BA Development Day 2014 Recap

BA Development Day—New Zealand 2014 Recap

We just returned from New Zealand! We were invited to present at the BA Development Day (aka BA Dev Day) in Wellington and half-day symposia in Christchurch and Auckland, NZ this month. I delivered one of our most popular presentations, From Order Taker to Influencer: Becoming a Trusted Advisor. This year’s BA Dev Day, held …

Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA, CSM

Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, CSM is a consultant and advisor for Watermark Learning/PMA. She has over 35 years of experience in project management and business analysis. Elizabeth has co-authored four books and chapters published in five additional books, as well as articles that appear regularly in BA Times, Project Times, and Modern Analyst. Elizabeth was a lead author/expert reviewer on all editions of the BABOK® Guide, as well as the several of the PMI standards. Elizabeth also enjoys giving presentations, and her speaking history includes repeat keynotes and presentations for national and international conferences on five continents. Elizabeth enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, theater, and spending time with her 7 grandkids.

What's the Watermark Learning Difference

What’s the Watermark Learning Difference?

This week I sat down with Elizabeth Larson, CEO of Watermark Learning.  She shared what makes Watermark Learning stand out in the business analysis, project management, and agile training industries. Watch the brief video or read the transcript below to learn more about the Watermark Learning difference! Sorry, your browser doesn’t support HTML5 video. Transcript Today I’m speaking …

Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA, CSM

Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, CSM is a consultant and advisor for Watermark Learning/PMA. She has over 35 years of experience in project management and business analysis. Elizabeth has co-authored four books and chapters published in five additional books, as well as articles that appear regularly in BA Times, Project Times, and Modern Analyst. Elizabeth was a lead author/expert reviewer on all editions of the BABOK® Guide, as well as the several of the PMI standards. Elizabeth also enjoys giving presentations, and her speaking history includes repeat keynotes and presentations for national and international conferences on five continents. Elizabeth enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, theater, and spending time with her 7 grandkids.

Entrepreneurial Traits of Business Analysis Practitioners

Entrepreneurial Traits of Business Analysis Practitioners

In my previous blog post What do Business Analysis and Entrepreneurship Have in Common?, I outlined some high-level similarities between business analysis and entrepreneurship. Now let’s explore some detailed parallels between the two. Assuming that business analysis has much in common with entrepreneurship, what specific traits do entrepreneurs have that are similar to people who …

Richard Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA

Richard Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA, was the founder of and is now a consultant for Watermark Learning. He is a successful entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience in product development, business analysis, project management, training, and consulting. As an internal entrepreneur, Rich led the development of several Watermark Learning online products as a business analyst and product owner. Rich is a frequent speaker at Business Analysis and Project Management national conferences and IIBA® and PMI® chapters around the world. He has contributed as a lead author to the BA Body of Knowledge version 2.0 and 3.0 and was a lead author on PMI’s Business Analysis Practice Guide. He and his wife Elizabeth Larson have co-authored five books on business analysis.

The Entrepreneurial BA Practitioner Part 1

The Entrepreneurial BA Practitioner Part 1

What do Business Analysis and Entrepreneurship Have in Common? If you are a BA, you may be wondering about your career options. To be honest, we all do that, but I tend to hear about career concerns from business analysts more than anyone. Should we aspire to be project managers when we grow up? That …

Richard Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA

Richard Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA, was the founder of and is now a consultant for Watermark Learning. He is a successful entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience in product development, business analysis, project management, training, and consulting. As an internal entrepreneur, Rich led the development of several Watermark Learning online products as a business analyst and product owner. Rich is a frequent speaker at Business Analysis and Project Management national conferences and IIBA® and PMI® chapters around the world. He has contributed as a lead author to the BA Body of Knowledge version 2.0 and 3.0 and was a lead author on PMI’s Business Analysis Practice Guide. He and his wife Elizabeth Larson have co-authored five books on business analysis.

Business Analysts - Are you Agile

Business Analysts – Are you Agile?

Are you an Agile Business Analyst? Are you well-versed in Scrum? If so, congratulations! If not, don’t get left behind! As more and more organizations transition to Agile Scrum, it is crucial for business and project professionals to “be Agile” regardless of their role. Agile by the Numbers According to VersionOne’s Annual State of Agile …

Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA, CSM

Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, CSM is a consultant and advisor for Watermark Learning/PMA. She has over 35 years of experience in project management and business analysis. Elizabeth has co-authored four books and chapters published in five additional books, as well as articles that appear regularly in BA Times, Project Times, and Modern Analyst. Elizabeth was a lead author/expert reviewer on all editions of the BABOK® Guide, as well as the several of the PMI standards. Elizabeth also enjoys giving presentations, and her speaking history includes repeat keynotes and presentations for national and international conferences on five continents. Elizabeth enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, theater, and spending time with her 7 grandkids.

