Chapter 1 - Introduction

What are the 5 perspectives covered in the BABOK?

1. Agile 2. Business Intelligence 3. Information Technology 4. Business Architecture 5. Business Process Management

What tasks does the Solution Evaluation (SE) knowledge area focus on?

1. Assessing the performance of, and value delivered by an implemented solution 2. Recommending removal of barriers or constraints that prevent the full realization of value

What are the 6 knowledge areas?

1. Business Analysis Planning & Monitoring (BAPM) 2. Elicitation & Collaboration (EC) 3. Requirements Life Cycle Management (RLCM) 4. Strategy Analysis (SA) 5. Requirements Analysis & Design Definition (RADD) 6. Solution Evaluation (SE)

What are the 5 components of the perspective structure?

1. Change Scope 2. Business Analysis Scope 3. Methodologies, Approaches, and Techniques 4. Underlying Competencies 5. Impact on Knowledge Areas

What tasks does the Requirements Life Cycle Management (RLCM) knowledge area focus on?

1. Manage & maintain requirements and design information from inception until retirement. 2. Establish meaningful relationships between related requirements and designs 3. Assessing, analyzing, & gaining consensus on proposed changes to requirements and designs

What main tasks does the BAPM knowledge area focus on?

1. Organizing business analysis work 2. Coordinating stakeholder efforts 3. Assessing business analysis work performance

What main tasks does the EC knowledge area focus on?

1. Prepare for and conduct elicitation activities 2. Confirm obtained results 3. Ongoing collaboration with stakeholders

What are the 3 components of the Underlying Competencies structure?

1. Purpose 2. Definition 3. Effectiveness Measures

What are the 4 components of the Techniques structure?

1. Purpose 2. Definition 3. Elements 4. Usage Considerations

What are the 8 items within a task format?

1. Purpose 2. Definition 3. Inputs 4. Elements 5. Guidelines/Tools 6. Techniques 7. Stakeholders 8. Outputs

What tasks does the Requirements Analysis and Design Definition (RADD) knowledge area focus on?

1. Structuring & organizing requirements discovered during elicitation 2. Specifying & modeling requirements & designs 3. Validating & verifying information 4. Identifying solution options that meet business needs 5. Estimating potential value from each solution option

What tasks does the Strategy Analysis (SA) knowledge area focus on?

1. Working with stakeholders to identify a need of strategic or tactical importance (business need) 2. Enable the enterprise to address that need 3. align the resulting change strategy with higher & lower level strategies

What is a guideline, to a task?

A guideline provides instructions or descriptions on performing the task.

What is a knowledge area?

A representation of specific business analysis expertise that encompasses logically (but not sequentially) related tasks.

Purpose (Task)

A short description of the reason for a business analyst to perform the task, and the value created through performing the task.

What is business analysis information?

Any kind of information at any level of detail that is used as an input to business analysis work, or as an output of business analysis work.

Who is a business analyst?

Anyone who performs business analysis tasks within the organization, no matter their job title. Who works with stakeholders to define business needs, elicit information and design solutions.

What task does BAPM also include other than organizing work and coordinating stakeholders?

Assessing business analysis work performance and recommending improvements.

What are underlying competencies?

Behaviors, characteristics, knowledge, and personal qualities that support the effective practice of business analysis.

Techniques (Task)

Can be used to perform the business analysis task

Business Analysts perform tasks from all knowledge areas in which way? A. Sequentially B. Iteratively C. Simultaneously D. All of the above

D. - There is no prescribed process or order in which BA tasks are performed. Tasks may be performed in any order, as long as the necessary inputs to a task are present.

What are perspectives?

Describe various views of business analysis. They help business analysts working from various points of view to better perform business analysis tasks, given the context of the initiative.

Effectiveness Measures (Underlying Competencies)

Describes how to determine whether a person is demonstrating skills in this ______

Elements (Techniques)

Describes key concepts that are needed to understand how to use this _______

Usage Considerations (Techniques)

Describes the conditions under which the ______ may be more or less effective.

Definition (Underlying Competencies)

Describes the skills and expertise involved in the application of ______

Description (Techniques)

Describes what the ______ is and how it is used.

Purpose (Techniques)

Describes what the _____is used for and the circumstances under which it is most likely to be applicable.

Purpose (Underlying Competencies)

Describes why it is beneficial for BAs to have the ______

Description (Task)

Explains in greater detail what the task is, why it is performed, and what it should accomplish

T/F: A project manager who performs BA activities as a part of their role is never considered a Business Analyst

False - During the time they are performing tasks defined by the BABOK, they are considered a Business Analyst.

T/F: Strategy Analysis (SA) only happens at first, when a business need is identified

False - SA occurs as changes are requested, to ensure the desired strategy is aligned with higher & lower level strategies within the organization.

T/F: Tasks must be performed formally

False - Tasks may be performed formally or informally as part of business analysis.

T/F: Techniques may not be used together

False - Techniques may be used in conjunction with one another to accomplish a particular task.

Shows how 3 of the 6 knowledge areas support the delivery of business value before, during, and after the life cycle of a project.

Figure 1.1.1 - Business Analysis Beyond Projects

Shows a general relationship between the knowledge areas

Figure 1.4.1 - Relationship between Knowledge Areas

Stakeholders (Task)

Individuals who are likely to participate in performing a task or who will be affected by it.

Inputs (Task)

Information consumed or transformed to produce an output, and represent the information necessary for a task to begin.

What are approaches (business analysis planning outputs) used for?

Inputs (or guidelines/tools) for tasks in other knowledge areas.

Elements (Task)

Key concepts that are needed (though not necessary) to understand how to perform the task.

What is the mnemonic to remember the knowledge areas?

P - Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring (BAPM) L - Requirements Life Cycle Management (RLCM) E - Elicitation & Collaboration (EC) A - Requirements Analysis & Design Definition (RADD) S - Strategy Analysis (SA) E - Solution Evaluation (SE)

Guidelines and Tools (Task)

Resources that are required to transform the input into an output.

Outputs (Task)

Results which are created, transformed, or changed in state as a result of the successful completion of a task.

What is a tool?

Something used to undertake a task, but is not transformed or consumed in the performance of the task.

What do BAPM tasks produce?

The approach (aka business analysis planning outputs)

What are business analysis key concepts?

The central ideas needed to understand all other content, concepts and ideas within the BABOK.

What does collaboration of Elicitation & Collaboration describe?

The communication with stakeholders once the business analysis information is assembled, and the ongoing collaboration with them throughout the business analysis activities.

What are techniques?

The means by which business analysts perform business analysis tasks.

What is business analysis?

The practice of enabling change in the context of an enterprise by defining needs and recommending solutions that deliver value to stakeholders.

What tasks does the BAPM knowledge area focus on?

This knowledge area focuses on tasks including organizing business analysis work and coordinating collaboration with stakeholders (throughout the initiative). As well as assessing performance business analysis work.

T/F: The definition of a given task is universally applicable to business analysis efforts, independent of the initiative type.

True - Tasks are universally applicable to business analysis efforts, independent of initiative type.

T/F: Tasks within knowledge areas are discrete pieces of work

True - Tasks within knowledge areas are discrete

T/F: BAs are encouraged to modify existing techniques or create new ones to best meet their goals and the situation.

True.