Business Analysis

Now that my application is with the IIBA for their consideration, what’s left for me to do is wait (patiently) & study.

As study techniques go, re-reading the BABOK and re-taking practice exams has to be an assumed activity, but another effective technique is to review material with other like-minded analysts. The more environments in which I can work to absorb material, or even present it, the better it is for me. Luckily for me, my work environment is very supportive of the certification effort.

Objectively speaking, it’s essentially a question of “investment”: If the organization has financially committed to the exam, endorsing its value in the workplace, then it makes sense to sanction work-hours for study. Happily for me, mine has.

There are a few types of support an organization can provide:

- BA Manager: Call review meetings yourself.  My manager scheduled a series of meetings with the analyst team, expecting those of us who participated in the boot-camp to lead the meeting and review the material.  Having our manager schedule our meetings encourages our other analysts to attend, and gives the whole process added validity. Expecting us to explain the material helps ingrain it in our heads for a far more thorough understanding, but it also serves to introduce our colleagues to the material, hopefully engendering buy-in and support. It also helps us discuss what techniques might work in our particular projects.  The meetings are structured such that someone who attended the boot-camp reviews a chapter of the BABOK, and then the rest of the team may quiz us on the book. Puts us on the spot, but it ends up as a discussion and is very helpful.

- Project Manager: Make room in your project plans.  PM’s setting “official” time aside helps keep our effort from adversely affecting projects. PM support is important for the “political” factor as well – if the PM’s didn’t set time aside then tacitly they would appear to consider the time spent on the material not as important as other work. In our case, it helps that the BA manager is an influential member of the PM team who is a strong advocate for business analysis and his group.

- Colleague: Bring project experience.  Colleague interest, support and feedback is great, but participation is key for good, “sticky” review sessions.  It helps those of us planning to take the exam absorb the material, and it helps everyone apply lessons of the BABOK.

You: Permit yourself to take the time in your own schedule – at work and at home. This is for your organization as well as for your own career. On a personal note: Tell as many people as possible; the more who know you are studying, the more supportive they are apt to be. And if you follow a schedule at home, it will be more predictable for people who rely on you to predict when you are available.

Good luck!

Recently, a colleague of mine and I attended a CBAP Boot Camp course, offered by APSE Technologies.

In retrospect, taking this class was a good decision and I’ll explain why here.

Environment:

We had 4 students in the class.  It was small enough to keep us moving, but most important was the variety of people from different backgrounds and project environments actively participating in the class. This was was INVALUABLE. Not only because the anecdotes supporting BABOK material was varied and interesting (thereby supporting the lessons), but also because it veritably forced us to use the IIBA terminology. Every organization has its own words for titles, job functions and tools, but in the end, it’s usually about the same thing.  Interacting forced us to USE the IIBA terminology to relate to each other instead of just committing it to rote memory. For me, that make for stickier lessons.

Instruction:

Our instructor was engaging and knowledgeable.  Though I expect my instructor to know the material fluently, (which she did), what made her great was that she encouraged participation and employed a variety of techniques, and this brought the BABOK material home much more effectively than if she had simply stood at the front of the class and read through the material. By fostering an open,  collaborative environment, we were able to share ideas and areas of concern, learning from each other.  Remember your fellow analysts are resources for learning as well.

Material:

The course material was cogent and well organized. We received a printed copy of the BABOK (handy because it’s large and a bear to print out), slides (handy for taking notes), practice exams (handy for obvious reasons explored below) and a study guide (also handy). Giving us this much variety covering the exact same material struck me as overkill until I reviewed my experience with my classmates. Whereas I took notes almost exclusively in mye BABOK, others took notes on their slides, or in their guide. Having a variety of delivery methods helped make the material accessible to a more diverse group.

Practice, Practice, Practice:

We had three different categories of practice exams.  One to kick off the class (possibly to humble us!), then chapter reviews, and finally a full-blown, 150 question exam at the end. This helped to remind us that the class was not simply to review and share experience, but to pass the CBAP exam. It was great for baselining our comfort levels with each Knowledge Area, and for group review with what was missed, and why. Though we were introduced to the class as “this is a boot-camp, not an introduction to the material”, administering section exams, and a real, timed dress-rehearsal helped drive that lesson home.

Lastly, a shout-out to aspe technologies.  Your staff worked with my org’s various levels of approval seamlessly (at least it appeared so to me), and you were accessible and pro-active. Thanks.

Finally, this is not a commercial for the organization who delivered the boot-camp.

However, I believe a class of this variety is a good idea, IF it has the following attributes:

1) A supportive and diverse environment with analysts from different backgrounds and organizations

2) Quality instruction that engages everyone

3) Variety of (even redundant) delivery methods for the material

4) Practice questions