PW & WCBA Conference Recap

PW & WCBA Conference Recap

Last week I had the pleasure of representing Watermark Learning at the PW&WCBA Conference in Seattle, Washington. Below is a picture of me standing with the Watermark Learning booth. The PW&WCBA schedule was jam-packed with great material and speakers, which centered around three primary goals: 1. Re-examine how to identify opportunities and track their success. 2. Understand what …

Vicki James, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA

Vicki develops and maintains Watermark's Business Analysis Training programs and is an instructor for in-person and online classes. James has 15 years’ experience in the public and private sectors as a project manager, business analyst, author, and independent industry consultant and trainer, where her clients included Microsoft Corporation. She also spent time in the public sector successfully delivering projects to support governmental operations. James is co-author of Strategies for Project Sponsorship and contributor to The Complete Project Manager. She is president of the IIBA Seattle Chapter, and past vice president of the PMI Olympia Chapter.

It's Conference Season 2014!

It’s Conference Season 2014!

Fall is coming up quickly, and that means it’s national conference season! We find national conferences to be a great way to improve your skills and to grow you network. These are valuable to both individual practitioners and organizations. Admittedly, getting approval and funding to attend can be a bit tricky. Hopefully we can help …

Vicki James, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA

Vicki develops and maintains Watermark's Business Analysis Training programs and is an instructor for in-person and online classes. James has 15 years’ experience in the public and private sectors as a project manager, business analyst, author, and independent industry consultant and trainer, where her clients included Microsoft Corporation. She also spent time in the public sector successfully delivering projects to support governmental operations. James is co-author of Strategies for Project Sponsorship and contributor to The Complete Project Manager. She is president of the IIBA Seattle Chapter, and past vice president of the PMI Olympia Chapter.

Is a Watermark Learning Certificate Program Right for You

Is a Watermark Learning Certificate Program Right for You?

Getting your business analysis or project management industry certification is a notable accomplishment for individuals and a benefit to organizations. For organizations it helps promote consistency on projects and shows that practitioners working in the organization have a level-set understanding of important concepts. For individuals, it can make a big difference towards advancing your career. …

Richard Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA

Richard Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA, was the founder of and is now a consultant for Watermark Learning. He is a successful entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience in product development, business analysis, project management, training, and consulting. As an internal entrepreneur, Rich led the development of several Watermark Learning online products as a business analyst and product owner. Rich is a frequent speaker at Business Analysis and Project Management national conferences and IIBA® and PMI® chapters around the world. He has contributed as a lead author to the BA Body of Knowledge version 2.0 and 3.0 and was a lead author on PMI’s Business Analysis Practice Guide. He and his wife Elizabeth Larson have co-authored five books on business analysis.

3 Take Aways from PMI’s Pulse of the Profession Requirements Management

3 Take Aways from PMI’s Pulse of the Profession: Requirements Management

A planned requirements approach is essential to a successful and smooth-running project.  Just like the project itself needs a project plan, the requirements process needs a requirements plan.  This necessity has been recognized most recently in PMI’s 2014 Pulse of the Profession: Requirements Management – A Core Competency for Project and Program Success. According to …

Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA, CSM

Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, CSM is a consultant and advisor for Watermark Learning/PMA. She has over 35 years of experience in project management and business analysis. Elizabeth has co-authored four books and chapters published in five additional books, as well as articles that appear regularly in BA Times, Project Times, and Modern Analyst. Elizabeth was a lead author/expert reviewer on all editions of the BABOK® Guide, as well as the several of the PMI standards. Elizabeth also enjoys giving presentations, and her speaking history includes repeat keynotes and presentations for national and international conferences on five continents. Elizabeth enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, theater, and spending time with her 7 grandkids.

My PMI-ACP Journey

My PMI-ACP Journey

This week I added PMI-ACP® to my signature after passing my PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®) certification exam. According to PMI, there were 5,999 active PMI-ACP credential holders worldwide as of June 30, 2014, and the certification is becoming increasingly popular as agile skills remain in high demand in the project management industry. Applying for …

Andrea Brockmeier, PMP, CSM, PMI-ACP, PMI-PBA, BRMP

Andrea Brockmeier, PMP, CSM, PMI-PBA, BRMP is the Director of Project Management for Watermark Learning. Andrea is an experienced trainer, facilitator, speaker, and project manager, with over 25 years of business experience. Andrea oversees certification and skills development curriculum in project management, business analysis, and leadership. She has been a speaker at IIBA® and PMI® conferences and is an active volunteer. She enjoys practicing what she teaches and has a steady stream of projects that she manages. Andrea is highly committed to partnering with her clients through projects, consulting, and training, and seeks to make every engagement enjoyable as well as valuable.