Article Four: Diary of a CBAP Seeker: Working with Others with Similar Goals

Dear Diary: After the CBAP class I took, my instructor, Linda, offered to open some time in her web meeting utility for us classmates to have a study group to review the material. This informal start has blossomed into a full virtual study group that has members from across the globe. The insight from many members is great, and I’m learning much from my peers.

The last article I posted had me confessing that I was drowning and overwhelmed in the material for the BABOK. That continues to be an after effect of the total immersion process that I started with employing various learning techniques. However, I think there is still great value in this method and hope that when the time comes to sit for the exam, I won’t embarrass myself by failing it.

My individual studies have definitely faltered; the one-on-one reading with the BABOK document is so mundane that I often knock my fore head on the table as I fall asleep. Perhaps this is the reason for only minor retention of what I am reading at the time. I know, though, that I will need to return to it for a deep dive into the data again.

Meanwhile, my endeavors have taken me into the world of study groups. I got involved in the one that I am currently in as a way to summarize and digest the information obtained in a recently completed class. Once the instructor started to publicly promote the group, we began to see a whole host of people from all over take interest and get involved….some more so than others.

Group dynamics are an important aspect of learning in this environment, whether it is in-person or online. As with any group, we have seen many people express interest in joining up only to never attend, contribute or communicate. There is a core of the group’s members that is present and engaged consistently, and they provide substantial value to the BABOK education effort. We have also proactively tried to address the fact that different people learn in different ways: visually, audibly, and kinesthetically. Allowing the delivery mechanism from each presenter to be flexible has broadened our collective ability to learn and expose those of us to new ways to do so.

We’ve taken the accountability approach for our group, in which each person is expected to learn a section of the BABOK, create a presentation in the format of their choice and present it to the group. As we’ve settled in with one another, we’ve added the task for those not presenting to bring quiz questions about the same section forward to the group. After each presentation, there is in-depth conversation about life experiences and how they apply to or mirror the topic content. It’s this latter part that provides the greatest value for me. Many times in the BABOK, if there is something I don’t know or have not experienced, the lack of example leaves me wondering about the exact context of the content in the document. The interaction with peers in the study group really ties that together for me and helps me understand the topic content and view it in different ways. There have been several conversations about BABOK content that have really opened my eyes on how to use the knowledge in different ways, and this can only be obtained through interaction with other practitioners. Why is that?

I think that we all learn from one another in personal life and in the workplace. We can emulate our peers, mentors, teachers, and managers; but in doing so we only get part of the story. A solid explanation and interactive dialog is really required to understand all the intricacies of what we are trying to learn. As in life, the study group activities demand that the students provide the basis for discussion, in order that we fledgling students, and often experienced analysts, understand the nuances to performing a task or completing an objective. For those members that have never executed a specific task, the activity comes to life in a way that is generally not captured in dry, technical documentation, that allows the listener to comprehend what occurs and how it is resolved. Those that have performed something already learn new ways to address the opportunity and betters ways to obtain information and use it.

Collectively, all this interaction binds the BABOK content to the brain in ways that cannot be obtained reading a document or sitting in a classroom. All is not lost, however; the knowledge gained is applicable back to the BABOK while reading it and the student is able to approach the content with new views that enhance the learning process.

Components of a good traceability matrix

Traceability matrix is one of the key artifacts in establishing a conduit from requirements to the finished software. Assuming that a Business Analyst has captured all the requirements effectively from the relevant stakeholders, a traceability matrix ensures that all requirements get traced to the corresponding software functionality. The key word here is: "Corresponding".

What is a traceability Matrix?

A traceability matrix consists of mapping data. How a particular information is mapped into another. In most cases it is an effective means of establishing validity and connectivity of various project artifacts. Each organization has its unique way of creating and maintaing traceability matrices. An example would be, the requirements traceability matrix - mapping the business requirements to say system requirements, test cases, design document, etc.

Components of a good traceability matrix:

1. Accounts every requirement: A good traceability matrix accounts each and every enterprise requirement to a specific or a set of business requirements. If an organization creates system requirements, then the matrix also ensures that every system requirement is mapped to some business requirement. The most important functionality is of course the ability to connect every requirement to some test case. This ensures that the requirements proposed were captured in the right language, and were testable in nature.
2. Has an ID system for absolute tracing: It is considered a best practice for a business analyst to ID every requirement with some agreed upon convention. Carrying this forward, system requirements, and test cases are also given unique IDs. A good traceability matrix uses the unique IDs of various requirement specs, and test cases to establish the connection
3. Spans across multi dimensions: Multi dimensional in this case means, across various parameters. A good traceability matrix establishes connectivity across different project artifacts if required. (Between design documents, process flows, etc)
4. Has alert formatting: Another trick a business analyst can use while setting up a traceability matrix is to conditionally format a requirement spec cell (if a spreadsheet is being used to capture requirements) if it is not traceable to a test case or vice versa. This concept of alert formatting can be applied for other types of traceability as well. This can act as a foolproof method of validation and ensures that there are no "orphan requirements".

In conclusion, a good traceability matrix enhances the effectiveness of requirements capturing, and testing activities of a project. It ensures that other team members understand the requirements well enough to trace their own artifacts. So make sure to devote some extra time in your requirements capturing activity for establishing a solid traceability matrix.

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Yaaqub Mohamed is a Senior Business Analyst / Business Systems Analyst working in the beautiful city of Toronto, Canada. He has more than Six years of experience as an analyst in application development in the domain of Insurance (Life Insurance and P&C), financial, CRM, and Marketing Research. He has extensive experience and knowledge of the SDLC and Agile methodologies with strong background in Mainframes and distributed systems. His core competencies are in the areas of policy admin systems, legacy migration, data analytics, data warehouse, reporting, and CRM systems. He is also an ardent web designer, writer, musician, toastmaster and an aspiring entrepreneur.

Domain knowledge for a Business Analyst, Is it imperative?

Domain knowledge for a Business Analyst, Is it imperative?

