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The Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP™)

Overview

Copyright 2008 International Institute of Business Analysis™ 22

International Institute of Business AnalysisTM

Develop and maintain standards for the practice of business analysis and for the certification of its practitioners

The IIBATM is an international not-for-profit professional association for business analysis professionals.

VisionThe world's leading association for Business Analysis professionals

Mission


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 Knowledge®

Publicly recognize qualified practitioners through an internationally acknowledged certification program

Provide a forum for knowledge sharing


Business Analysis Body of Knowledge®

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 Communication

• Solution Assessment & Validation

Underlying Fundamentals• Communications

• Leadership

• Problem Solving

• Business Knowledge

• IT Knowledge


Business Analysis Body of Knowledge®

Knowledge Areas

EnterpriseAnalysis

Requirements Planning & Management

RequirementsElicitation

RequirementsAnalysis

RequirementsCommunication

Solution Assessment& Validation

Fundamentals

Identifies currently accepted practices Recognizes business analysis is more than

software requirements Defined and enhanced by the professionals

who apply it Aligned with generally accepted standards

It is NOT a methodology nor does it prescribe or favor a methodology

It is NOT a “how to” business analysis instruction manual


Version 2.0 brings the BABOK® to completion

Tasks and techniques consolidated All sections completed and reviewed by practitioners Received feedback from experts to help set direction

Clarify the relationship with project management Discussion of different lifecycles (agile, iterative, waterfall)

and disciplines (process management) Extensive glossary added Integration of tasks and technique Release expected for Q3 2008


The Business Analysis Professional

A business analyst works as a liaison among stakeholders in order to elicit, analyze, communicate and validate requirements for changes to business processes, policies and information systems. The business analyst understands business problems and opportunities in the context of the requirements and recommends solutions that enable the organization to achieve its goals.


The Need for the CBAP™ designation

While many professions had professional designations, Business Analysts did not

Many education providers offer “certificate” programs to their students, but these are not professional “certifications”

IIBA decided that Business Analysis Professionals needed a certification program to ensure their skills would be recognized, valued, and understood


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 For business analysts with less experience For students with education but limited professional

experienceEducation Provider specific certificates are not recognized as a

substitute to the CBAP™


Benefits to the Individual of Certification

Demonstrated knowledge of the skills necessary to be an effective Business Analyst

A proven level of competence in the principles and practices of business analysis

Participation in a recognized professional group

Recognition of professional competence by peers and management

Advanced career potential due to recognition as a professional Business Analysis practitioner

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Benefits to the Organization of Certification

Establishment and implementation of Business Analysis best practices as outlined in the BABOK, by individuals acknowledged as knowledgeable and skilled

More reliable, higher quality results produced with increased efficiency and consistency

Identification of professional Business Analysts to clients and business partners

Professional development and recognition for experienced Business Analysts

Demonstrated commitment to the field of Business Analysis, increasingly recognized as a vital component of any successful project

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CBAP™ Certification Requirements

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


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


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


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


References

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


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.


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 Certification Body 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 Certification Body of the

result


Exam details

Comprised 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

Computer-based testing in designated exam centres will be available by July 2008

Scoring may take 30 days Notifications will include information on performance

by Knowledge Area for any unsuccessful candidates


Current CBAP Exam Blueprint

Knowledge Area Percent of Questions

Enterprise Analysis 22.0%

Requirements Planning and Management 22.7%

Requirement Elicitation 18.7%

Requirements Analysis and Documentation 20.7%

Requirements Communication 10.7%

Solution Assessment and Validation 5.2%


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-membersCandidate must wait 3 months before rewriting the exam


Re-certification

Re-certification will be required every 3 years Information about the re-certification program will be

available by April 2008 CBAPs will require Continuing Development Units

(CDUs) to re-certify


Re-certification CDU’s

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


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: [email protected]


The End!

Questions?


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


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 Certificants

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