A Decade of CBAPs

1 Copyright Shirley J. Sartin 5/4/2016

A retrospective of the CBAP®

designation.

Shirley J. Sartin, CBAP, BSAC, PBA, PMP, CSM

Copyright 5/4/2016

As an International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA

®) Certified Business Analysis

Professional™ (CBAP®

) #2 Shirley sat with the first CBAP®

exam group on November 10,

2006. Since achieving the CBAP designation she has continued growing professionally while

over 6,000 other CBAP®

s also successfully passed the exam

and were added to the CBAP® registry. Recently Shirley

provided the following retrospective of CBAP®

s at a

Washington DC IIBA®

chapter meeting that included a look

into the past, outcomes of certification realized by the CBAPs

during the last ten years and the perceived need and reward of

retaining and/or becoming a CBAP in the future.

Background I recall times when, as a consultant Analyst beginning a new contract I would be provided documentation

with the instructions to ―read through these requirements and continue the work.‖ It was frustrating

because I would have to stretch my mind to understand what had been written. Although it was interesting

to see how other Analysts approached their work I considered my time wasted when trying to determine the

message they were attempting to convey. I knew of professional industries where standards were

mandatory and thus a professional worker in those industries would be relatively assured that they could

review and understand another’s documentation. I dreamed of a time when Analysts would have tools and

standards at hand to facilitate analysis and documenting requirements and ensuring quality standardized

requirements were delivered in a timely manner. The end result would ensure the Analyst had time to

pursue other endeavors which I jokingly referred to as ―bon bon time.‖

I discovered the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA®

) in 2005 and realized this organization,

although small and in its early stages could be the one to establish standards for the analyst profession. I

joined IIBA at that time (member number 1613) and have been a member ever since. I realized that a

volunteer organization needed many volunteers in different capacities to ensure its success and that success

would include standardization and certification. During those early years I volunteered with IIBA providing

various support efforts to include assisting with founding a local chapter (North East Florida (NEFL) –

Jacksonville), serving on its board and also volunteering in various capacities at the international level.

I also initiated a Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK®

) version 1.4 chapter study group early

in 2006 with the intent of helping our local analysts learn industry standard analysis techniques to help

them in their work. This study group also served to prepare for a certification exam at some future time. I

was very excited upon hearing of the first certification exam to be held in November 10, 2006i based on

BABOK version 1.6.

When I found the exam would be held in Orlando, Florida I realized I could

further support the organization by sitting for that first exam and help to test

processes and content. Since I lived a 3 hour drive from Orlando and would

be funding this venture out of my pocket I knew that I needed to take the

exam.

After locating the appropriate BABOK version I completed the manual

application and spent far too much time on it. Eventually I was notified that

my application had been accepted and so I made arrangements to stay the

night before the exam at a small, cheap motel located close to the convention

hotel and the test. The bar next to the motel was noisy and kept me awake so

A Decade of CBAPs

2 Copyright Shirley J. Sartin 5/4/2016

I watched World Series of Poker all night. The morning of the test I was

exhausted but arrived early and chatted with the other test participants. The

first exam was paper-based on version 1.6 of the BABOK and we were

allowed up to 3 ½ hours to complete the exam. We sat and tested….some sat

for less time…some sat for the full time. In the end the test was held and we

were notified in January 2007 that 16 were awarded the CBAP designation.

And then the world returned to normal. Or did it? Other exams were

scheduled in different parts of the worldii.

We early CBAPs wrote articlesiii

to tell everyone what to expect and

what it was like being a CBAP.

By early 2007 other exams had been held and we had added 45

CBAPs to the listiv. Once the electronic version became available

the CBAP program took off. Or did it?

Fast forward to today – 10 years later and so much has happened with IIBA’s certification programs. The

CBAP count has increased, a junior level certification was added (Certification of Competency in Business

Analysis (CCBA)), and now a new certification program is about to be released. But did the industry

realize those things which we were hoping? Are the BABOK standards and techniques in play in our

industry? Is the CBAP designation of any value? I researched IIBA’s site and also reached out to the first

group of test takers and have provided my findings below.

Growth of CBAPs Each year, for the past 10 years the count of Active CBAPs is indicated in the table below as per IIBAs

Certification Registryv. Note that although year over year growth is not as high as we would like, there has

been growth. Not everyone has recertified their designation during their cycle.

