Certified Business Analyst Foundation Level Syllabus Version 1.0 7 June 2011 International Business Analysis Qualifications Board Certified Business Analyst Foundation Level Syllabus Copyright Notice This document may be copied in its entirety, or extracts made, if the source is acknowledged. Copyright Notice © International Business Analysis Qualifications Board (hereinafter called IBAQB®) IBAQB is a registered trademark of the International Business Analysis Qualifications Board. Copyright © 2011 the authors for the version 7 June 2011 (Karolina Zmitrowicz (chair), Eric Riou du Cosquer, Maureen Dening, Michał Figarski, Beata Karpińska, Ingvar Nordström, Alain Ribault, Dariusz Paczewski, Dmitry Parilov, Robert Treffny) All rights reserved. The authors hereby transfer the copyright to the International Business Analysis Qualifications Board (IBAQB). The authors (as current copyright holders) and IBAQB (as the future copyright holder) have agreed to the following conditions of use: 1) Any individual or training company may use this syllabus as the basis for a training course if the authors and the IBAQB are acknowledged as the source and copyright owners of the syllabus and provided that any advertisement of such a training course may mention the syllabus only after submission for official accreditation of the training materials to an IBAQB-recognized National Board. 2) Any individual or group of individuals may use this syllabus as the basis for articles, books, or other derivative writings if the authors and the IBAQB are acknowledged as the source and copyright owners of the syllabus. 3) Any IBAQB-recognized National Board may translate this syllabus and license the syllabus (or its translation) to other parties. Version 2011 Page 2 of 104 7. June 2011 © International Business Analysis Qualifications Board Certified Business Analyst Foundation Level Syllabus Revision History Version Date Remarks 1.0 07.06.2011 First version of the Certified Business Analyst Foundation Level Syllabus Version 2011 Page 3 of 104 © International Business Analysis Qualifications Board Certified Business Analyst Foundation Level Syllabus Table of Contents Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................................. 5 Introduction to this Syllabus ..................................................................................................................... 5 Purpose of this Document ................................................................................................................... 5 Examination ......................................................................................................................................... 5 Accreditation ........................................................................................................................................ 5 Internationality ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Knowledge (K) Levels ......................................................................................................................... 6 Level of Detail ...................................................................................................................................... 6 How this Syllabus is Organized ........................................................................................................... 6 1. Fundamentals of Business Analysis (K2) ....................................................................................... 7 2. Enterprise Analysis (K3) ............................................................................................................... 18 3. Business Analysis Process Planning (K3) .................................................................................... 31 4. Elicitation (K3) ............................................................................................................................... 41 5. Requirements Analysis (K3) ......................................................................................................... 52 6. Solution Validation (K3) ................................................................................................................ 62 7. Tools and Techniques (K3) ........................................................................................................... 65 8. Competencies (K2) ....................................................................................................................... 70 9. Process Improvement (K2) ........................................................................................................... 76 10. Innovation, Design and the Customer (K2) .............................................................................. 81 11. References ............................................................................................................................... 96 Standards .......................................................................................................................................... 96 Books and Other Publications ........................................................................................................... 96 12. Appendix A – Learning Objectives/Cognitive Level of Knowledge ........................................... 98 Level 1: Remember (K1) ................................................................................................................... 98 Level 2: Understand (K2) .................................................................................................................. 98 Level 3: Apply (K3) ............................................................................................................................ 