Tag: Business Analysis

Strategy Spotlight: 7 Reminders from an Unlikely Place, What Makes for Great Business Analysis

Written by Richard Lannon on March 21, 2017. Posted in Articles. 1 Comment on Strategy Spotlight: 7 Reminders from an Unlikely Place, What Makes for Great Business Analysis

Often when working with clients on a strategic business analysis, planning or roadmap engagement I look to see if they are teaming with success.

I learned the importance of this from my time at PricewaterhouseCoopers and then later working with clients across various industries. This was recently reaffirmed, not by a business engagement, but through working with a group of songwriters and musicians. The engagement was to facilitate (share), document (write), integrate (edit), and present (perform) a song to be video recorded for a major sponsor (influencer). The outcome (song) was a tribute to a lawyer, business leader, and musician, whose struggle with cancer became a catalyst for people engagement and a reminder, we all serve somebody. In some way, I believe we can all relate.

Here are the 7 reminders from an unlikely place that makes for great business analysis:

1. Never be the Lone Ranger

I am guilty of this one. Love my independents and autonomy. As someone who is into senior business analysis type work, it is easy to become the lone ranger, trying to do everything yourself. The interesting thing you learn when hanging out with a group of musicians (who are sincere) is everyone has different talents and a contribution to be made. The best part is you are not alone. So don’t be. There is always someone available to help. All you need to do is belong.

2. It Takes a Community

It takes a community to be successful. That means a team. I learned this when I wrote my first book. You think I would have learned it with all the teams I worked on throughout my career. However, no I did not. You see, in my mind, writing a book meant you went off somewhere, in isolation at some remote cabin and the book was magically created. Pouf! When you write a song or a book, you need a team to succeed. It turns out to be the same way for when you write a requirements document. It should become a team effort to make sure it is great. Within the Business Analysis career, we need to break down the barriers of work competition and work together to create successful communities, teams.

3. ‘Cheers’ Had an Important Message

Now, I do not expect you remember the TV show, Cheers. The opening song, Where Everybody Knows Your Name, by Gary Portnoy (https://youtu.be/h-mi0r0LpXo), serves as a good reminder for something we all secretly desire. Most people will recall Norm, one of the main characters. When he walked into the establishment, everyone would yell, NORM. In our profession, there is an opportunity make like everyone welcome. As a professional leader who facilitates sessions, you can create your own ‘Cheers’ opportunities. I have seen it in other businesses, and I experienced it myself.

4. Acknowledgeable Goes a Long Way

During my experience with the group of musicians, the song written was presented. I was just one person among a larger group of people and was asked for my feedback. As an analyst and writer, I cannot help myself but analyze the written words. I had marked up the paper and reluctantly shared with the group. To my surprise, my remarks were well received. Several days later, at another professional event, the writer sat down beside me, leaned over and said he had incorporated my suggestions and the song was better. I was shocked and humbly thankful. My point is being willing to share your thoughts can be intimidating.

Maybe you are concerned about what people think. In business analysis, we are leaders. It is important to acknowledge people on your team for their contribution. Great communities share and acknowledge one another’s contributions.

5. Know What You are Working Towards

This is something I have learned to be extremely important. In business analysis we generally refer to having a clear definition of the problem or opportunity. Ideally, we get this from leadership. However, that is not always the case. The ability to clearly articulate the challenge/opportunity is 150 words or less is not a gift or a skill most people have developed. My Dad had an expression; I have more years behind me than in front of me. He is 95. He has been saying this for a long time. Something I noticed though everything he did was based on not knowing what tomorrow will bring. So he would work towards something. It was the innate understanding and answer to what ‘what’ and ‘why’ (what is the focus, why is it important). Business analysis needs to be focused the same way. It is important to treat things as if there is no tomorrow, so you need to know what you are working towards, why and get it done. It could be your last chance. So don’t have regrets.

