Posts Tagged ‘CBAP exam’

Top Five Reasons to Get your CBAP (or CCBA)

Posted: May 19th, 2011 by RichLarson. Comments »

There are many reasons to obtain your CBAP or CCBA credential. I’ve given this considerable thought and talked to numerous people about it over the years. There is considerable work in the preparation for it and more than a bit of stress in achieving it. Here are the top five reasons in my opinion for getting your certification, in reverse order.

5. Obtain Better Assignments. I hear more and more stories from CBAPs who tell me about getting more satisfying and higher-profile assignments once they have obtained their CBAP. The numbers this has happened to are split fairly evenly between internal employees and external consultants. For an interesting perspective of one consultant, Brian Hunt, and what the CBAP has meant to him, see his article How CBAP® Helps You Become a Better Consultant.

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Common Questions for the CBAP and CCBA Applications

Posted: March 11th, 2011 by RichLarson. Comments »

I just finished another application writing session for the IIBA Phoenix chapter. It was a good exchange, with many challenging questions.

First of all, nearly everyone preparing for the CBAP questions the BABOK^® and how it may or may not be “real life.” What I tell people is that everything in the BABOK is somebody’s real life! That may or may not be a comfort, but it does put it in perspective.

Most of the topics at my recent session pertained to the CBAP and CCBA application. Here are some notable questions that came up and my answers. Hope this helps you.

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Task-Specific BABOK® Techniques to Know for the CBAP Exam: Part 6

Posted: February 22nd, 2011 by RichLarson. Comments »

Prioritization Techniques

One of the most difficult things for many decision-makers is to prioritize their needs. It is far easier to say “everything is an A priority” than to rationally sort through the many features of a project and make tough decisions. It is frustrating to project teams to deal with this type of stakeholder, and fortunately there are techniques that can help.

There are three techniques mentioned in the BABOK® specifically to support prioritizing requirements. Some of the techniques are in wide use, and one of them is more a guideline than a technique. If you are studying for the CBAP® or CCBA™ exams, there is a good chance of being tested on one of these because of their importance.

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Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Earning your CBAP® or CCBA™

Posted: February 4th, 2011 by RichLarson. Comments »

I’ve helped many people achieve their CBAP®, and I’ve seen a number of approaches. Most have been successful I’m happy to say. A few others have not been, either because candidates stressed out or were underprepared. Below is a summary of the top mistakes people have made in working towards their CBAP®.

Not enough study time. A major mistake is not studying enough. According to our research, successful CBAP® candidates spent an average of around 100 hours studying for their CBAP®. Give yourself at least several weeks and spread that time out before you take your exam.

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Task-Specific BABOK Techniques for the CBAP and CCBA Exams: Part 5

Posted: January 18th, 2011 by RichLarson. Comments »

Problem or Vision Statement and Feasibility Analysis

This week I’m writing about two specialized and powerful techniques that are useful not only for business analysis, but project management and other disciplines. These two come up in context of Enterprise Analysis, which deals with understanding business needs, devising proposed solutions for those needs, and building a business case for getting it done. I’m writing about BABOK® techniques not only to help people pass the CBAP® or CCBA™ exam, but because they are useful on the job, too.

Problem or Vision Statement

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Task-Specific BABOK Techniques to Know for the CBAP Exam: Part 4

Posted: December 22nd, 2010 by RichLarson. Comments »

Stakeholder Map and Variance Analysis

Here are two more task-specific techniques featured in the BABOK® Guide. These two are part of Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring. They are useful techniques in their own right and knowing about them will help you pass the CBAP® or CCBA™ exams.

Stakeholder Map

A stakeholder map is a visual diagram showing relationships between stakeholders and the solution. The BABOK mentions there are several types of maps and highlights two types. Chances are you won’t be tested on the details of either, so we refer you to examples found online.

Continue Reading: Task-Specific BABOK Techniques to Know for the CBAP Exam: Part 4

CCBA™ Exam to Launch Soon

Posted: November 2nd, 2010 by RichLarson. Comments »

Are you a BA interested in certification, but don’t have the experience quite yet for the CBAP®? CCBA launch soon Get ready for the launch of the certification tailor made for you. The IIBA® has been working hard to create their newest credential, the Certification of Competency in Business Analysis, or CCBA™ for short. This soon-to-be available certification is ideal for Business Analysts who want to be certified, but don’t have the number of hours to qualify for the CBAP® (Certified Business Analyst Professional). The exam will be ready by January, 2011.

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Task-Specific BABOK Techniques for the CBAP Exam: Part 3

Posted: October 27th, 2010 by RichLarson. Comments »

Coverage Matrix, Requirements for Vendor Selection, Requirements Documentation

Picking up where I left off on BABOK techniques, let’s cover three more task-specific techniques. Or, what might be considered outputs, or have been combined with other techniques. But, I’m editorializing again.

Coverage Matrix

Somewhere along the line, the good old fashioned traceability matrix was renamed as a Coverage Matrix. You didn’t get the memo, you say? Neither did I. But, it illustrates an important point about preparing for the CBAP exam: use the BABOK terminology even if it disagrees with what you are familiar with.

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Task-Specific BABOK Techniques for the CBAP Exam: Part 2

Posted: September 16th, 2010 by RichLarson. Comments »

Baselining, Signoff, and Checklists

In my continuing coverage of the various BABOK techniques, I want to address three task-specific ones. There are 15 total task-specific techniques in the BABOK, and this entry outlines three of them. You should be familiar with each of these as part of your CBAP exam preparation, and for their overall applicability to business analysis.

Baselining

I think of baselining as more of a concept or what the BABOK calls an “element,” more than a true technique. Baselining involves establishing a point at which a project or product scope is agreed on, and any future changes should only be made using a change management process. If changes are approved, they are recorded, which creates a new baseline, and the scope is said to be “re-baselined.”

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CBAP and CCBA Exam Preparation

Posted: August 26th, 2010 by RichLarson. Comments »

I recently received two emails about certification, one from a customer of ours who purchased our CBAP® Online Study Guide. The other was from a colleague wondering if we planned to offer training for the new IIBA certification, the CCBA™ (Certification of Competency in Business Analysis). Both are good questions and prompted me to share my thoughts with others who might be interested.

Q. Can you please give me some advice on starting my preparation for the CBAP® exam? How did you prepare for it? Where are CBAPs most valued in the world?

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