Domain Knowledge: the knowledge which is valid and directly used for a pre-selected domain of human endeavor or an autonomous computer activity. Specialists and experts use and develop their own domain knowledge. If the concept domain knowledge or domain expert is used we emphasize a specific domain which is an object of the discourse/interest/problem. (Source Wikipedia)

Domain expertise is hands-on business skills or domain knowledge acquired by working in a specialized industry such as automotive, banking, insurance, telecom, utilities or in a specialized business operation such as customer relationship management, finance, sales and marketing. It is a very important asset for a business analyst working on specialized IT projects. Arguably, domain expertise is not required in all kinds of projects a business analyst would work on.

The importance of domain knowledge for a business analyst:

Although critical business analysis skills like capturing requirements, creating use cases, conducting interview and sessions, are crucial for the success of a project; domain knowledge plays an important role in playing a more active role in projects. Most of the business analysis skills are portable from one domain to another. However the domain expertise can be subjective to the kind of project you work on. Does a simple migration project of a rating database from IMS to Oracle or DB2 require that you be a domain expert in Insurance? Not necessarily. Although if you had a project that involved an underwriting related rules changes, migration of a legacy application, or data analytics of region wise premiums you may be required to be a domain expert in Insurance. This fact is not considered by most of the HRs filtering resumes for a job posting. If the search result of your resume doesn't contain a certain domain you are not even invited for an interview, no matter how much of an expertise you have in business analysis skills. This is sad, but a reality of today's recruiting system(and justified sometimes in an employer market).

How does one gain domain expertise?

Domain expertise is acquired over a period of time by being in the "business" of doing things. A banking associate gains knowledge of various types of accounts that a customer(individual and business) can operate along with detailed business process flow. Similarly an Insurance Sales Rep knows the various stages involved in procuring of an Insurance policy. A marketing analyst knows the key stakeholders and business processes involved in a CRM system.

Some business analyst acquire domain knowledge by testing business applications and working with the business users. They create a conducive learning environment though their interpersonal and analytical skills. In some cases they supplement their domain knowledge with a few domain certifications offered by AICPCU/IIA and LOMA in the field of Insurance and financial services. There are other institutes that offer certification in other domains.

How to start working on a new domain?

A good business analyst, has an analytical mind and approach. This is in itself a potent tool in learning the new domain. You can keep the following points in mind when you work on a new domain:

• Think like a business user: When you start working in a specific domain, develop though patterns like that of a business user. How would a sales rep of an Insurance think when solving a specific problem of a customer? How does a financial advisor advise his clients on the best financial advise based on the situation at hand?

• Act like a business user: Get involved with the application. If there is a dev region available for you to play with. Start off by exploring the application. Think of all the scenarios possible, happy paths, exception path, etc.

• Sympathize with business user: Ask questions, ask pain points, and sympathize with the business user for the system limitations. These can be a potential opportunity for application enhancement.

• Ask questions and keep a log: Ask a lot of questions and keep a log of things, so that you have a personal knowledge base of the application.

In conclusion, domain knowledge is a very important aspect of the business analyst skill profile. However it is not imperative (like most HRs think) for certain kind of projects. If the project involves complex and radical changes to the business processes, involve complex data analytics related to domain-specific data, etc , domain expertise would be imperative.

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Yaaqub Mohamed is a Senior Business Analyst / Business Systems Analyst working in the beautiful city of Toronto, Canada. He has more than Six years of experience as an analyst in application development in the domain of Insurance (Life Insurance and P&C), financial, CRM, and Marketing Research. He has extensive experience and knowledge of the SDLC and Agile methodologies with strong background in Mainframes and distributed systems. His core competencies are in the areas of policy admin systems, legacy migration, data analytics, data warehouse, reporting, and CRM systems. He is also an ardent web designer, writer, musician, toastmaster and an aspiring entrepreneur.

Article Three: Diary of a CBAP Seeker: The Knowledge Pile and How to Digest it

Dear Diary: The application is now finished and after having it reviewed a couple of time by an official CBAP, I’m waiting on the results to return. I’ve documented over 11000 hours for the committee to pick and choose from for acceptance, so there shouldn’t be much of a problem. Reviewing the BABOK in the last few weeks has become overwhelming. How am I going to process all this information?

Click here for article one

Click here for article two

Lucky me! After picking up the BABOK 1.6 and studying for several weeks, I found out that the new 2.0 version would be coming out. After much thought about which one to review, I decided that in order to give myself enough time to study, I’d have to switch to the 2.0 and start over. Not the optimal solution, but I figured that all the knowledge acquired isn’t wasted. I’m studying something I’m passionate about, so no waste!

Dissecting the BABOK is no small task. It’s packed with information that is pertinent to what I do and also necessary to understand in order to pass the test. One of the things that I have had to struggle with is to remind myself what the goal is here. While I DO want to become a better analyst and the information is very valuable, the short-term goal is to pass the test. When I tell my peers what I am doing, they generally respond that I should have no problem passing, as I’ve been an analyst for many years. What I’ve found is that despite this fact, my experience in years doesn’t necessarily equate to performing my duties properly or mean that I’ve adhered to the tenets of the BABOK. This realization has forced me to clear my mind of preconceived notions about what I know and don’t know. I’m not going to be able to skate through a section just because I’ve done it before.

Tackling the bounty of content started pretty easily. Read, underline, memorize, repeat. But I soon realized that I could execute this action over and over and not necessarily retain the content. I had to take a break and do some research in learning styles. What I found was that different people learn in different ways. Some retain more audibly, some visually, some by the action of doing. I had to create a plan for learning that would align itself with my learning styles and afford maximum retention of the content. I decided that since I had no time limit to meet, I would undertake a multi-fold path to learning the material. I began by creating and reviewing a series of flashcards that provided out of context quizzing of the content. I signed up for a CBAP Prep Class online that formally reviewed the content in an interactive environment with others studying for the exam. This allowed an exchange of ideas for discussion and highlighted the areas that I didn’t understand well or had misconceptions about. It also shed light in areas of confusion of the BABOK content. I began to post messages and respond to others’ messages in online forums about the content for additional exchange. I copied by all the diagrams in the BABOK by hand and cleared out the information so I could go back and fill it in from memory. I started a CBAP Prep Study group to enhance the review of the content with others in a more focused fashion.

