifecycle Management Total Fees $170 Member $286 Non-Member Exam Format Online 1 hour 50 Multiple Choice Questions

Certified Capability in Business Analysis Demographic Business Analysts, Systems Analysts, Requirements Analysts, etc. PMs, Testers, QA, Designers, etc. who do some BA work. Minimum Experience About 2. 5 years (3750 hours in the last seven years) Professional Development 21 hours Focus Requirements Analysis and Design Definition Elicitation and Collaboration. . . and the rest of the BABOK Total Fees $450 Member $575 Non-Member Exam Format At Prometric 3 hours 130 Multiple Choice Questions Short scenarios, 2 -4 sentences

Certified Business Analysis Professional Demographic Business Analysts, Systems Analysts, Requirements Analysts. Often fill the role of ‘Senior’ BA. Minimum Experience About 5 years or more (7500 hours in the last ten years) Professional Development 35 hours Focus Requirements Analysis and Design Definition. . . and the rest of the BABOK Total Fees $450 Member $575 Non-Member Exam Format At Prometric 3. 5 hours 120 Multiple Choice Questions Long case studies, 1 -1. 5 pages each

Certified Business Analysis Thought Leader Demographic Sought-after experts in Business Analysis Those who advance and give back to the BA Community Minimum Experience About 10 years? Professional Development ? Focus ? Total Fees ? Exam Format “Assessment Based”

Other BA Certifications Project Management Institute® PMI-PBA Quality Institute’s CSBA Chartered Institute for IT’s Business Analysis Certifications Many colleges and universities Test: search Monster for Pittsburgh jobs CBAP vs PMI-PBA or any other BA certification.

Path to Certification 1. Experience 2. Document Experience 3. Apply 4. Acceptance 5. Schedule Exam 6. Study 7. Pass Exam 8. Celebrate

Tracking your work experience 1. List your projects 2. Fill in start / end dates 3. Calculate hours for each project by month. 4. Check that hours per month is reasonable 5. Only count BA activities. Most PM/QA/Dev work doesn’t count. The IIBA™ uses an algorithm to deduct non-BA hours. This will not work out in your favour. 6. Total the hours per project. 7. Separate hours per project month by KA. 8. Check with your people.

Sample Experience Project Mar 2014 Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct 2014 2013 Next Gen Payment Provider 40 40 40 20 20 20 Payment Provider RFP 10 20 20 10 5 5 5 10 10 5 10 30 20 10 30 60 40 10 Meta. Data Scrubber Retail Store Redesign Store Specific Promo Signage

Who should I put for my projects? 1. Sponsor 2. Project Manager 3. Someone who can vouch for your involvement.

Study Strategies Apply and set the date for your test before you start studying. Use the chapter’s fall / spring review sessions to pace your studying. Focus on: Knowledge Areas Tasks inside Knowledge Areas Techniques, especially ones you aren’t familiar with KA Outputs KA Inputs Task Stakeholders Watermark Learning CBAP Review includes a one-week subscription to their sample tests. Use the tests to identify your weak spots. You can also buy longer access to their tests. Frame the BABOK® in your own experience

Template for Studying the Knowledge Areas 1. Knowledge Area 1. 1 Task 1. 1. 1 Purpose 1. 1. 2 Description 1. 1. 3 Inputs 1. 1. 4 Elements 1. 1. 5 Guidelines and Tools 1. 1. 6 Techniques 1. 1. 7 Stakeholders 1. 1. 8 Outputs 5. Requirements Lifecycle Management 5. 1. Trace Requirements 5. 1. 1. Purpose 5. 1. 2. Description 5. 1. 3. Inputs 5. 1. 3. 1. Requirements 5. 1. 3. 2. Designs 5. 1. 4. Elements 5. 1. 4. 1. Level of Formality 5. 1. 4. 2. Relationships 5. 1. 4. 3. Traceability Repository 5. 1. 5. Guidelines and Tools 5. 1. Domain Knowledge 5. 1. 5. 2. Information Management Approach 5. 1. 5. 3. Legal / Regulatory Information 5. 1. 5. 4. Requirements Management Tools / Repository 5. 1. 6. Techniques 5. 1. 6. 1. Business Rules Analysis 5. 1. 6. 2. Functional Decomposition 5. 1. 6. 3. Process Modelling 5. 1. 6. 4. Scope Modelling 5. 1. 7. Stakeholders 5. 1. 7. 1. Customers 5. 1. 7. 2. Domain SME 5. 1. 7. 3. End User 5. 1. 7. 4. Implementation SME 5. 1. 7. 5. Operational Support 5. 1. 7. 6. Project Manager 5. 1. 7. 7. Sponsor 5. 1. 7. 8. Supplier 5. 1. 7. 9. Tester 5. 1. 8. Outputs 5. 1. 8. 1. Requirements (traced) 5. 1. 8. 2. Designs (traced)

Test Day Pro. Metric administers the CCBA and CBAP exams. Local Prometric locations include: Mc. Candless Monroeville Morgantown Youngstown

Test Day You’ll be asked to leave everything in your car or in a locker. The only items you may take into the testing room are: • ID • Locker Key • Laminated Notepaper (2) • Wet erase markers (2) If you don’t get your notepaper/markers, ask the proctor. He may have forgotten.

Test Day • Inside the testing room, you’ll take the test on a computer in a cubicle. Other people will be taking other tests in other cubicles around you. • Headphones are available to mute out sounds. • You may raise your hand to signal to the proctor that you need to leave the room. You might be prohibited from accessing your locker. Check with the proctor if you need medicine or a snack BEFORE your test.

The CBAP® Exam 1. A short tutorial on using a mouse and keyboard. 2. Digitally confirming your identity and adherence to Prometric / IIBA policies. 3. 120 exam questions / 3. 5 hours a. Multiple choice - 4 answers, one answer per question b. Can mark questions for review c. Same penalty for wrong answers and skipped questions. It’s better to guess; never skip. 4. Short survey on Prometric 5. Results

Certifications through 9/22/2016 CBAPs CCBAs Worldwide 7595 927 USA 2739 200 135 9 48 3 Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Metro

Sources IIBA Membership Pittsburgh IIBA Membership ECBA Overview CBAP Overview Watermark Learning site CCBA Practice Tests CBAP Practice Tests Watermark Learning CBAP Study Guide (Amazon) Prometric Site Matt’s sample experience spreadsheet

Certification Summary ECBA™ CCBA® CBAP® CBATL™ Demographic Newbies BAs Senior BAs BA Thought Leaders Work Experience None 2. 5 years 10 years Professional Development 21 hours 35 hours unknown Total Fees $170 Member $286 Non-Member $450 Member $575 Non-Member unknown Exam Format Online 1 hour / 50 questions Knowledge / recall-based Prometric site 3 hours / 130 questions Short scenarios Prometric site 3. 5 hours / 120 questions Long case studies unknown

Questions?

My contact info Mathew Mc. Connell, CBAP mathew. mcconnell@gmail. com Senior Solutions Consultant | SCA Technologies VP Marketing and Communication | Pittsburgh IIBA Chapter Linked. In