6. Believe in Yourself

This last twelve months I had the opportunity to get to know and work with someone who I am sure their tag line is ‘let’s do it.’ We would be discussing an idea and if it made sense, he would say, let’s do it. When I am wearing my business analysis hat, I can be critical, skeptical and candid. Not because I am a negative person but because I am engaged to ‘question everything,’ be factual and present ideas for decision making. There are times I do wonder though if within business analysis we (you) can hide behind our (your) insecurities. Working with this musical group, I was sometimes reminded you need just to put yourself out there, to believe in yourself and allow others to support you. In management consulting I use to have a sponsor who would say, do first and ask for forgiveness later. Sometimes that is all we need to do. It is great lesson learned.

7. Communications is Key

Recently I was in a meeting with a sponsor of a large financial investment organization regarding a senior business analysis contract opportunity. Like anyone else I have to make a living. They asked me what makes a professional successful in business analysis. I told them the story about the former Australia Business Analysis Association now part of the IIBA. They had this door lock diagram I always liked. I still reference it in my business analysis training programs today. The diagram was of a lockset with all the tumblers around it. Each tumbler represented a skill set; facilitation, modeling, financials, decision making, etc. In the middle, where the key is placed to unlock the business analysis magic kingdom, was one word, communications. Whether verbal or written, formal or informal, the key to success is mastering your communications skills. Something I think we can all do better.

Final Thoughts

No doubt the musicians applied the hard and soft skills of business analysis; the facilitation, documenting, integrating, and presenting requirements with a final outcome, video recorded song. In this case, a tribute to an important sponsor (Pearl River), someone who is a connector of people, a supporter, who influenced the lives of many people professionally and personally, and knows how to get things done. A dream sponsor.

It is easy to talk or write about tools and techniques you can use in business analysis. It is harder to communicate those professional and life experiences that make you a better professionally and personally. I love the business analysis career, people development and diversified initiatives with opportunities to incorporate what you learned in all you do. Working with a group of creative people from all walks of life and professions reminded me of the things that make teams great.

When you know what you are doing and why you are doing it, there is an endless opportunity to build your skills. You just never know when you are going to learn something you can apply to your business, career, and life to serve others. In the end, I think that is what it is all about.
Remember, do you best, invest in the success of others, make your journey count, Richard.

Business Analysis as a Practice

Written by Gareth Jones on March 20, 2017. Posted in Articles. 2 Comments on Business Analysis as a Practice

Business analysis is a broad subject that can cover anything to do with innovation, people, process, and technology—and this is on top of supporting the six knowledge areas that underpin both large iteration and Agile approaches.

It stands to reason that, given the complexity and growing streams of business analysis, no single individual can be an expert in all areas.

So, what can an organization expect when it goes to market for a business analyst? What capabilities do you need to look for? Where will the applicant’s strengths lie? Will their weaknesses be in areas critical to your project’s success? How will you know? At what point might you find out?

More often these days, BAs specialize in a particular aspect of business analysis. They might be an Agile BA, Digital BA, Technical BA, Strategic BA, Finance BA, software-specific BA, SAP BA, Oracle BA, or EDRMS BA. But your organization has budgeted only for a single business analyst, even though you might need assistance in strategic alignment and benefits identification for a web-based initiative to be delivered in an Agile environment.

When you need different areas of business analysis expertise but can’t afford to hire several BAs, which areas should you compromise in? The answer is none.

Why work with a business analysis practice?

Although no individual can be an expert in all areas of business analysis, a business analysis practice can foster expertise. A practice supports a number of business analysts with capability and experience across all the business analysis knowledge areas. By engaging a specialized practice, not only do you get an experienced consultant, you get the sum of experience from all the other members of the practice, the practice team, and service delivery team in the background. One person’s experience will complement another’s, and practice can deliver expert business analysis services and outcomes because of the people and experience it can draw upon. As an organization, you may interact daily with a single BA consultant, but you can have confidence in the support they have behind them.