I’m still in the middle of all this, having just finished the class work. My goal is to have completely immersed myself in the BABOK world in different ways in order to retain the information in various ways. My ultimate objective is that the BABOK will become second nature to not only my brain, but the way I work…..not the result of a memorization and regurgitation process. In that, I will have achieved the short-term goal of being able to pass the exam and the long-term goal of instilling this material in my professional life.

I am completely drowning in BABOK and hope this effort pays off.

Article Two: Diary of a CBAP® Seeker: Being Honest: CBAP® and Having the Skills

Click here for Article One

Dear Diary:
“This new CBAP® Certification may be my ticket to a more rewarding career. If I can just pass the test, I’ll have those letters at the end of my name and it may give me the edge in the resume selection/search process. I think I can pass the test with enough preparation, but can I walk the walk while I talk the talk? I also need to know if this effort is worth it in the end and what my goal is, in order to determine if the payoff in the end is suitable.

Once I started to study for the CBAP® test by reviewing the BABOK® 1.6, I was totally consumed by all the possibilities of knowledge attainment. Then I found out that there was a heavy-duty application process, and the feedback from my peers made it sound a daunting task. Several had stopped completing the application because it proved to be much more effort than they had to spend on the task. Several were psychologically paralyzed by the volume of information that they suddenly had to document. I also heard of the application being rejected because of incomplete information or no proper documentation of business analysis tasks. It made me wonder if all the effort was worth the trouble. Once I asked myself that question, the ability to think clearly and handle the obstacles was much easier.

Why would business analysts go through all this effort simply to get a few letters at the end of their names? After all, the exam in still in its infancy, and there is no proof that it is really leading to better money, better jobs or a better life. I realized that there are people like myself who don’t use letters, money, prestige, or bragging rights as their primary motivators. There are people that are simply interested in doing what they love to do the best way they can. They want to learn, experiment, think, prove, disprove, try, fail and succeed with fresh ideas and proven methods. They are passionate, and it’s that passion that drives them to want to obtain this new certification. It is a way to make them better. When I realized that these were my drivers as well, there was no longer a question about Return on Investment for expended effort.

The application process really isn’t as bad as I thought, though I am admittedly not done with it. However, documentation of my hours over the last ten years has proven to be much easier than expected, and it really made me realize that I had accomplished much in that time frame. Reflecting back on my life as an analyst over time has shown not only growth in knowledge, but a certain maturing of my thought process and self-discipline. Just in the years I’ve spent in my current job, I’ve made huge accomplishments.

The five Ws of CBAP Certification?

With only 38 days left before The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA®) sunsets the CBAP® (Certified Business Analysis Professional) exam for the BABOK® 1.6, the curiosity of what the BABOK® 2.0 offers is driving a massive number of business analyst to seek out any study guides (study group, self directed or other materials) to take a pick at the content of the exam.

Unfortunately, of all these business analysts, only a few really qualify to sit for the exam. If you have considered joining the rush to become a CBAP®, here are a few things you should know:

What is CBAP® Certification?

The CBAP® is a professional certification for business analysis, business process analysis, and requirements definition in the developmental life cycle. It is offered by IIBA®, an independent non-profit professional association serving the field of business analysis.

The IIBA® is the leading association in the world of business analysis through the creation of the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK®), the collection of knowledge within the BA profession, reflecting the current generally accepted practices. This is similar to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). To receive the CBAP® designation, candidates must successfully demonstrate their expertise by itemizing their hands-on work experience in business analysis through the CBAP® application process, and pass the IIBA® CBAP® examination.

Who can write CBAP® Certification?

A professional involved in business analysis who satisfies the five requirements set forth by the IIBA® can write the certification exam. The requirements pertain to the work experience, knowledge areas, education eligibility, professional development and providing references to demonstrate their eligibility.

Also if you are a business analyst, business system analyst, QA Analyst or any other professional and satisfy the requirements to sit for the CBAP®, you will be able to write this certification and take your level of knowledge and skills to the next level.

Why do I need to write CBAP® certification?

There are three primary reasons why you may want to write CBAP® Certification:

1. Increase your competence as a Business Analyst:

• Enhance your knowledge of principles and practices of business analysis.
• Get to participate in a recognized professional group as a member of IIBA®.
• Re-learn a few things that you might have been missing because of the way you currently work and relate the knowledge you gain from practical experience to attain useful insights.

2. Show commitment towards continuing education:

• Demonstrate and prove to current or future organizations your commitment towards continuing education and professional development.
• Gain recognition from peers for your knowledge and skills.

3. Gain industry wide recognition:

• CBAP® is increasingly becoming recognized by companies looking to hire Business Analysts.
• Give your BA resume the edge and recognition, by standing out from the crowd.

When can I write CBAP® Certification?

You can write your exam after your application has been approved. You must submit this application through IIBA®’s website: theiiba.org. The application process consists of completing a detailed application, disclosing all the business analysis tasks that you have performed in the last ten years. After your application is processed you will be eligible to sit for the exam for up to one year.

Where can I prepare for and write CBAP® Certification?

Your preparation will start with an in-depth study of the BABOK® handbook that is provided by the IIBA®. The current version is BABOK® 2.0. If you need professional help to prepare for the exam, there are many institutes that can help you. However if you are looking for an economical option our bamentor courses provides a comfortable (from home or work), organized and helpful way to understand the concepts faster and in a structured approach.

Since CBAP® is Computer Based Test (CBT), you can write it in any of the prometric or CBT centres across North American and all over the world in major cities. For a complete listing of cities please consult theiiba.org.

