BAs, the IIBA and the BABOK

Presented by
Jennifer Colburn,
PMP
May 19, 2009

http://www.stellman-greene.com/2007/08/03/qa-
how-to-get-ahead-in-business-analysis-without-
really-trying/
Value of a Business Analyst

Anyone who has ever worked on a complex

and lengthy software development project
knows that the involvement of a business
analyst can mean the difference between
success and failure. ~ Thomas Wailgum, CIO
http://www.cio.com/article/343013/
What a Business Analyst is Not

A junior Project Manager

A scribe for the PM
QA Tester
A programmer who likes people
A trainer
A technical writer
What is 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.
Understands business problems and
opportunities in the context of the requirements
and recommends solutions that enable the
organization to achieve its goals.

(from the Business Analysis Body Of Knowledge v. 1.6, p. 9)

BA Skills

Analyze & solve problems

Understand the business
Communicate effectively
Manage client relationships
Facilitate discussions
Negotiate & build consensus
Model data & processes
Plan & manage activities
Facilitate & develop business strategy
Understand & manage organizational change
Why a Project Needs Both

http://developer.motorola.com/fromfasttrack/February_09/agile_versus_waterfall.gif/
Why a Project Needs Both

PM responsible for ensuring product delivered to

customer on time and within budget.
BA responsible for ensuring product built according to
requirements and built correctly.
Difference in focus is reason that both roles on team
are critical.

~ Barbara Carkenord, President B2T Training

Business Analysis
Understanding:
How an organization works
Why the organization exists
What are the organizations goals and objectives
How does an organization accomplish those goals
and objectives
How does an organization need to change to better
accomplish those objectives and/or overcome
challenges
Defining the scope of the solution

(from the IIBA A Primer to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge presentation)
 TM
International Institute of Business Analysis

The world's leading association for

Vision Business Analysis professionals

Develop and maintain standards for the

Mission 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.
Founded in 2003
www.theiiba.org
KBa

9
Business Analysis Body of KnowledgeTM

Analogous to the PMI and the PMBOK, the IIBA has

authored the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge
(BABOK) reflecting generally accepted practices in
the Business Analysis community.
Released in 2005
Version 2.0 released March 31,2009
CBAP Certification

Certified Business Analysis Professional

Twenty-one PDUs in Business Analysis
Two professional references
High School Diploma
7,500 hours business analysis work experience in last
ten years
Experience and expertise in four of six knowledge areas
Pass 150 question multiple choice exam
Developed to meet ISO 17204 standard, seeking
certification
Agree to Code of Conduct
BABOK Knowledge Areas

12
Enterprise Analysis

Understanding the big picture

Define business goals the solution must meet
Integrate requirements into larger business
architecture
Support initiatives and long term planning
Strategic planning, business case development,
CBA, feasibility studies
Why are we doing this?
Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring

Focus on planning for the BA processes and

activities.
What do I need to do?
Specify the how the business analysis tasks
will be performed
Identify the deliverables produced
Describe how changes will be controlled and
managed
Requirements Management and Communications

Focus on presenting and communicating

documented requirements to all stakeholders,
including project team members, to bring the
group to consensus on project scope.
Identify and manage change
Does everyone understand and agree?
Elicitation

Focus on gathering requirements from various

stakeholder groups
Identify the tasks, knowledge and techniques
for capturing requirements
What do the Stakeholders need?
Requirements Analysis

Focuses on analyzing the data

Defines the methods, tools, techniques to
structure raw data collected during elicitation
Identifies gaps in requirements
Defines the solution capabilities and can
serve as the foundation for selecting among
solution alternatives.
What must the solution do?
Solutions Assessment & Validation

Focus on ensuring the best approach is

chosen, that the solution will meet
stakeholder objectives, that the solution is
feasible, and guides solution verification.
Does the solution do what it is suppose to
do?
PMBOK Knowledge Areas

http://www.projectmanagement.net.au/assets/images/PM.gif
Collect Requirements (5.1) PMBOK

The projects success is directly influenced by the care

taken in capturing and managing project and product
requirements.
need to be elicited, analyzed and recorded in sufficient
detail to be measured once project execution begins.
Project requirements can include business requirements,
project management requirements, delivery
requirements, etc.
Product requirements can include information on
technical requirements, security requirements,
performance requirements, etc.
Requirements Definition
PMBOK
A condition or capability that must
be met or possessed by a
system, product, service or
component to satisfy a contract,
standard, specification, or other
formally imposed document.
Requirements include the
quantified and documented
needs, wants, and expectations
of the sponsor, customer, and
other stakeholders.
BABOK
A condition or capability
needed by a stakeholder to
solve a problem or
objective.
A condition or capability that
must be met or possessed by
a solution or solution
component to satisfy a
contract, standard
specification or other formally
imposed documents.
A documented representation
of a condition or capability as
in 1) or 2).
 PMBOK 4.0 BABOK 2.0

Collect Requirements Conduct Rqmts Elicitation

Inputs: Project Charter, Inputs: Business Case,
Stakeholder Register Business Need, Solution
Scope, Stakeholder list,
Outputs: Requirements Roles and Responsibilities,
documentation, Organizational Process
Requirements Assets, Requirements
Management Plan, Management Plan,
Requirements Scheduled Resources
Traceability Matrix Outputs: Document
Elicitation Results
Techniques: PMBOK vs. BABOK

PMBOK BABOK
Group creativity techniques Brainstorming
Focus Groups Focus Group
Interviews Interview
Observations Observation
Prototypes Prototyping
Facilitated Workshops Requirements Workshop
Questionnaires/Surveys Survey
Group decision making Document Analysis
techniques Interface Analysis
Complimentary Roles

PM Project Scope: resources, budget,

schedule, plan, risks, quality.
BA Solution Scope: business risks/issues,
requirements related tasks in WBS, solution
quality, represent business.
How to Effectively Utilize a BA

Involve the BA as early as possible

WBS tasks clearly assigned
Roles and Responsibilities clearly defined
Communications Plan clearly defined
Communicate, communicate, communicate
Summary

Business Analysis is a formally defined profession

Internationally acknowledged certification program
Synergy with Project Management, not competition
Valuable to PMs to prevent scope creep and reduce
project risks, including rework
Deliver a feasible quality product that meets the
business needs