As BAs we very easily get wrapped up in our requirements. That is the bulk of our work – business requirements, stakeholder requirements, solution requirements, etc. Everywhere we look, requirements, requirements, requirements! However, in the […]
It’s Not “All Requirements” – Assumptions and Constraints Matter Too! (BABOK 6.4)
Perhaps even more than planning for elicitation, planning the business analysis approach will set a mature business analyst apart from the crowd. The purpose of ‘Plan the Business Analysis Approach’ is to select an approach
The BABOK Might Not Be a Methodology, But the BA Still Needs One (BABOK 2.1)
As I prepared for my CBAP exam, one of the big areas of contention was the use of exam simulators. At first, around week 3, I found them to be very helpful in gauging whether
Laura’s CBAP Journey: Looking back on the CBAP Exam Simulators
It’s difficult to even think about being a business analyst without elicitation. Yet, it’s so core, it’s often difficult to abstract from the other BA tasks as well. It seems we are almost always eliciting
3 Steps to Preparing for an Elicitation Session
The business need is one of the most fundamental aspects of business analysis. Yet, I know many BAs do not consider themselves part of defining the business need. Today, I’d like to challenge your assumptions. According
Do You Define the Business Need? (BABOK 5.1)
The purpose of this Evaluate Solution Performance (BABOK 7.6 – the last task included in the BABOK Guide) is: “Evaluate functioning solutions to understand the value they deliver and identify opportunities for improvement.” This task
BA Stories: Evaluate Solution Performance (BABOK 7.6)
I arrived at the exam center 30 minutes early. It was a beautiful Colorado fall day that felt more like late summer. The exam center was on a community college campus, so I was surrounded
Laura’s CBAP Journey: Putting a “C” in my “BAP” (Week 12, Part 2)
Just a quick post to ask you to send me good vibes. Today is the day I sit for the CBAP. Around 1 pm MST, I’ll be at Red Rocks Community College here in Golden,
Laura’s CBAP Journey: Today is the Day! (Week 12, Part 1)
While we might all agree that a great business analyst does not need to have technical skills, in the sense that they don’t need to write code or create software programs, in today’s world an
What You Should Know About Emerging Technologies
Up until this point, I’ve been taking sample CBAP exams by knowledge area. These are great because they help me determine if I understand a particular knowledge area or not. But they are obviously limited since
Laura’s CBAP Journey: Taking the Full Practice Exam (Week 11)