Happy CBAPing! J

Article One: Diary of a CBAP® Seeker: Taking Stock

Dear Diary:

“I’ve been an analyst for a long time now and have finally come to the decision that I don’t want to be just an analyst. I want to be a really good analyst. I’m no longer satisfied with taking the word of someone else as to why things are done a certain way. I not only want to know why, I want to be part of creating a better solution. I want to be respected for my opinion. I want people to know that my opinions are rooted in facts and not just some wild hair that someone got reacting to a situation. I want to be recognized for the things I have done, the countless hours I’ve spent making processes better or providing solutions to problems. Now, what?”

I’d been asking the “why” questions for a while. I knew that things weren’t necessarily on the correct path, and had tried to suggest adjustments to efficiency and cost. I’d tried to develop alternative plans that would lead to success. However, a man is no army in himself. It is only when the obstacles are removed that he or she can be successful. What could I do to be a better analyst regardless of my working environment?

Along the path to finding out about CBAP®, I’d been reading voraciously and actively engaging my peers in conversation about the topics of the day regarding business analysis. The interactions I had with them highlighted where my knowledge proved to be weak and also the few instances in which I really knew what I was talking about. These actions became the preparatory foundation for what it would take to consider something more: the CBAP® exam and certification process. I’ve never been the one to actively invite myself to study for more than six months followed by a casual 3.5 hour exam; I suddenly had to question my own motivations as to how serious I was about all this betterment stuff. I actually considered just poking my eyes out and being done with it all when I saw the BABOK® the first time.

To some, the exam may represent another “gotta have” set of letters at the end of their name, but for me it holds much more. It’s a commitment I make to myself to congeal all that I am trying to do for me and to practice what I believe in. My effort will prove that I’m not taking the lazy way out, but that I can back my arguments with effort-driven factual content, and that I am not too stubborn to think that I alone have all the answers. The CBAP® is only one piece of all my efforts to improve, but it is a tangible shred of evidence that one has run the certification gauntlet.

Of course, once I started to dig into the BABOK® and reviewed it, I learned that I couldn’t even think about sitting for the exam until I had documented my life’s history as an analyst for the last ten years. Had I thought about this eventuality ten years ago, it would have not been an issue today, but shouldawouldacoulda…. Now there are two major things to accomplish: (1) to tell my story and hope someone believed it enough to allow me to sit for the test and (2) to study my tail off. These two topics will form the next article in this series…. Diary of a CBAP® Seeker: Being Honest: CBAP® and Having the Skills

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Doug Goldberg is a Senior Business Analyst in the Dallas, TX, USA market. He has 12 years experience as an analyst in application development for financial, health care and technology companies. He has also programmed Java/J2EE for a period of time. View more

The contemporary Business Analyst

In today’s economy every corporate entity is striving towards making their business processes better and faster. This can be achieved by creating software systems that can compress cycle times, provide quick information, and increase the usability and reliability of the systems. A Business Analyst plays a pivotal role in the process of software systems development.

Today’s market place provides a unique set of system development challenges. From an application development perspective the incorporation of latest technology is sometimes constrained by a need to integrate with legacy systems. From a data mining perspective, the conversion of data to Information is constrained by the complexity and integrity of data.

In both these scenarios, the Business Analyst plays the crucial role of a liaison between the various business teams and departments who need a better system and the software development team that implements the system. A competent Business Analyst has the knowledge and experience to recognize problems and come up with solutions. The following roles enunciate the importance of a Business Analyst in today’s market place to implement a successful software project:

1. Project definition role: Business Analysts are assigned to projects at or before project initiation, resulting in them becoming key influencers on strategic technology decisions. They work closely with the Business Architect and project sponsor to define the scope of the project. (Roles to work with vary with organizations)

2. Project documentation role: Business Analysts elicit, analyze, document, communicate and validate business and system requirements for changes to business processes, and information systems. This is achieved by the convergence of various project stakeholders through JAD Sessions, Brain Storming, and walkthroughs. They also create transition documents and flows that acquaint the business users to the new system.

3. Project implementation role: Business Analysts play an important role in implementation of a project by communicating requirements to the development team. They also play a crucial role in the testing phase by planning and executing the system testing and user acceptance testing (UAT).

In conclusion, a contemporary Business Analyst needs to be in a state of constant agility to learn new technology, and methodologies and apply them in the development cycle. Each project presents unique technical and tactical challenges that a Business Analyst needs to assess and solve. The success of a software project largely depends on the efficiency and quality of the Business Analyst it has.

Question of the Day is back!

Hello All,

After building my other site, created the CBAP exam prep course for BABOK 2.0 and ran one session. I am now ready to get back to my blogging. For the remainder of this year, I will focus on reporting about the knowledge of the standard of business analysis in the BABOK 2.0.

I am hoping to bring on one or two guest bloggers who will share their perspectives.

For a starter, I've switched the questions of the day to reflect the changes in the BABOK 2.0. Every week, I will post a new question and will answer the previous' week question.

Have fun

BABOK 2.0 Walkthrough Workshop

Be among the first to participate in the BABOK 2.0 Walkthrough! (Only 12 seats left)
BAMentor, LLC has designed an online instructor-led workshop for those interested to learn more about the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge version 2.0. This workshop will prepare you for CBAP certification version 2.0. Along with these sessions, you will be entered in a drawing to receive the first study aid launched by BAMentor. During this workshop we will focus on the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) areas covered in the exam. We will provide you with quizzes, and a mini exam simulation at the end of the sessions.

Pre-requisite
None

Duration
8 weeks
Meet twice a week via webinar at 12PM EST
Starting May 6th, 2009 on Wednesday & Friday
Webinar information will be provided upon registration

Course Outline

Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Business Analysis Planning & Monitoring
Chapter 3: Elicitation
Chapter 4: Requirements Management & Communication
Chapter 5: Enterprise Analysis
Chapter 6: Requirements Analysis
Chapter 7: Solution Assessment & Validation
Chapter 8: Underlying Competencies
Chapter 9: Techniques

Pricing

You have the option to pay per session (see our calendar of events) or purchase the entire course.The cost per session is $60. This option is good for those who will only attend a few of the sessions. If you will attend all the sessions, we recommend that you purchase the entire course for $600 (or $37.50 per session)
IIBA & CBAPMentor Members will receive a 10% discount and will be able to purchase the entire course for only $540

Register Here

How to fill out your CBAP Application

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

How to fill out your CBAP Application

View more presentations from Linda Erzah.