A Decade of CBAPs

3 Copyright Shirley J. Sartin 5/4/2016

Active CBAP Count by Year

Year New

CBAPs

2006 6

2007 123

2008 154

2009 161

2010 256

2011 392

2012 576

2013 1040

2014 1497

2015 1644

Annual Growth through 2015

Active CBAPs are in countries as listed below

Active CBAP Count by Country as of 5/1/2016

Country CBAPs

Argentina 3

Australia 434

Austria 13

Bahrain 3

Bangladesh 3

Belarus 10

Belgium 13

Bosnia and Herzegovina 1

Botswana 1

Brazil 15

Brunei Darussalam 1

Bulgaria 10

Cameroon 1

Canada 1095

China 39

Colombia 7

Costa Rica 1

Cote D'Ivoire 1

Croatia 1

Czech Republic 1

Denmark 1

Country CBAPs

Egypt 21

Estonia 1

Finland 1

France 20

Germany 45

Ghana 3

Greece 7

Hong Kong 54

Hungary 2

India 598

Indonesia 1

Ireland 22

Italy 95

Jamaica 4

Japan 111

Jordan 2

Kenya 8

Kuwait 5

Latvia 40

Lithuania 7

Luxembourg 2

Macedonia 1

Malaysia 48

Country CBAPs

Mexico 31

Moldova, Republic Of 1

Monaco 1

Netherlands 15

New Zealand 125

Nigeria 92

Norway 2

Oman 2

Pakistan 13

Palestinian Territory 1

Panama 1

Peru 15

Philippines 32

Poland 23

Portugal 17

Puerto Rico 3

Qatar 5

Romania 75

Russian Federation 10

Saudi Arabia 34

Serbia 2

Singapore 83

Country CBAPs

Slovakia 5

Slovenia 4

South Africa 73

Spain 6

Sri Lanka 4

Sudan 5

Sweden 11

Switzerland 63

Taiwan 27

Tanzania, United Republic 1

Thailand 1

Turkey 22

Ukraine 14

United Arab Emirates 67

United Kingdom 136

United States 2424

Uruguay 3

Venezuela 1

Viet Nam 4

Zambia 1

Zimbabwe 1

0 200 400 600 800

1000 1200 1400 1600 1800

'06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15

New CBAPs

A Decade of CBAPs

4 Copyright Shirley J. Sartin 5/4/2016

Countries of Active CBAPs as of 5/1/2016

CCBAs Active CCBAs are in countries as listed below.

Active CCBA Count by Country as of 5/1/2016

Country CCBAs

Argentina 3

Australia 65

Austria 2

Belarus 2

Belgium 1

Brazil 1

Canada 86

China 2

Colombia 4

Costa Rica 1

Cyprus 1

Czech

Republic 2

Denmark 1

Country CCBAs

Egypt 3

Estonia 1

France 16

Germany 4

Greece 1

Hong Kong 4

Hungary 2

India 234

Ireland 5

Italy 4

Japan 81

Jordan 1

Kenya 1

Country CCBAs

Lithuania 2

Malaysia 7

Mexico 7

Netherlands 4

New

Zealand 11

Nigeria 3

Philippines 1

Poland 19

Portugal 1

Romania 7

Russian

Federation 4

Singapore 6

Slovakia 2

Country CCBAs

South

Africa 6

Spain 2

Swaziland 1

Sweden 2

Switzerland 10

Ukraine 22

United

Arab

Emirates 5

United

Kingdom 20

United

States 179

Countries of Active CCBAs as of 5/1/2016

A Decade of CBAPs

5 Copyright Shirley J. Sartin 5/4/2016

IIBA Certifications - Where are we now?

In reviewing old newsletters I found an interesting countvi. Note

that in November 2005 there were 1000 members with 14 chapters

(with 9 pending to include NEFL Chapter and Washington DC)vii

.

Today IIBA has 29,000 Members and 116 Chaptersviii

.

After almost 10 years of testing there are 6,208 Active CBAPs in

87 countries. With almost 5 years of testing there are also 849 Active CCBAs in 48 countries. Some

barriers for BAs to qualify for either exam include a lack of education since the only education requirement

to complete a high school diploma (or its equivalent) may be out of reach in some countries. A lack of

experience also limits their ability to qualify. There are no entry level certifications. How can someone

with no experience show their desire to make this a career?

In researching the CBAP certification registry I found of the original 16 CBAPs only 6 are Active. I could

not determine if any CBAPs retired their certification or are in their grace period of recertification. In

recertifying there are limitations for what is counted as a Continuing Development Unit (CDU). CBAPs

are topped out since we are limited in what we may claim as CDUs beyond those relevant to working as a

practitioner. So how may we be incentivized to continue growing?