Finding the right practice

For an individual business analyst, the content of what they do is very important. If they want to develop in their career, they need variety, and they need mentoring. A supportive practice whether internal, external or a blend within an organization provides the breadth and support that propels business analysts to achieve at their best. A supportive practice helps clarify the approach, method, estimates, and necessary detail required to achieve the desired outcome. Individuals may over-document and complicate business analysis, while a supportive practice encourages just enough agility, speed, and quality. Because of its breadth of knowledge and experience, a practice can also be proactive in providing support (i.e. the support is provided without affecting any project delivery timeframes). Practice is structured so that all BAs experiences are continuously fed back into the practice, so all consultants are constantly developing which in turn provides additional benefit to your BAs and your projects.

A Business Analysis practice should always have the following key elements to be successful:

Approaches, methods, techniques, templates, and tools—the ability to adapt to different delivery approaches, customized methods depending on the selected approach, a wide range of techniques to suit a variety of stakeholders and situations and customizable templates and tools for the requirements of analysis and estimation.
Service and quality—services are defined, and a review process is managed, so the quality of business analysis is validated and verified.
Career development—there is a career pathway for this role within the organization if performed internally.
Training and development—business analysts should be continually developing so they can achieve excellence in business analysis.
Organization—across the organization business analysis maturity is developed, and any external BA sourcing strategy supports this, so there is growth in business outcomes.

So, why risk your project by putting all your eggs in one basket? Engage a practice and share the risk. Work with a specialized business analysis practice and enjoy the outcomes. Remember: It is impossible for an individual to know everything about business analysis, but a specialist business analysis practice can cover all areas.

4 Reasons Why I Recommend BABOK and the CBAP Exam

Written by Xin Li on March 16, 2017. 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:

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:

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.

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?

7 Tips for Success as a new lead Business Analyst

Written by Michael Roy on March 15, 2017. Posted in Articles. 1 Comment on 7 Tips for Success as a new lead Business Analyst

Congratulations! You have been asked to serve as the lead on a team of Business Analysts assigned to an important project.

It is more than likely someone recognizes the good work that you have done in the past and their hope is that your prior success can be replicated with multiple Business Analysts on this new initiative. Like any new experience, you may have some anxiety regarding this new role. It is important to you that what happens will turn out to be a future success story and not an experience that stays in the closet.

Here are some tips for success as a new lead Business Analyst from someone who has gone through the experience. I have also had the opportunity to observe many colleagues who have succeeded in this role and some who have crashed and burned.

1. Understand the Role

Spend time upfront figuring out the role of the lead Business Analyst in the context of the work effort that you are about to join.

Do not make assumptions on expected tasks or deliverables. While the function is becoming more common, there is no universally accepted definition for the lead Business Analyst role. Some experts view the lead Business Analyst as a formal role inheriting many project management-type responsibilities while others view the lead Business Analyst as an informal way of steering people in a common direction. There is no consensus.

Work with the manager who assigned you to this role (Project Manager or Business Analyst Manager) to understand their expectations and their interpretation of the role. Ask the question “What is your definition of success for this role?”

Provide input about your views on how you can provide value as the lead.

Capture the outcome of the dialogue to provide a reference point that you can subsequently use to ensure you are on track.

What I have observed in practice is that many people accept the lead BA role on a project and skip this step because they feel they are a natural leader, that they inherently understand what is needed, or that the expectations (in their mind) are obvious. They subsequently bump into reality when results do not happen the way they or their manager expected. Combat this possibility by understanding the role upfront.

2. Set Team Expectations Upfront

Spend time upfront with assigned Business Analysis resources on the team to reach a common understanding of roles and responsibilities. Recognize that Business Analysts have an independent streak and often are used to steering their own ship.

Avoid describing a responsibility with the words “participate” or “contribute”; such ambiguity invariably leads to future conversations.

Recognize that team members have different experiences and viewpoints on what tasks and deliverables are necessary to be successful. This is a dialogue, not a monolog.

