Revised Exam Crammer Book Available in December 2016

Looks like the revised CBAP book will be available in early December, at least according to amazon.com. Check it out...

Time for Susan to start posting some helpful hints and pointers about the revised exams. Stay tuned!

Revised Certified-Business-Analysis-Study-Guide

Exam Crammer Revision Just About Done

Wow, this book revision has been an eye opener for me. The changes between versions 2 and 3 of the BABOK Guide are significant and will result in more complex exam questions covering a broader range of content.  I have completed all of the chapter revisions now and they are in or heading to production. Right now, my focus is on updating the practice exam questions that come with the book to reflect the new version of the standard.  By the end of September, all will be done and moving towards publication. When I know the new publication date, I will let you know!

Susan

Exam Crammer Revision Almost Done!

Hello everyone!  As the CBAP® certification exam change looms over us later this year, I am happy to report that my revision of the exam crammer book is almost complete.  Of course, all the editors and reviewers will still be combing through the book to make sure it is accurate and that I can spell!

Did you know that the CCBA® and CBAP®  exams will now be part of a tiered competency model?   This new multi-level, competency-based certification model offers four certifications to business analysts. The model was designed to recognize the BA professional through their career progression and to support more opportunities for growth and development. CCBA® and CBAP® certifications will map to levels 2 and 3 respectively in this multi-level enhanced certification program. These two levels are considered the global standard of practice for business analysts. Check it out.

Level	Acronym	Name	Exam Type	Description
1	ECBA™	Entry Certificate in Business Analysis	Exam-based	Recognizes a person’s entry into the business analysis profession
2	CCBA®	Certification of Capability in Business Analysis	Exam-based	Requires 2 to 3 years of business analysis experience and 3000 to 4500 hours of work experience and is also exam based.
3	CBAP®	Certified Business Analysis Professional	Exam-based	Requires over 5 years of business analysis experience and 7,500 to 10,500 hours of work experience.
4	CBATL™	Certified Business Analysis Thought Leader	Assessment-based	Requires over 10 years of business analysis experience. Applicants are industry thought leaders, give back to the BA community and contribute to the evolution of the BA practice. Level 4 will require a minimum of 15,000 hours, and is assessment based.

For everyone using the current edition of the crammer book to complete their exam before the changeover, good luck and study hard!  For folks waiting to take the exam using the new materials, hang on because I am working to get everything completed for you.

There are more posts to come about all of the new things I have discovered in the third edition of the BABOK Guide, so stay tuned! 

Susan

Time for a Revision!

Hello everyone! Looks like Terri and I will be revising our book in 2016 to reflect the new version 3 of the IIBA's BABOK Guide. This will be a lot of work and a lot of fun. Many thanks to everyone who made our exam crammer popular enough for a revision to be necessary. Stay tuned for updates as we get rolling with the changes after the holidays.

Susan Weese
susanweese@icloud.com

Recommended Technique: The 80/20 Rule

Business analysts and project managers frequently use the 80/20 rule, or Pareto analysis, to show the relatively small number of causes that may produce the majority of problems or defects the project team is encountering. The 80-20 rule tells you that 80% of the problems are due to 20% of the causes.

Basically, a Pareto diagram is a type of histogram. Histograms are vertical bar charts showing how often a particular aspect of a situation has occurred. The height of each column illustrates the relative frequency of the occurrence. Histograms help you figure out what is causing problems in your process or project. When you are using Pareto analysis, remember to keep focused on finding the biggest bang for the buck!

Here is an example of a simple Pareto diagram:

A Pareto diagram is typically used as part of your quality control activities on a project. This relatively simple bar graph used to arrange information in such a way that priorities for process improvement or dealing with defects or problems can be established. Another way to think of it is as a histogram view of data ordered by frequency of occurrence. You can focus your subsequent analysis and actions on the causes creating the greatest number of defects first to maximize the time you have on hand to deal with what’s causing you pain.   

Here are some interesting examples of this "80/20 rule":

• 20% of the time expended produced 80% of the results
• 80% of your phone calls go to 20% of the names on your list
• 20% of the streets handle 80% of the traffic
• 80% of the meals in a restaurant come from 20% of the menu
• 20% of the paper has 80% of the news
• 80% of the news is in the first 20% of the article
• 20% of the people cause 80% of the problems
• 20% of the features of an application are used 80% of the time

And now for a little history… the 80/20 theory was first developed by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed an unequal distribution of wealth and power in a relatively small proportion of the total population. Joseph M. Juran is credited with adapting Pareto's economic observations to business applications.

Happy New Year!

Susan

Defining Business Requirements

Let’s remind ourselves what the business requirements are and how they relate to developing, validating and managing our project's requirements. The business requirements consist of a set of "big picture" deliverables that scope out and frame your project's products and work activities. The BABOK® Guide recommends that you develop four deliverables as part of your Enterprise Analysis knowledge area tasks that together become your project’s business requirements. Let's take a look at each of these deliverables:

Business need  The business need describes the problem or opportunity that an organization is facing. This problem or opportunity exists within the framework of that organization’s business goals and objectives. The business need and the desired outcome from addressing that need guide the identification, definition, and selection of possible solutions and solution approaches for that situation.

Required capabilities  The required capabilities define the new capabilities that may be required to meet a business need. These capabilities may be multifaceted, addressing processes, staff and application features of the new solution.

Solution scope  Solution scope defines the major features, functions and interactions of your proposed solution. It describes what must be delivered to meet a business need including any effects the solution might have on the business and technology operations and infrastructure of the organization.

Business case  Your project's business case justifies the cost of doing the project in terms of the value the resulting solution adds to the business. A business case looks at both sides of the equation, comparing the costs and benefits of a proposed solution. The expected business benefits of the solution are evaluated relative to achieving the business objectives and meeting the business need.

These four deliverables are not always found in a stand-alone deliverable or document. They are each part of the project’s business requirements and are typically included in a more comprehensive business requirements document or as part of the project’s business case.

Happy requirements development!

Susan

Solution Assessment and Validation Knowledge Area: The Four Assessments

For all of you CBAP/CCBA exam crammers, remember that there are four different assessments created by and used in the Solution Assessment and Validation knowledge area, so make sure you can distinguish between them!

The  Solution Performance Assessment describes how the operational solution is performing relative to business goals and objectives.

The  Solution Validation Assessment assesses the solution’s ability to meet the business need at an acceptable level of quality.

The Organizational Readiness Assessment describes stakeholder readiness to accept the change associated with a solution and their ability to use the solution effectively.

Your Assessment of Proposed Solution or Solutions assesses the value delivered by each proposed solution and recommending the best solution.

Happy studies!

Susan