Keep Blog or not keep it?

That is the question....

I received a few request to keep the cbapmentor blog instead of the site. First of all, thank you for reading and keeping up with my blurbs. I want to be as effecient as possible in what I am doing but I still want you to keep coming and reading :).
Would you rather prefer that I insert this blog into a section on the cbpamentor site?
Your opinion is much appreciated!

Linda E.

Questions of the Day will resume shortly

Hello All,

I am currently shifting my energy to develop a website that will allow me to do more. Blogger is great but very limited for content management.
I own the domain www.cbapmentor.com.
Once everything is set up Business Analysis 101 will be moving to this site. I have lots of good products that I am also developing to help you earn your CBAP or keep your skills current.

Stay tuned! I am sorry for the inconvenience.

CBAP Question of the Day: Prototype it is...

If you choose Prototype for our last Q&A, you were correct! Actually 50% of you were :)

The question was: "What is the best method used to model a shallow view of system functionalities?"

You can find the answer to this question under section 4.9 of BABOK.

Beside what you will read about prototyping in the BOK. Whethere you are taking the CBAP or if you are curious about prototyping, remember this:
Prototyping is a great way to reduce risks. A prototype is tool used to give a visual representation of the solution. It helps clear any assumptions about the functionalities of the solution and can speed up development process. It's easier to imitate or retrace an existing object than to create one from scratch! There are 4 types of prototypes:

Horizontal prototype: Models a shallow, and possibly wide, view of the system's functionality*
Vertical prototype: Models a deep, and usually narrow area of the system's functionality*
Throw away prototype: Used to quickly uncover interface requirement using simple tools (paper & pencil)*
Evolutionary prototype: More complex than the throw away. This prototype technique uses sofisticated tools to build upon an initial interface.*

*BABOK Definitions

Last Q&A

Those who of you who answered "Assumption" were right on point ;)

The question was:
What is defined as: "Factors or conditions which are considered to be true or to exist without the need to provide documented evidence".

As a business analyst, you have to pay attention to assumption cues. In order to elicit assumptions, you must talk to the stakeholder and really listen to what they are saying. As humans, we easily make assumptions about things. And since communication isn't an easy task to accomplish, assumptions can become risks in your project.
An assumption could be related to resources, time or even money. Project team members and stakeholder can have assumptions about the type of solution that will be used (off the shelf, built in... etc) or they may make assumptions on technology standards.
Flush out the assumptions at the beginning and clear them out before they become risks.

Importance of Perspectives

In my blog about the Zachman Framework, I introduced the framework and its components. Today, I read a great post by Barbara Carkenord at B2ttraining: "Why Identify Business Processes and Use Cases?". The point of her blog post is that Business Analyst shouldn't jump into defining use cases without first describing the business processes because they both come from a different perspective. And as we saw from my Zachman Framework post, Business process emerge from the perspective of the Business Owner.

What is a Business Process?

From wikipedia: A business process or business method is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product (serve a particular goal) for a particular customer or customers.
There are three types of business processes:
Management processes, the processes that govern the operation of a system. Typical management processes include "Corporate Governance" and "Strategic Management".
Operational processes, processes that constitute the core business and create the primary value stream. Typical operational processes are Purchasing, Manufacturing, Marketing, and Sales.
Supporting processes, which support the core processes. Examples include Accounting, Recruitment, Technical support.

This is the "HOW" or "Activities" that allows the enterprise to create products or services. The Business Owner's interested in business processes stems from their desire to keep cost under control by doing things effectively and efficiently. This is where you will get your business requirements. Skipping the definition of business process means missing out on the understanding of the important tasks within an enterprise and how those tasks are performed. if the end result is to find/build a solution that makes work easy (via automation or introduction of a system), then understanding how things are done is important. A Business Analyst who doesn't understand the business process will not help the Business Owner achieve their desire for effectiveness and efficiency.

Use cases on the other hand contains the definitions of actors (users of the system) and desired system's behavior. This is the perspective of the Architect. When defining the What, How, Where, Who, When and Why, use cases fall under the "WHO" in the Models of Fundamental Concepts. This perspectives looks at the underlying functions of each business process. Your functional requirements will come from use cases.

Moral of the story, you can't have on without the other. As Barbara points out: they are both important. To have a complete set of requirements you must complete both business processes and use cases.

Last Q&A

This question is the fundamental of Business Analysis. Without Elicitation we don't really have much. The foundation of our job is elicitation. Elicitation is where the BA distinguish themselves from other professions. If you don't ask the right questions, if you don't get the right information, you can do as much analysis, communication or documentation as you desire .... your requirements will be no good if you do not pay careful attention to elicitation.

The questions was:

Eliciting Requirements means:

Most of you said answered: To gather requirements from stakeholders (50% chose this)

The right answer is: To draw forth or bring out something latent or potential (18% got it right)

Here you have to pay attention to the meaning of words. To gather means to collect or to bring together. When you gather requirements, you are passively going around and collecting requirements from stakeholders. When I was young my grand mother used to take us out in the forest to pick mushrooms (I will tell you about my background in another story). Mushrooms grow by themselves on the ground and don't need special tools to gather them. You can easily pick them with your hands. Here picking mushrooms is the same as gathering requirements. There is no efforts; it doesn't require thinking, preparing or any tools or techniques. If eliciting was the same as picking mushrooms, everyone could call themselves Business Analysts.