98 13. Appendix B – Rules Applied to the IBAQB ............................................................................... 99 Foundation Syllabus .......................................................................................................................... 99 14. References ............................................................................................................................. 101 Sources of Information .................................................................................................................... 101 15. Appendix C – Notice to Training Providers ............................................................................ 102 Index .................................................................................................................................................... 103 Version 2011 Page 4 of 104 © International Business Analysis Qualifications Board Certified Business Analyst Foundation Level Syllabus Acknowledgements International Business Analysis Qualifications Board Working Party Foundation Level (Edition 2011): Karolina Zmitrowicz (chair), Eric Riou du Cosquer, Maureen Dening, Michał Figarski, Beata Karpińska, Ingvar Nordström, Alain Ribault, Dariusz Paczewski, Dmitry Parilov, Robert Treffny) and all National Boards for the suggestions for the current version of the syllabus. Introduction to this Syllabus Purpose of this Document This syllabus defines the basic level (Foundation Level) of the training program to become an IBAQB Certified Business Analyst (CBA). IBAQB developed this syllabus in cooperation with the Global Association for Software Quality (GASQ). The syllabus serves as a foundation for training providers who are seeking accreditation. All areas of this syllabus must be incorporated in the training documents. The syllabus should, however, also serve as the guideline for preparing for certification. All the areas listed here are relevant for the examination. Examination The examination to become a Certified Business Analyst is based on this syllabus. All sections of this syllabus are subject to examination. The examination questions are not necessarily confined to an individual section. A question may refer to information in several sections. The format of the examination is single choice (one correct answer out of four options). Examinations can be taken after having attended accredited courses, or in an open examination without a previous course. You will find detailed information regarding examination times on the GASQ website (www.gasq.org) and on IBAQB website (www.ibaqb.org). Accreditation Providers of an IBAQB Certified Business Analyst course must be accredited. IBAQB accreditation is granted after an expert panel reviews the training provider's documentation. An accredited course is one that is determined to conform to the syllabus. When an accredited course is given, an official Certified Business Analyst examination (CBA exam) may be administered. An exam may also be administered by an independent certification institute (according to ISO 17024 rules). Internationality This syllabus was developed by a group of international experts. The content of this syllabus can therefore be seen as an international standard. The syllabus makes it possible to train and conduct examinations internationally at the same level. Version 2011 Page 5 of 104 © International Business Analysis Qualifications Board Certified Business Analyst Foundation Level Syllabus Knowledge (K) Levels The syllabus has been divided into three different Knowledge (K) levels. This division enables the candidate to recognize the "knowledge level" that is required for each topic. The three K-levels used in the current syllabus are:  K1 - remember, recognize, recall  K2 - understand, explain, give reasons, compare, classify, summarize  K3 - apply in a specific context Level of Detail The level of detail in this syllabus allows internationally consistent teaching and examination. In order to achieve this goal, the syllabus consists of the following items:  General instructional objectives that describe the intention of the Foundation Level certification.  A list of information to teach that includes a description and references to additional sources if required.  Learning objectives for each knowledge area that describe the cognitive learning outcome, and the mindset to be achieved.  A list of terms that students must be able to recall and understand.  A description of the key concepts to teach that includes sources such as accepted literature or standards. The syllabus content is not a description of the entire knowledge area of Business Analysis; it does reflect the level of detail to be covered in Foundation Level training courses. How this Syllabus is Organized The syllabus contains ten major chapters. The top-level heading of each chapter shows the highest level of the learning objectives that is covered within the chapter, and specifies the minimum time to be spent for training in the chapter. Version 2011 Page 6 of 104 © International Business Analysis Qualifications Board Certified Business Analyst Foundation Level Syllabus 1. Fundamentals of Business Analysis (K2) 100 minutes Terms: Artifact, business analysis, business analyst, requirement, requirements classification, requirements types, standard, traceability Learning Objectives for Fundamentals of Business Analysis The following objectives identify what you will be able to do after the completion of each module. 