Capture the shared understanding of a team discussion to provide a reference point for keeping the team in harmony going forward.

Setting team expectations of the relative role of different members of the team is a practice that seems to be very much in its infancy from an adoption perspective. On the positive side, the practice of using Business Analysis plans on large projects seems to be growing, which lends itself to this task.

3. Communicate Openly and Transparently

Take guidance from our Agile brethren by communicating openly and transparently. There is no mystery here; good leaders are good communicators. Motivate and inspire people through clear communication. Build trust through direct and open communication; do not be afraid to share difficult messages. Do not be afraid of the difficult conversation.

Do not treat information as currency, to be controlled and dispensed as it fits your needs. Banish the phrase “need to know.”

Communicate information from top to bottom as well as bottom to top. Communication should be continuous; err on the side of over-communicating; people do not always hear, understand or make a connection when they receive a message the first time.

Remember your actions communicate a message. The message that you communicate verbally and the actions you follow should be in accord.

If you fail to communicate properly, you can poison the atmosphere between you and your colleagues, as well as the morale of the project team. Communication is paramount to your success as a new lead Business Analyst.

4. Lead by Example

Show what you expect by taking the lead by example approach. Taking the role of a lead Business Analyst should not preclude being an active participant in the project.

Make it easier for people to follow you by piloting the approach for Business Analysis that was agreed upon during upfront planning.

Set the standard for excellence with your actions; be the role model and do not dabble in mediocrity.

Build trust by sharing your experiences and how you adjust from the initial gameplan.

Do not be afraid to ask for help; illustrate that no one has all the answers and that we rely on each other for success.

In my experience, successful lead Business Analysts are the ones that engage directly and share in the accountability for the deliverables. The lead Business Analyst who is preoccupied with status reports and attending management meetings is often viewed as too remote to understand the real issues being faced by the Business Analyst in the trenches.

5. Accept When You Are Wrong

Accept that as a lead Business Analyst you will not be perfect. You will not get everything right at first and will make mistakes along the way. Your success on this project is dependent on how you handle mistakes and failures.

Openly acknowledge mistakes in leadership that impact the team and the outcome of the project. Take ownership of the mistake(s).

Keep calm; handle failures with grace and humility. Move forward by reflecting on the challenge and identifying lessons learned. A significant component of leadership is related to your ability to influence. Accepting when you are wrong illustrates your humanity and builds trust within the team.

6. Know When to Keep Silent

As a new leader, avoid the temptation to micromanage contributors on the team. Know when to keep silent. Setting guidelines by communicating the expected outcome is acceptable. Paying excessive attention to how a resource does their job is counterproductive and leads to conflict.

Treat Business Analysts as professionals and give them the benefit of the doubt when you contemplate stepping in to provide direction.

Do not undermine the authority and credibility of a Business Analyst during elicitation sessions by intervening to steer the outcome into what you expect. Use the offline time to guide, coach, and mentor resources.

Talk to your team about how they want you to provide direction and how you would like to be kept apprised of their progress.

Do not overreact when things do not go the way you expected. Instead, reflect on whether your expectations were realistic and how your guidance could be improved.

Remember that individuals will feel disempowered and not trusted to fully complete their work when they encounter excessive involvement by their supervisor or leader.

Knowing when to keep silent and when to intervene is not always straightforward for the new lead Business Analyst. If in doubt, reflect on your desire for control, weighing it against the need to develop and grow the team.

7. Apply Servant Leadership

View your role on the project through the lens of a servant leader. Put your team first and yourself second.

Listen first and practice empathy. Acknowledge the perspectives of others before asserting your viewpoint.

Understand the obstacles faced by the Business Analysts when facing their deadlines.

Distinguish between obstacles they can solve on their own and the ones that need assistance. Provide the support needed by removing those obstacles.

Use persuasion and influence to set direction; resist the temptation to dictate the process.

Champion the success of the contributors; act as a cheerleader by applauding victories and witnessing people doing good things.