But our profession requires that we actively pull requirements from stakeholders. Sounds pretty aggressive huh! Now, for your imagination, think of collecting apples. We all know that apples grow on trees. In order to collect apples you either have to climb on the tree to get one apple at the time or you can shake the tree for a faster result. This act of climbing or shaking requires a lot of effort. It requires planning, creativity, strategy, tools, techniques... etc. That's what happens when you are eliciting requirements. Elicitation means: To draw or bring forth the requirements. This is a skill, a science and an art. For more references see section 4.1 of your BABOK.

Note: If you think picking fallen apples is also an efficient way to collect apples, think again. Fallen apples are not usually good apples. For you to distinguish the good ones from the bad ones, you will have to cut them (waste) to make sure they are still good (worms may reside inside). Same with requirements... the ones that are obvious or easy to get requires that you dig deeper to draw out more details (those requirements may have hidden assumptions).

Last Q&A

The questions was:
What is one of the techniques used to conduct current state assessment?

26% thought the answer was Context Analysis
15% thought it was Task Flow Analysis
1% answered: Georgraphical Maps
7% answered: Use Case Diagramming

The answer was: Geographical Maps
See section 2.3.8 of your BABOK. I know I threw you off a bit but keep reading and getting ready for the CBAP :)

The BA Connection

I don't know about you, but I am getting tired of all these articles written because of today's economy. It seems that every corner we turn, someone is getting laid off or is looking for work. I met a few Business Analysts who were in this unfortunate predicament. They were kind enough to share their experience in the job market. It seems that even though there are about 2 Business Analyst job openings a day, no one seems to hire. The jobs are very volatile. By the time you submit an application, the opportunity disappears. Recruiters are not much help. They are not in control of their client's budget nor do they have a say in who can come in the door for an interview. Is there a best way to get your foot in the door? Is there hope for the BA job seekers?
Yes, there is a bright light at the end of this tunnel.... I won't claim that I am going to get you a job but here are few tips for you to consider.

1.0 - Network

When I was still a student in college, I remember being told that networking was the best way to get a job. I didn't know much about it but my teacher convinced me to join a network group (it was part of an extra credit). I got my first job through a lady I knew from my network group. I landed my second one through a friend from college.... and so came many other opportunities.
Moral of the story: In this day and age (despite the economy) it's not always what you know... but also who you know.
The number of Network groups are on the rise. There are virtual network groups and well as the face to face ones. You have your pick! The key to networking is to join and mingle.

Here are some BA virtual groups you can join:

IIBA: independent non-profit professional association serving the growing field of Business Analysis
RQNG: a community and knowledge sharing for the business analyst
ModernAnalyst: a community and resource portal for the business analyst
BATimes: forefront of relevant content surrounding all developments regarding business/systems analysis, CBAP Certification, industry events and cutting-edge BA insights
BACollective: another BA community for knowledge sharing
Business Analysis on ITToolBox: learn about Business Analysis methodologies and issues related to business planning, data analysis, business analysis tools, and the role of a business analyst.

Linkedin BA Networking Groups

Atlanta BA
Analyst World
BA Forum
Business Analysis
Business Analyst Group
Business Analyst Professional
Business Analyst
Business Systems Analyst
IIBA on Linkedin
IS Business Analyst

Facebook BA Groups

Business Analysis
IIBA on facebook
Business Analysis Support Group
Business Analysis Mentor

A list of non-virtual Network groups

IIBA Chapters
Atlanta SPIN: to provide a forum for the free and open exchange of software process improvement experiences and ideas
TAG Business Process Management: to provide a leadership forum focused on influencing enterprises to build a process improvement culture to improve competitiveness
TAG Enterprise 2.0: explore key strategic and organizational shifts that organizations need to make in order to adapt to the changing landscape of the digital world


2.0 - Volunteer

You have joined a group, now what? Do you take the back seat and wait for things to happen? Do you come to meetings and hope you make friends?
I hope not! One good way I have found to successfully network is through volunteering.
Volunteering has many benefits. Not only do you get tremendous amount of experience but you also forge relationship with people. Remember, the idea is to let others know what you are capable of. You want to show off your talent or show them what a hard and dedicated worker you can be. The key here is to put in the best of yourself. If you are not currently working, volunteering will keep you marketable. There are plenty of organization in need of help (that's another topic). You also may never know when a budget may get approved to turn that volunteering position into a paying position.
If you join a virtual network, volunteering can be tricky. You want to show that you are there. Most of these networks are knowledge sharing tools. My suggestion is to write articles or blogs to help them with their content. If you can't find what to write about, try reading a BA book and sharing the summary of what you've learned. You can also share personal experiences.
You can also contact virtual network and find out what you can do for them. Nobody will reject free help.

We've come a long way

I recently found this article: Sidewalk: Who owns Business Analysts? by Vinayak. This article talks about the confusion that Organizations as well as Business Analysts had about the BA role. I believe we've come a long way since the time when everyone treated us as aliens because they had NO IDEA what to do with us.
Slowly, the BA profession is shaping itself up. I know there are still some confusion as far as the boundary of our work and the types of BA there are. But at the minimum, when you say you are a BA, people know that you are a liaison between business and IT.
We have come a long way but we still have ways to go. This is why the work done by IIBA is very important. As activities, tasks, techniques of Business Analysis become somewhat common knowledge. More BA will be able to articulate the type of BA they are and what activities they specialize in.

Last Q&A

I see that the question below had us everywhere.
22% thought the answer was Discounted Cash Flow
31% thought it was Net Present Value
4% answered: Internal Rate of Return
and 41% answered: Average Rate of Return

The question was:

What technique is used during the preparation of the business case to measure the excess or shortfall of the project cash flow?

The answer is:

Net Present Value

This question was a bit tricky as the BABOK does not define these techniques. In section 2.5.9 you will find a list of different techniques. Make sure you know where and when to use these techniques. A good definition of NPV is found on wikipedia.

