The Certified Business Analysis Professional CBAP

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The Certified Business Analysis Professional
(CBAP)

• March 2008

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Topics

• Vision and Mission of the IIBA
• IIBA Goals
• The Business Analysis Professional
• The BA Body of Knowledge
• Certification Requirements and ISO 17024
• Certification Benefits
• Certification Process
• CBAPTM Exam Details
• Certification Fees
• Recertification and Foundation Certification
• How to find more information
• Questions?

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International Institute of Business AnalysisTM
The world's leading association for Business
Analysis professionals
Vision
Develop and maintain standards for the practice
of business analysis and for the certification of
its practitioners
Mission
The IIBATM is an international not-for-profit
professional association for business analysis
professionals.
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IIBA Goals

• Create and develop awareness and recognition of
  the value and contribution of the role of the
  Business Analysis Professional
• Define and maintain the Business Analysis Body of
  KnowledgeTM
• Publicly recognize qualified practitioners
  through an internationally acknowledged
  certification program
• Provide a forum for knowledge sharing

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The Business Analysis Professional

• The Definition
• Works as a liaison among stakeholders to elicit,
  analyze, communicate and validate requirements
  for changes to business processes, policies, and
  information and information systems
• Understands business problems and opportunities
  in the context of the requirements and recommends
  solutions that enable the organization to achieve
  its goals

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Business Analysis Body of KnowledgeTM

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

• Six Knowledge Areas
• Enterprise Analysis
• Requirements Planning Management
• Requirements Elicitation
• Requirements Analysis
• Requirements Communications
• Solutions Assessment Validation

• Underlying Fundamentals
• Communications
• Leadership
• Problem Solving
• Business Knowledge
• IT Knowledge

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Business Analysis Body of KnowledgeTM

• Identifies currently accepted practices
• Recognizes business analysis is more than
  requirements
• Defined and enhanced by the professionals who
  apply it
• Aligns with CMMI - Requirements Development and
  Requirements Management

• It is NOT a methodology nor does it prescribe or
  favor a methodology
• It is NOT a how to business analysis
  instruction manual

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The CBAPTM Certification

• Qualified practitioners will receive the
  designation - Certified Business Analysis
  Professional (CBAP)
• This certification is designed for individuals
  with an advanced level of knowledge and
  experience
• The IIBATM will consider offering additional
  certification programs in the future based on
  demand

Education Provider specific certifications will
not be recognized as a substitute to the CBAP
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ISO 17024 Requirements

• Certification Body
• Fair and Equitable Policy and Procedures
• Defined Certification Policies and Procedures
• Clearly Defined Scope of Certification
• Organizational Structure
• Independent, Impartial and Ethical Certification
  Body
• Impartial and Inclusive
• Training Does Not Comprise Certification Process

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ISO 17024 Requirements - Continued

• Development and Maintenance
• Method and Mechanisms to Evaluate Competence
• Certification Scheme
• Evaluation Process
• Certification Examination Evaluation
• Recertification
• Defined Requirements
• How Requirements Relate to Identified Competence
• Surveillance
• Proactive Monitoring of Certificate holders

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Benefits of Certification

• Organization Benefits
• Employee development and recognition
• CBAPsTM have signed a Code of Conduct
• Certified Business Analysis ProfessionalsTM are
  acknowledged as competent individuals
• CBAPsTM perform a role increasingly recognized as
  a vital component of any successful project

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Benefits of Certification

• Organization Benefits (cont.)
• CBAPsTM are identified as individuals with an
  advanced level of knowledge and qualifications
• CBAPsTM follow established standards
• CBAPsTM produce reliable, quality results with
  increased efficiency and consistency
• Reduced risk

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Benefits of Certification

• Benefits for the Individual
• Demonstrate dedication to the Business Analysis
  profession
• Ability to enhance the profession and have a
  voice among other professions
• Expedited professional advancement
• Demonstrate knowledge of the skills necessary to
  be an effective Business Analyst

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Benefits of Certification

• Benefits for the Individual (cont.)
• Show a professional level of competence in the
  principles and practices of business analysis
• Participation in a recognized professional group
• Advance career potential by a separate and
  distinct career path within the information
  technology industry and business community
• Networking opportunities

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Certification Entrance Criteria

• Five years (7,500 hours) of business analysis
  work in the last 10 years experience
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge in 4 out of
  6 BABOK Knowledge Areas
• 21 hours of BA professional development in the
  last 4 years
• Minimum high school diploma or equivalent
• Two professional references
• Signed Code of Conduct

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Work Experience

• Acceptable activities include
• Hands-on business analysis activities (as per
  BABOK)
• Coaching or mentoring of business analysts with
  respect to business analysis activities
• Development of business analysis methodology
  and/or best practices
• Development of business analysis training

