More about the BABOK Guide v3
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BABOK Guide®: Global Standards for Business Analysis

What is the BABOK® Guide? The ever-evolving business world requires reliable guidelines to assess and maximize corporate productivity. Thankfully, the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA®) created and maintains the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) Guide — an indispensable reference that is widely regarded as a gold standard in business analysis. It’s essential for …

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Susan Heidorn, Ed.D., PMP, CBAP, HSDP, CSM, BRMP

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
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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. …

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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.

Project R.E.A.L. Project Management and Business Analysis Training
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Project R.E.A.L. Project Management and Business Analysis Training

Watermark Learning is proud to be a pioneer of live simulation in project management and business analysis training.  We have been offering our Project R.E.A.L Live Simulation and helping students apply their skills and build confidence since 2011. In fact, our Project R.E.A.L. course won the PMI Continuing Education Product of the Year award that year. Find out …

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Watermark Learning

This is the corporate source for Watermark Learning posts. Watermark delivers engaging and practical training and coaching in Business Analysis, Project Management, Agile & Scrum, Business Process Management, and Influencing Skills since 1992.

Watermark Learning Industry Events Recap – Spring 2014
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Watermark Learning Industry Events Recap – Spring 2014

Watermark Learning has been busy this spring! The last few months, Watermark Learning has made appearances at several industry events in the Midwest including IN-BADD, WI-BADD, and most recently I-BADD.  Below is a roundup of the highlights. IN-BADD – April 22, 2014 Elizabeth Larson presented “Is Your Organization Agile-Ready?” Richard Larson presented “BA Toolkit: Top …

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Watermark Learning

This is the corporate source for Watermark Learning posts. Watermark delivers engaging and practical training and coaching in Business Analysis, Project Management, Agile & Scrum, Business Process Management, and Influencing Skills since 1992.

Be Careful what you Ask For: A Good Business Case May Uncover Something Better
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Be Careful what you Ask For: A Good Business Case May Uncover Something Better

On the way home from the Building Business Capability (BBC) conference last week, my wife Elizabeth and I stopped in at an electronics store in Las Vegas. We wanted to listen to an audio book on her new iPod, and the gizmo we have to play the iPod in the car has the traditional iPod connector …

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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.

Five Tenets of Project Customer Service
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Five Tenets of Project Customer Service

The trip my wife Elizabeth Larson and I took to South Africa to speak at this year’s BASSA 2013 ended well. The conference had over 200 registered participants, and the organizers kept the sessions moving smoothly. We were delighted with the response from the attendees, made new friends, and re-connected with existing ones. While travelling …

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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.

IIBA Business Analysis Summit Southern Africa - Part 1
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IIBA Business Analysis Summit Southern Africa – Part 1

 Part 1 – The Process. We recently traveled to the IIBA Business Analysis Summit Southern Africa, and were exposed to several different “systems” as we traveled from Minneapolis to Cape Town: the TSA in the US, airlines, security in Amsterdam, and yet a different airline. They all manage to get the job done, but with …

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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.

Lessons a Business Analyst Can Learn on Jury Duty
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Lessons a Business Analyst Can Learn on Jury Duty

Part 1—Why Do We Have To Wait So Long?! The reality of a jury trial is different from what we see on TV or read in books, where the action moves quickly towards the acquittal or conviction of the defendant. On TV the opening arguments, the witness interrogation, and the closing arguments are all pertinent …

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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.

The Real Positives and Negatives of Working Virtually
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The Real Positives and Negatives of Working Virtually

Developing our new course, Getting Real Results from Virtual Teams, has me poring through resources and reflecting on my own experiences of working virtually. There are, of course, many types of virtual work environments and circumstances, just as there are many reasons why workers work remotely. There are also many passionate advocates and critics of …

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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.

Business Analysis New Zealand Style – Part 2
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Business Analysis New Zealand Style – Part 2

It’s been a few weeks since Elizabeth and I visited New Zealand, with a July 4 holiday in the middle. I’m finally getting a chance to finish my blog about the second half of our trip. After having business meetings with Equinox, our New Zealand partner, and doing presentations to two groups, it was time …

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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.