Tools for Success

If you have subscribed to this blog, you are probably looking for answers to your question in Business Analysis or you want to know more about how to pass the CBAP. If you are a seasoned BA, this may also apply to you but if you are in it for the long haul, hear me out.
In order for you to be successful with passing the CBAP, you must have experience in 4 out of 6 knowledge area in the BABOK. Experience doesn't come easy, especially if your manager thinks that you are the best document reviewer and won't give you opportunity to write a few use cases or elicit requirements from stakeholders. If you are seeking this opportunity, you must first show to your superiors that you have the knowledge required for you to accomplish the task. You must to learn to talk the talk before you can walk the walk.
I recently read an article on learning that I thought can help you in your path to learning the BA skills needed. The article is "How to Become a More Effective Learner" by Kendra Van Wagner
One of her tip for learning is to "teach what you have learned to another person". I personally love this method so much that I have applied it in study groups that I run here in the Atlanta area. If your manager doesn't give you the opportunity, in CBAP exam prep study group, you will have the opportunity to show other BA that you know what it takes to get the job done :)
Whether you have 10 years of experience or you're just starting out, you will find this method very effective. You will even gain the confidence needed to share what you've learned in your work place. And who knows, you may even become the expert on the subject that you may land more opportunities to prove yourself.

If you are implementing a study group in your city/state/country... think about ways that you can promote learning and help others achieve their goals

Which BA are you?

I have never heard of a profession that has more titles than ours. Sometimes I wonder if the reason why everyone is so confused about the role of Business Analysts isn't related to the vast array of hats we wear and things we do. For someone who is new to Business Analysis, this can be confusing.
Imagine this scenario: you just read a great BA job description for a job that you are really interested in. The job is asking for someone who understands different Business Analysis techniques and can be a good liaison between different stakeholders.
Without a question, you know you qualify... First day on the job, things are becoming a bit gray. Who do you liaise with? Do you really have the experience using Business Analysis techniques in the context of your new job? How can you tell if an organization is the right fit for your skills? What type of BA are you and should you be?

BA in customer facing organizations

If the organization has external stakeholders -- consumers of your products or services, and is small enough where internal processes are not complicated enough to deliver the solutions; The role of BA in such organization can be solely customer facing. This BA would work with the BA of the other organization (assuming there exist one) to analyze the need of the external organization and define requirements based on the capabilities of their products and/or services. In my past experience, this role requires not only the hard skills of Business Analysis (interviewing, requirement workshops... etc) but you will bring more value to this organization if you knew how to negotiate, facilitate, lead meetings... etc. The skills not taught in school. But most importantly: If you are this type of BA, you may not have the opportunity to define your stakeholder's processes nor may have time to do so. The BA in this role has a number of challenges:

1. Quickly grasping stakeholders process and assessing if the solution will address these processes.
   
2. Defining the gap needed for the product/service to fulfill the requirements.
   
3. Remembering who they work for... hint: not the client!

Internal BA

You may also find yourself working in an organization where your job is confined to fixing internal processes. In this role, there isn't much convincing you need to do. Your job is to define the As-Is (Current State) then work with internal stakeholders to develop a To-Be (future State). Your job is to understand what does the process do... what is its end result. Then assess its efficiency (is the process producing the end result without wasting too many resources - time, money, human capital... etc)

Hybrid BA (and I don't mean PM/BA or BAM)

I am talking about BAs who must interact with external stakeholders to understand their requirements. At the same time, they also review internal processes in order to determine if the implementation of a solution will affect internal processes. For example, after conducting market research your company decides to implement a product. You decipher requirements from the research... before you finish documenting them, you need to turn to the business/operation side of your organization and see how the implementation of the solution will affect their processes (training, customer support.. etc)
You may find yourself documenting the as-is and formulating the to-be process that will support the solution.
This role can be broken up into two BA roles or can be combined into one role. In my experience, companies do not break up this role. The person in this role has to understand process modeling and reengineering to some degree and also be great with documenting business requirements and user requirements. Then translating them into functional requirements.

My question to you is what kind of BA are you? Have you found yourself working in different scenarios than the ones I listed?

What types of requirements do Business Analysts write?

Every time I present the first chapter of the BABOK, I introduce it with a disclaimer: "I know you may not find the information in the BABOK identical to your work place environment, but for the purpose of the CBAP test, it's imperative that you learn the information in the BABOK as is." If you have ever considered taking the PMP test, you know that this disclaimer applies as well. But, let's forget about the BABOK for a second. I am turning to you to find out the types of requirements you have worked with.

The BABOK describes 6 requirement types:

Business Requirements: High level statement of goals, objectives or need of the enterprise
User Requirements: Statements of needs of a particular stakeholder or class of stakeholders
Functional Requirements: Behavior and information that the solution will manage
Quality of Service Requirements: Condition that describe environmental condition under which the solution must remain effective or qualities that the system must have
Assumptions and Constraints: Identify aspects of the problem domain that are not functional requirements of a solution, and will limit or impact the design of the solution
Implementation Requirements: Capabilities that the solution must have in order to facilitate transition from the current state to the desired future state

After discussing the topic of requirement types with different Business Analyst around the world, it seems to me that many of you write requirements that are not listed above. I am curious to know what other types of requirements BA are gathering and how the requirements are defined. Let's see if someone is going to come up with a type of requirement I have never heard of :)

Executive at work...

So often when we think of folks in Executive positions who do great things, we think of dry, humorless or square people. Yes, not all of them are like that but many can be. Well After reading an article "Not about Business Analysis. About a Business Analyst" by Julian Sammy, Chief Architect for IIBA, it gave me a different perspective on this executive team. I see life, humanity and they seem more personable. I enjoyed it.. hope you do too...