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Work Experience

• Activities that will not apply include
• Supervisory management of business analysis
  activities (e.g. resource management, status
  reporting, performance management)
• Teaching business analysis training courses
• Selling requirements tools/software
• Project management
• Testing
• Programming

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Professional Development

• Must be personal professional development, not
  time developing others (e.g., taking a course
  qualifies, teaching a course does not)
• For initial CBAP certification, development must
  be a course or seminar
• Course content must be based on the BABOK
  Knowledge Areas or Underlying Fundamentals
• Testing courses, project management courses or
  programming courses will not qualify

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References

• Must be provided by a
• Career Manager
• Internal or external Client
• Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP)

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The Certification Process

• The candidate submits an application for
  certification. The application must include
• Application form and application fee
• References
• Code of Conduct form
• Examination fee (due at least 60 days prior to
  the exam date)
• IIBATM reviews these materials to determine if
  the candidate meets all CBAP requirements
• If approved, the candidate registers to take the
  exam
• The candidate takes the exam
• The candidate is notified by the IIBATM of the
  result

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The application (1 of 5)

• Download the CBAP application form from the IIBA
  website (www.theiiba.org)
• Section 1 records your personal information
• Name, address, contacts, etc
• Section 2 records your organization information
• Current employer, industry type, etc
• Section 3 records your work experience
• The unit of work is a project
• You need to describe enough projects to achieve
  7500 hours
• You may need to aggregate multiple small projects
  into larger ones for efficiency
• You will need to describe your BA tasks and
  deliverables

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The application (2 of 5)

• Section 4 records your knowledge areas
• Requires you to tick boxes only
• e.g.
• Covers all 6 BABOK knowledge areas You need only
  complete 4
• Enterprise analysis
• Requirements planning and management
• Requirements elicitation
• Requirements analysis and documentation
• Requirements communication
• Requirements solution assessment and validation

How often do you identify and consult
stakeholders? Never Seldom
Sometimes Frequently
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The application (3 of 5)

• Section 5 records your education
• The minimum level is High School or equivalent
• Section 6 records your professional development
• The unit is a training course
• The course must be about developing BA skills and
  knowledge
• You need 21 hours e.g. a 3 day course, 3 x 1 day
  courses, etc

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The application (4 of 5)

• Section 7 records your exam registration
• Section 8 requires your signature

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The application (5 of 5)

• In addition to the application form, you require
• Two completed and sealed CBAP Application
  Reference Forms
• Your references are obtained from career
  managers, business partners, clients or CBAPS
• The CBAP Code of Conduct agreement signed by you
• If required, the CBAP Exam Special Accommodation
  form e.g. if you have a disability
• You courier this package to the IIBA in Canada

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Preparing for the exam

• Review the content of the IIBA Business Analysis
  Body of Knowledge version 1.6
• Identify your gaps in knowledge or areas of
  weakness and then reference publications listed
  in the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge
  version 1.6 for those areas.
• Advice from a colleague who has taken the exam
• LEARN the BABOK - even if you use different
  terminology or disagree with some of the content
  this is what you are examined on!
• Exam will continue to be based on version 1.6
  even after release of version 2.0

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Writing the Exam

• External examiner
• Be on time (early is better)
• Bring proof of identity and letter from IIBA
• Strict exam conditions
• Tough, but fair

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Exam details

• Consists of 150 multiple choice questions
• Each multiple choice question has 4 possible
  answers
• Exam duration is 3.5 hours
• Currently paper exams only in a proctored setting
• Scoring may take 30 days
• Notifications will include information on
  performance by Knowledge Area for any
  unsuccessful candidates
• Note It is expected that computer based exams
  will be available in late 2008

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Current CBAP Exam Blueprint
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Certification Fees

• Initial fees
• 125 USD application fee that is non-refundable
• 325 USD exam fee for IIBA members
• 450 USD exam fee for non-members
• Rewrite fees
• 250 USD for IIBA members
• 375 USD for non-members
• Candidate must wait 3 months before rewriting the
  exam

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Re-certification

• Re-certification will be required every 3 years
• Information about the re-certification program
  will be available by late 2007
• CBAPs will require Continuing Development Units
  (CDUs) to re-certify

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Re-certification CDUs

• If you receive your CBAPTM prior to the
  re-certification details being released, you
  should track all business analysis activities
• Activity description
• Number of hours
• Date of activity
• Course name provider (if appropriate)
• Contact name to verify activity
• CDUs will be retroactive to date of certification

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Planned New Foundation Certification

• Being defined in 2008
• Intended for 0-5 year experience
• Examination based no need to prove experience
• More details to come in 2008

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Where to find more information

• Available on www.theiiba.org
• CBAP Handbook
• CBAP FAQs
• CBAP Application process and forms
• Business Analysis Body of Knowledge
• Email certification_at_theiiba.org
• South African Chapter http//southafrica.theiiba.
  org/

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The End!

• Questions?