PMI-PBA Primer Web Seminar Presented by David Mantica
Agenda
• Vision for new certification• Demographic• Application requirements • Fees• Exam content blueprint • Domains and tasks• Training options • Connection with IIBA accreditations
Resources
• PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) Handbook (revised March 2014)
• PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) Examination Content Outline
Why Business Analysis for PMI
• The question on the minds (and responses on the Blogs) of professionals on either side of the fence
• It is simple– PMI recognizes that business analysis and using the tools
and techniques of business analysis is of growing importance in project management
– With any business, PMI had to acknowledge this and doing something or nothing… they decided to do something
– IIBA hasn’t done a good enough job getting employers to recognize the need
Vision for New Certification
• If it has ties to project management, PMI wants to be a part of it. They see project management above any specific method or practice. So their spin on this cert:– Certification recognizes individual expertise in business analysis
and using these tools and techniques to improve the overall success of projects
– Certification carries a high level of professional credibility• Need to know business analysis principles, practices, tools and techniques
– Certification supports individuals in meeting the needs of organizations that rely on business analysis practitioners
– They are focusing on the work of business analysis NOT the role
Demographics
• Employers—PMI wants you to know that:– Business Analysis work is critical to project success and it is such
a critical function that organizations need to invest in certification for it as part of their human capital planning
• Employees—PMI wants to give you:– An ability to show you can wear both the PM and BA “hat” within
a project– You don’t have to be a Business Analyst to get this certification– A way to map business analysis work into the PMI project
structure
Application Requirements
Type of Experience HS Diploma or global equivalent
BA degree or global equivalent
Minimum Business Analysis Experience
7,500 hours within 8 consecutive years
4,500 hours within 8 consecutive years
Project Experience (PMP or PgMP holders have this waived)
2,000 hours on project teams
2,000 hours on project teams
Business Analysis Education (BAexperience can overlap with your project experience)
35 hours 35 hours
Fees
PMI-PBA Certification Fees
Exam Administration Type PMI Member PMI Non member
Computer-based testing $405 $555
Paper-based testing $250 $400
Reexamination CBT $275 $375
Reexamination PBT $150 $300
CCR certification renewal $60 $150
CCR Snap-shot• CCR (Continuing Certification Requirements
– Must follow to maintain an active certification– PMI-PBA certification cycle is three years from date of exam pass– No less than 60 professional development units (PDUs) in
specialized area of business analysis • Use the onsite CCR system to report PDUs• Complete online application for renewal
– Reaffirm PMI code of ethics– Reaffirm PMI certification application/renewal agreement– Submit the credential renewal fee
• No more than 45 PDUs per cycle for giving back to profession• Only 20 extra PDUs can be carried over to another cycle• You can align your PMI-PBA with your PMP or PgMP• Your PMI-PBA PDUs can count toward you PMP or PgMP PDUs
Things to Know• Once you start the application process you have 90 days to complete• There are requirements for those with and those with a four year college degree• Do online application if at all possible (takes five business days to process)
– Individual paper takes 10 business days and corporate paper takes 20 business days• Can’t schedule exam until application is approved and fees paid• If you are audited (possibly up to 25% of applications are randomly audited) you have
90 days to respond, no eligibility until successful completion of audit• You have one year to take exam after application approval and you can retake the
exam three times during that year• Your certification cycle starts the day you pass your exam and your cycle is 3 years.
You need 60 PDUs in that cycle (in specialized area of business analysis • You complete renewal process once you have 60 PDUs and pay renewal fee• Certification suspension happens on the third anniversary of the day you passed
your exam and you have yet to renew (1 year period)• Certification expiration happens after suspension period if you do not fulfill your
recertification requirement • You can align your PMP or PgMP with your PBA for recertification purposes
Exam Content Overview
PMI-PBA Exam Information
Scored Questions Unscored Questions Total Exam Questions175 25 200
Alloted Examination Time4 hoursExamination is preceded by a tutorial and followed by a survey both are optional
Examination AdministrationPrometric CBT siteCorporate Sponsors
Exam Blueprint
PMI-PBA Exam Blueprint
Percentage of Questions
Domain 1: Needs Assessment (5 Tasks) 18%Domain 2: Planning (6 Tasks) 22%Domain 3: Analysis (8 Tasks) 35%Domain 4: Traceability and Monitoring (5 Tasks) 15%Domain 5: Evaluation (4 Task) 10%Total 100%
Domain One: Needs Assessment
Domain 1: Needs Asessment: Understanding business problems , evaluting options and finding solutions
Tasks Needs Assessment 18% Task 1 Define or review a problem, use problem or opportunity analysis
techniques, develop scope statement to provide business case input
Task 2 Use valuation tools and techniques to determin value propositionof initiative
Task 3 Provide clarification of business needs and solution scope to alignproduct with organization's goals and objectives
Task 4 Identify stakeholdersTask 5 Determin stakeholder values using elicitation techniques to provide
baseline for prioritizing requirements
Domain Two: Planning
Domain 2: PlanningManaging business anlaysis activities by establishing requirements management plan,requirements traceability, change management document control and acceptance criteria
Tasks Planning 22%Tasks 1Use business case and project goals and objectives to plan activitiesTask 2 Define requirements traceability, use traceability tools and techniques to