1.1 Why is Business Analysis Necessary (K2) LO-1.1.1 Describe, with examples, the way in which missing or incomplete Business Analysis can result in failure of a project. (K2) LO-1.1.2 Explain why Business Analysis is necessary by providing examples. (K2) 1.2 What is Business Analysis (K2) LO-1.2.1 Define Business Analysis and Business Analyst. (K1) LO-1.2.2 Recall the common objectives of Business Analysis. (K1) LO-1.2.3 Provide examples of the Business Analysis objectives, in the different phases of the software life cycle. (K2) LO-1.2.4 Recall the relationship to the solutions life cycle. (K1) 1.3 Core Concepts of Business Analysis (K2) LO-1.3.1 Explain the core concepts in Business Analysis. (K2) 1.4 Knowledge Areas (K1) LO-1.4.1 Recall the knowledge areas in Business Analysis. (K1) 1.5 Tasks and Responsibilities (K2) LO-1.5.1 Recall the major tasks of a Business Analyst. (K1) LO-1.5.2 Explain the role and responsibilities of a Business Analyst in the different phases of the project. (K2) Version 2011 Page 7 of 104 © International Business Analysis Qualifications Board Certified Business Analyst Foundation Level Syllabus 1.1. Why is Business Analysis Necessary? (K2) 20 minutes Section Learning Objectives Problems with requirements can cause projects to fail. In most cases those problems are caused by poor or incorrectly conducted Business Analysis (especially Requirements Engineering, a part of the Business Analysis knowledge area). Common pitfalls in Business Analysis include (K2):  Ambiguous, under-specified, unclear, impossible, contradictory business requirements  Instability of the requirements (frequent and uncontrolled changes in requirements)  Poor translation of the business needs to requirements (incomplete, inconsistent, or not measurable requirements)  Unclear objectives of the initiative  Communication problems  Language barriers  Knowledge barriers  Vague wording  Overly formal wording  Redundancy  Gold plating (adding unnecessary scope)  Insufficient user involvement  Overlooked user classes  Minimal specification The above issues may result in problems later, during scope definition, planning, implementation and testing. Unclear requirements, or low quality business design of the solution, can lead to confusion and questions regarding the intended software product or process solution. If no actions are taken to correct this state, the risk of the project‟s failure increases. The impact of improper Business Analysis on the project is already known, but still very often neglected. The major reasons for neglecting Business Analysis are (K2):  Time pressure  Exclusive focus on fast results  Exclusive fixation on costs  Perceiving documentation or the analysis and understanding of the business processes within an organization as a cost, not an added value Possible consequences of neglecting Business Analysis (K2) are:  Some business processes within an organization are not known or understood, which may cause the following effects: Version 2011 Page 8 of 104 © International Business Analysis Qualifications Board Certified Business Analyst Foundation Level Syllabus o Requirements are imprecise o Requirements are ambiguous (can be interpreted differently) o Requirements are contradictory o Requirements do not fulfill the agreed criteria (i.e., quality criteria) o Requirements are missing  Business processes and artifacts are not covered by requirements or are described incompletely.  All stakeholders are not identified.  Business goals or needs are not identified causing the designed solution to fail to meet the organization‟s needs and not achieve the business goals. Version 2011 Page 9 of 104 © International Business Analysis Qualifications Board Certified Business Analyst Foundation Level Syllabus 1.2. What is Business Analysis? (K2) 20 minutes Section Learning Objectives 1.2.1. Business Analysis (K1) Business Analysis is the set of tasks, knowledge, tools and techniques required to identify business needs and determine solutions to business problems [BABOK]. Solutions may include:  Development of software systems  Development of software components  Extensions of existing software  Improvements to the business process  Changes to the organization 1.2.2. Business Analyst (K1) A Business Analyst (BA) is a person responsible for identifying the business needs of the customer (external or internal) and other stakeholders and for determining solutions to business problems [BABOK]. Specific activities of the Business Analyst include identifying, analyzing, developing and managing the requirements. It is important to remember that a Business Analyst is not responsible for determining the solution implementation (creating the product‟s design). The solution implementation is a result from the information provided by the Business Analyst‟s work but it is not a BA role to determine the solution implementation. Implementation often includes software development, but may also consist of process improvements or organizational changes. The Business Analyst acts as a bridge between the customer and other stakeholders (e.g., the project team), identifying, negotiating and achieving a consensus between the needs of the various representative individuals and groups. 1.2.3. Common Objectives of Business Analysis (K1) Common objectives of Business Analysis are the following:  Collect and document the requirements (business level)  Design business solutions to resolve the business problems  Assist in the timely completion of the project by providing accurate requirements identification and analysis  Improve efficiency by increasing the quality of requirements identification and analysis and therefore reducing the need for rework and fixes in the later stages of the project Version 2011 Page 10 of 104 © International Business Analysis Qualifications Board