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4 Reasons Why I Recommend BABOK and the CBAP Exam

Written by Xin Li on . Posted in Articles.

In the 7th year of my BA career, I worked in a Software Company as an Information Analyst. As someone graduated with Master of Science Degree in Microelectronics…

I could not stop wondering about my professional knowledge and skill level in the area of Business Analysts, with the questions like these:

  • How other BAs perform the analysis tasks?
  • Is there a structured framework or knowledge base providing a guideline for various BA tasks?
  • Which knowledge and skills do I need to pick up further?
  • How can I position my BA role in the different type of Projects, e.g. for implementing an IT solution or improving Business Process?
  • How can I prove my BA competence without an academic background in Business Analysis?

Thanks to Google, I found BABOK and IIBA to answer my questions. Have you ever the same questions as mine?

Reason 1 – BABOK Is Like a Mirror for an Experienced Business Analyst

When reading through BABOK, I can directly relate the topics to my daily work. Let us have a quick look at the knowledge areas described in BABOK ®3.0:

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If using a practical case, it would be so self-speaking why these 6 knowledge areas are important for a Business Analyst:

The Sales Manager raised a request to IT for a better solution managing the Client contact information. What would the Business Analyst do after picking up the request?

  • Make a plan for analyzing the request
  • Execute the analysis to understand the Business problem and need
  • Define the requirements for the Solution concept
  • Evaluate and validate the Solution

And of course, through all the steps, the Business Analyst needs to collaborate with different stakeholders, manage the Requirements and keep a good eye on the Progress and Planning.

Reading through BABOK is like looking at a mirror which reflects on my daily work. My first and second question got answered, and luckily there is no negative surprise.

Reason 2 – BABOK Provides a List Of Various Techniques

In BABOK ®3.0, for each knowledge area, the techniques for carrying out the tasks are also suggested:

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Honestly saying, I don’t know them all by heart. So learning new BA techniques will for sure increase my BA competence. My third question got also answered.

Reason 3 – BABOK Is Created and Updated by Business Analysts

BABOK is a living document and summarizes the best practices of BAs all around the world. It follows the trends and pulses in Business Analyst world. As an Business Analyst, I work in Projects with different approach and topics, such as:

  • Agile Projects
  • Business Process Improvement Projects
  • Data-driven teams
  • IT Architecture

In all different scenarios, it is important for me to position the Business Analyst role and take the right tasks. The Perspectives defined in BABOK gives me either a new idea or confirmation to what I have in mind.

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My fourth question got also answered!

Reason 4 – Take the CBAP Exam

We all know the benefits of earning a Professional Certificate like those mentioned on IIBA’s website:

  • Personal recognition
  • Increased income
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Added Value to your Resume

Besides these, the case study-based questions in the Exam is certainly a nice “Game” to go through. The versatile cases do show the charm of BA career, because it proves a good experienced BA, no matter in which industry he/she is working in, he/she can perform a thorough analysis with the proper approach and technique for different business scenarios.

Although studying for the exam takes a bit time, the new knowledge you will gain and the experience of the exam is certainly valuable and unforgettable!

Till now, all my questions have been answered with a BABOK and the CBAP certificate at hand! How about yours?

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