Look beyond the delivery of documents as a measurement of success. Look at the professional growth of your team members as an equal victory.

Applying servant leadership is more than knowing when to keep silent and avoiding micromanagement. It means being vocal and active while serving the needs of the team.

In Conclusion

No matter your background, age, or experience, we all share something in common: a desire to be successful. As noted in the beginning, being lead on a team of Business Analysts for the first time can cause some people anxiety. Following the seven tips listed represents an effective start towards addressing the fears and meeting the goal, the outcome of success. These tips are based on the patterns that I have observed in my career as an experienced Business Analyst. However, they are certainly not conclusive. What has your experience been? What advice would you provide? Cheers to your success and future learnings.

Which Business Analysis Certification is Right for Me? Five Crucial Questions to ask Yourself

Written by Richard Larson on March 10, 2017. Posted in Articles.

If you are a business analyst interested in certification, you are likely wondering which one would be the best for you.

The CBAP® from IIBA is perhaps the best known, but the newer PMI-PBA® from PMI is growing in popularity. They require 7500 and 4500 hours of experience respectively, which may be more than you have accumulated in your career. Even if you have less experience, there are other certifications and certificates requiring fewer hours to qualify that would be good alternatives until you get enough hours for your preferred credential.

The choice of which BA certification to pursue can be a difficult one. We present here a review of the top choices and offer some thoughts about which ones to consider. The list is not exhaustive, but we aimed to include the ones with the broadest international appeal. These choices are in alphabetical order with links to the provider’s website:

CBAP® – Certified Business Analysis Professional from IIBA®
CCBA® – Certification of Capability in Business Analysis from IIBA®
CPRE® – Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering from IREB® (International Requirements Engineering Board)
ECBA™ – Entry Certificate in Business Analysis from IIBA®
PMI-PBA® – Professional in Business Analysis from PMI®

Here are the questions to ask yourself before deciding which certification is best for you:

1. What is my typical role on projects?

The first question you need to ask yourself is what business analysis role you play on projects.

Maybe you don’t have a role yet or are just getting started in the field. If you have no real business analysis experience, a certificate like the ECBA or CPRE would be best in those cases. As Table 1 below shows, no BA experience is necessary, although some BA training is required. The ECBA is a single certificate, while the CPRE has three levels to allow you to accumulate additional certificates as your career progresses.
Likewise, if you don’t have a BA role but work with BAs, want to learn more, and add a certification, then choose an ECBA or CPRE. Examples are managers, product owners, developers, testers, and even domain subject matter experts.
Are you a part-time business analyst? Are you splitting time with between other roles such as project management or tester? You might be called a “hybrid BA.” The two credentials to consider are CCBA and PMI-PBA. They require less experience than a full-time BA and, in the case of the PBA, are based in part on sources such as the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®).
Are you a full-time BA? We recommend the CBAP for you if you have enough hours to qualify. If not, then the CCBA or PMI-PBA are bridges to getting your CBAP.
Do you do business analysis work but have another title? There are many roles that require business analysis skills. We often are asked questions like this one: “I was a business analyst for many years, but that was a long time ago. Now I’m an account manager doing mainly sales work. A credential would give me more credibility. What do you suggest?” There are many roles that require business analysis skills. For example, salespeople working with customers to understand their business need and recommend solutions are doing business analysis work. Our advice is to read the BABOK® Guide from IIBA to really understand all the ways you are doing business analysis work and use those tasks and hours on your application. The important thing is the work, not the title.

2. How much experience do I have doing business analysis work?

As stated earlier, people with either little or no business analysis experience would qualify for the ECBA or CPRE.
If you have 2-3 years of experience and/or 3750 hours or more of BA work you have performed, then the CCBA is right for you. It is the only certification of the ones we are reviewing designed for beginning-to-moderate level business analysts. The PMI-PBA has close to the same experience requirements as the CCBA, but we classify it differently due to its higher number of hours needed.
If you have 4500+ hours of BA experience, the PMI-PBA is suitable for you if you have a college degree. If you don’t, then you need 7500+ hours, in which case you may want to aim for the CBAP.
What if I have 6-7000 hours or so? Should I wait? Perhaps. It depends on some of the other factors mentioned here and what is your motivation for getting your certification. If you have the 7500+ hours or are very close to it, we usually recommend the CBAP, particularly if you’ve done business analysis work, even if that was not your title.