monitor and validate requirementsTask 3 Develop requirements management plan. Identify stakeholders, roles and
responsibilities, communication protocols and methods for eliciting, analyzing,documenting, managing, and approving requirements
Task 4 Develop methods of requirements change control to hand managing changes and incorproate into the change management plan
Task 5 Select methods of document control. Use documentation management toolsand techniques for a standard tied to requirements traceability and versioning
Task 6 Define business metrics and acceptance criteria to define requirement goal was met
Domain Three: Analysis
Tasks Analysis 35%Task 1 Elicit or Identify requirements using elicitationn techinques in order to discover or
capture requirements withh supporting details (origin or rationale)Task 2 Analyze, decompose, and elaborate requirements using techniques such as
dependency analysis, interface analysis, and data and process modeling to findproduct options and capabilities
Task 3 Use decision-making and valuationn techniques to accept, deferr or reject requirementsTask 4 Allocate accepted or deferred requirements by balancing scope schedule, budget, and
resources contraints with the value proposition using prioritization, dependency analysisand decision-making tools and techniques
Taks 5 Obtain sign-off on requirements baseline, use techniques to facilitate stakeholder approval Task 6 Write requirements specification using tools (like use cases or user stories), to communicate
requiremetns that are measurable and actionable Task 7 Validate requirements using tools to ensure requirements are complete, accurate and
aligned with goals, objectives, and value propositionsTask 8 Build acceptenace criteria metrics to validate whether the solution meets requirements
Domain four: Traceability and Monitoring
Domain 4: Traceability and MonitoringManaging the life cycle of requirements. Task include continous monitoring and documentingof requirements as well as communcating status to stakeholders
Task Traceability and Monitoring (15%)
Task 1Track requirements using traceability artiface or tools, capturing the requirements'status, sources, and relationships to show proof of delivery
Task 2 Monitor requirements throughout lifecycle using tools like models, documentationand test cases
Task 3Update requirements status through its lifecycle. Communicate changes and trackrequirements towards closure
Task 4 Communicate requirements status to project manager and other stakeholders Task 5 Manage changes to requirements in accordance to the change control plan
Domain Five: Evaluation
Domain 5: EvaluationAssessment of how well the delivered solution fulfills the requirements and meets the businessneeds. Tasks within this domain include testing the solution, determining if there are gaps, and obtaining sign offs
Task Evaluation 10%Task 1 Validate the solutions test results, reports, and other test evidence against the
requirements acceptance criteria to determine solutions match to needTask 2 Analyze and communicate the solution's identified gaps and deltas using quality
assurance tools and methods in order to enable stakeholders to resolve discrepancies between solution scope, requirements, and developed solution.
Task 3 Obtain stakeholder sign-off on the developed solution using decision-making techniques in order to proceed with deployment
Task 4 Evaluate the deployed solution using valuation techniques in order to determine how wellsolution meets the business case and value proposition
Knowledge and Skills
Knowledge and SkillsThere are Forty (40) document Knowledge and skills here are the top 20
Analytic tools and techniques Prioritization tools and TechniquesBacklog management Problem solving and opportunity identificationBusines rules analysis and techniques Process Analysis Change control tools and techniques Requirements traceability tools and TechniquesData Analysis tools and techniques Requirement typesDevelopment Methodologies (agile is in there) Root cause analysis Elicitation tools and techniques Stakeholder analysisFaciliation tools and Techniques Validation tools and techniques Interface analysis (prototyping/storyboarding) Valuation tools and techniquesPlanning tools and techniques Version control tools and techniques
Reference list
• A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), by Project Management Institute
• Business Analysis: Best Practices for Success by Steven Blais • Business Analysis Techniques: 72 Essentials Tools for Success by James Cadle, Paul Turner and
Debra Paul • Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis, by Barbara Carkenord • The Software Requirements Memory Jogger: A Pocket Guide to Help Software and Business Teams
Develop and Manage Requirements by Ellen Gottesdiener• Unearthing Business Requirements: Elicitation Tools and Techniques by Kathleen Hass, Rosemary
Hosenlopp• Customer-Centered Products: Creating Successful Products Through Smart Requirements
Management by Ivy F. Hooks, Kristin A Farry• The Business Analysts Handbook by Howard Podeswa• Mastering the Requirements Process: Getting Requirements Right by Suzanne Robertson , James
Robertson• Data Modeling Essentials by Graeme Simsion and Graham Witt• Software Requirements 2 by Karl Wiegers
Training Options
– PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMP-PBA) Boot CampPreparation course for PMI-PBA Certification Exam• 4-day intense boot camp program • Includes study guide • Provides 35 PDUs required for the application• Will provide feedback on how to properly prepare your application• Comes with a pass guarantee
Connection with IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis) Designations
• Anyone’s guess?? But….– Most likely will be see as less than the CBAP
certification• Requirements for CBAP are much more difficult and specific
– Could devalue the CCBA– Could cause industry confusion between BABOK and PMP
Requirements Management Community of Practice – Will be seen as a faster route to BA certification – See a lot more non BAs getting the certification
• PMs, Developers, Systems Analyst, Agile professionals