Most popular stories - accessAtlanta

BABOK

I am getting ready to start a study group for the CBAP exam and I sent participants email about the schedule and ground rules. One of our ground rule is to read the section that we are going to cover in advance. I am thinking,... we are all set. Wrong!!! I assumed that everyone knows what the BABOK is and where to get one. Shame on me!
IIBA released a book called The "Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge". This book is the "sum of knowledge within the profession of Business Analysis and reflects what is considered currently accepted practice." It contains a lot of information about the Business Analysis field. If you are not sure what a BA does, you should pick up the BABOK and read it.
It is broken down into 6 knowledge area + BA fundamentals
- Enterpise Analysis
- Requirement Planning & Management
- Requirement Elicitation
- Requirement Analysis and Documentation
- Requirement Communication
- Solution Assessment and Valitation
Each of these knowledge areas are broken down by activities, tasks and techniques that the BA does or should be doing to add value to their organization.
In order to get a copy, you can click on the links above. You should be able to get a free copy if you are a member of IIBA.
Membership fee is only $95 per year. It's really a bargain compared to PMI, TAG and other organizations out there.
With IIBA membership, you get:

• Discounted Fee for the Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP^®) exam
• Access to IIBA Members-only content, including job postings
• Early access to changes to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge^® (BABOK^®)
• Personal Use of the Membership Logo and Trademark as a "Member of the International Institute of Business Analysis”
• Eligibility to join a local IIBA Chapter
• Access to fellow IIBA Members on community networks such as Catalyze and LinkedIn
• Networking opportunities with other Business Analysis professionals
• Opportunity to influence and contribute to the profession and service of Business Analysis
• Access to Endorsed Education Providers (EEP^TM) so members may improve their skills
• Access to forums for sharing your expertise, expressing your professional opinion, and building a reputation within the industry
• Access to the IIBA Webinar Series featuring a range of Professional Development topics
  

So if you are interested in advancing your career as a Business Analyst, take the time to get you a copy of the BABOK and read it!

To PM or Not to PM – An Analysts Dilemma

I was going along, minding my own Business Analyst business, when it happened. One day, I looked up, and for all intents and purposes, I was managing a project. When I looked back on it, I could see that it started out slowly. ‘So and so, has another priority project. Can you attend these weekly meetings?’ We need a project schedule. The stakeholders started calling me for PM-type things. The developers wanted to meet with me about the estimates. Pretty soon, I was the BA wearing the PM hat. This is not territory I would have ever pursued. In fact, it is territory I purposely avoided. I never felt that I had the PM personality. I was always content to make sure that the show was running smoothly. I definitely did not want to be the one who ran the show. Reality check: It’s not the first time that it has happened in the history of the BA and it won’t be the last.

There will be times as BA’s that for whatever reason we will be tasked with running a project. This will not change, but there are a few things that I found that have helped me in these situations. The most important thing to do is don’t be afraid to ask for help. Although you may be perfectly capable of running a project, there are going to be aspects of the task that you have no clue about. Find an experienced Project Manager that you can use as a sounding board and seek advice from and utilize them.

Don’t be afraid to take issues up the chain of command. I had a situation with a team member who was, let’s say, less than cooperative. I don’t do well with personnel issues. I’ve become better with experience, but this situation tested me. I had to make sure that those above me were aware of the situation. I made sure to keep notes of what was going on, and give regular status of the situations to the higher-ups. When the situation got out of hand, I deferred to my Manager to handle it. You have to be careful to not let unexpected situations distract you. Do what you can. For those things that are out of your realm of responsibility, pass them on to those who need to handle them.

Finally, take it as a learning experience. The first time that I was pushed out of my comfort zone and into a management role, I was reluctant. I had my own prejudices about the task and more than a little self-doubt. But, I learned from it, and now can do it with no problem. Just think of it as one more undocumented feature of the Business Analyst role.

Why do web sites like Facebook thrive?

With more than 150 million active users, Facebook has become one of the most visited and most used website out there. It started out as another lame social network that students could join and waste their time by checking up on their friends. Today, everyone is on it. And by everyone, I mean even my parents are on it. Can you imagine? Age doesn’t define who joins and networks. Businesses are strongly pushing to have some presence on the site and other entrepreneurs are looking for the next best applet to attract those users.
I mean, Facebook is the way to go.
But why did they do so well? Why hasn’t Myspace or other social networks like Hi5 gained the same kind of the popularity? Facebook unlike others has features that make users come back for more. They also take the time to listen to their users and take them seriously by quickly implementing what the users say they need.
Great Features
The goal of any social network is to connect people and provide them with a way to communicate. Myspace does that! Hi5 does the same thing! But Facebook does it as better. The difference between Facebook and the others is found in some of its features.
With Facebook the user doesn’t have to go look at what happened while they weren’t there. Facebook brings news to the users in their own realm.
Features such as alerts let the user know when their friend tags them in a picture or left them a wall message. Then you have news feed and live feed that give you a snippet of what friends are doing… etc. The key is to play on people’s desire to talk about themselves and to be in everyone’s business.
I know Mark Zuckerberg is a genius for implementing those ideas but I don’t think he woke up one day with dreamed up requirements to build those features.
Requirements from Users
Facebook, like many websites out there allows for their users to provide feedback on things that work and things that don’t work (which usually outnumbers those things that do work, by the way). I remember when Facebook came up with the ‘Status’ feature, which let users write about what was going on in their lives. Great idea, but this feature was limited and would only allow for users to complete the sentence “User is…”. So you couldn’t write any sentence that didn’t use the verb “to be”. Some users took it upon themselves to provide feedback either directly to Facebook or by creating a coalition using the group feature. They sent Facebook the message that it would be better to allow more than one verb to be used while updating status.
Turn around time to produce
It wasn’t long before Facebook turned this feature around. They still show the “User is…” but the verb can be edited. Now the user can write “User loves banana” if he wants. I am sure this little change could have taken 10 months to build using methodologies that I am not going to mention. But they didn't make it a 10 months project because they knew the users thought it was important so they made it their priority. Crucial, little decision can make or break a web site.

The last important thing is the ability to develop a feature as quickly as possible in order to keep your users coming. In order to thrive in a world where if you want to gain popularity you have to satisfy the population (what a concept), listening to and getting your requirements from the users is very important. The voice of the users will help you build features. It’s not always a matter of creativity. Developing listening skills to hear what is needed could mean life or death for a web site.