3. What is your employment situation?

Do you work for an organization or as a consultant? Are you between BA jobs? Trying to break into the field?

If you are currently employed as a BA, whether in that role full-time or not, your motivation for gaining a certification may be different from others. Like many of your peers, you would likely be happiest with the CBAP or PMI-PBA. That might even include waiting until have enough hours to qualify.
On the other hand, are you a consultant, trainer, or unemployed and want a certification to help get your next job? You should get the highest certification you qualify for today, and “upgrade” to a higher-level certification when you qualify.
If you are trying to enter the BA field, the ECBA or CPRE are your best choices.

4. How aware is your organization of the various certifying bodies?

It makes sense to seek financial and other support from your organization for whichever institute your organization is most aligned with. PMI and IIBA are the most widely-known certifying bodies in North America, but it makes the most sense to get the certification that helps with your current and future jobs.
The CPRE is better-recognized in Europe and India, so organizations in those areas may be more receptive to it than others.

5. What are your future career goals?

If you plan to stay in the BA field and focus on the BA role, then the CBAP makes the most sense (assuming you have organization support – see #4).
Alternatively, let’s say your goal is to move into other jobs, with project management being an obvious choice for some. Or, maybe you are focusing on Agile and want a certification to help your career. In these cases, the PMI-PBA is the better choice given it can help you work toward your PMP or PMI-ACP.

Type	Name and Link	Issued by	BA Experience Needed	BA Training Needed	Exam
CBAP	Certified Business Analysis Professional	IIBA® (International Institute of Business Analysis)	7500+ hours in the past 10 years	35 hours	120 question, multiple choice exam, with basic, scenario, and case study questions
CCBA	Certification of Capability in Business Analysis	IIBA	3750+ hours in the past 7 years	21 hours	130 question, multiple choice exam, with basic and scenario questions
CPRE	Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering	IREB® (International Requirements Engineering Board)	None	Exams after 3 levels of courses – Foundation, Advanced, Expert	Varies – True/False and Multiple Choice, using basic and scenario questions.
ECBA	Entry Certificate in Business Analysis	IIBA	None	21 hours	50 question, multiple choice exam, with knowledge-based questions
PMI-PBA	Professional in Business Analysis	PMI® (Project Management Institute)	4500+ hrs (Bachelor’s) or 7500+ hrs (High School) in the past 8 years	35 hours	200 question, multiple choice exam, with basic and scenario questions

Table 1: Summary of BA Certifications

About the Authors

Richard Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA, President and Founder of Watermark Learning, is a successful entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in business analysis, project management, training, and consulting. He has presented workshops and seminars on business analysis and project management topics to over 10,000 participants on five different continents.

Rich loves to combine industry best practices with a practical approach and has contributed to those practices through numerous speaking sessions around the world. He has also worked on the BA Body of Knowledge versions 1.6-3.0, the PMI BA Practice Guide, and the PM Body of Knowledge, 4th edition. He and his wife Elizabeth Larson have co-authored five books on business analysis and certification preparation.

Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, CSM, PMI-PBA is Co-Principal and CEO of Watermark Learning and has over 30 years of experience in project management and business analysis. Elizabeth’s speaking history includes repeat presentations for national and international conferences on five continents.

Elizabeth has co-authored five books on business analysis and certification preparation. She has also co-authored chapters published in four separate books. Elizabeth was a lead author on several standards including the PMBOK® Guide, BABOK® Guide, and PMI’s Business Analysis for Practitioners – A Practice Guide.