Where are we Headed? Evidence of the continuing maturity of the BA profession is with IIBA’s Enhanced Certifications beginning

in September of this yearix

. IIBA has indicated 4 levels of certification will be available:

Level 1 Entry level. Exam only. No experience assessed.

Level 2 Business Analysts with 2 to 3 years business analysis experience. Requires 3000-4500

hours of experience plus exam. Current CCBAs will be grandfathered into Level 2.

Level 3 More than 5 years business analysis experience. Requires 7,500-10,500 hours experience

plus exam. Current CBAPs grandfathered into Level 3.

Level 4 More than 10 years business analysis experience. Industry thought leaders. Give back to

the community and contribute to evolution of BA practice. Requirements minimum 15,000

hours plus exam.

If you are currently preparing for an exam today be sure to sit before September 2016. Today’s exams will

be replaced with new exams. If you ever wanted a certification but did not have the requisite hours of

experience now you can! Level 1 was created for you.

If you are a CCBA and wanting to sit for the CBAP exam do so before September 2016. If you are senior

level and a CBAP today get ready to apply for Level 4!

No matter which level certification you are looking to acquire the following tips I offered in June 2007x

remain relevant today:

Have the motivation to sit for the exam.

Make a plan and work the plan

o Select text date and establish a deadline for completing your application.

o Determine needed exam preparations/study time

Analyze and prepare the application

o Keep possibility of audit in mind and build a binder containing

Application Instructions

Hardcopy of application

Full version of resume

Work Experience forms

Training course information

References

o Complete application

Using full resume and estimate how far back to document work experience

Identify the different projects with BA experiences relating to the BABOK

knowledge areas and key terms for each

A Decade of CBAPs

6 Copyright Shirley J. Sartin 5/4/2016

o Submit the application

Preparing for the exam

o Create or join a CBAP and/or BABOK study group

o Structure adequate amounts of self-study time by making appointments on your calendar

o Attend a CBAP preparation class, if you are able

Taking the exam

o Be well rested

o Drive to the test center the day before to ensure you know how to get there

o Allow time for rush hour traffic

o You can be early and wait to take the test. You cannot take the test if you are late for the

appointment.

o Eat a good breakfast and do not cram for the test. Relax...if you don’t know it now you

will not know it in the next few minutes.

Benefits of Certification IIBA states benefits to the individual may include the following

xi. After almost a decade of certifications

can this be true?

Competence in the principles and practices of business analysis.

Recognition of professional competence by professional peers and management.

Advanced career potential due to recognition as a professional business analysis practitioner.

Potentially higher income for being formally recognized as an experienced BA professional.

Recognizes individuals who have invested in their BA careers and encourages them to keep doing

so.

CBAP Pioneers My purpose for applying to sit in the initial exam (and being tested) was to help with the CBAP

certification process because I knew that would assist with improving the BAs world. In the end, I expected

requirements standards to be determined and adopted and also for the BA role to become

"professionalized." After obtaining the CBAP I went on to obtain other certifications and another graduate

degree. I don't know if those contributed to my current awesome salary but I do believe the CBAP

designation (and IIBA as an organization) has improved the BA's world due to standardization, etc. and higher salaries as a result. And I get phone calls and emails every day from different folks looking to place

me in jobs.

Recently I began reminiscing about the past and so I dug out IIBA Newsletter articles written right after the

exam and have been thinking about everyone in that first test sitting. One of the first articles

(November/December 2006xii

) after the exam was by Cleve Pillifant where he'd posited "20 years from

now..." and he questioned "Whatever happened to those trailblazing pioneers?" He'd stated, "The answer to

this one hasn't been written yet. We will just have to wait 20 years to see!" I thought that was a great

question and decided I didn't want to wait 20 years so I contacted those in the first sitting and asked their

purpose for sitting for the exam and how they are doing today. I was curious to hear how the growth of

CBAPs and IIBA had affected their careers. I contacted all Pioneer CBAPs (first sitting) and received 5

responses. Two are no longer certified but 1 is going to recertify. Three are certified and are positive about

the designation and results of IIBA in our industry. Six have maintained their certification. A summary of

responses received are below:

CBAP Pioneer A – Northeast US

o Was involved with our local IIBA chapter - one of the founders.

o Today am disconnected from the chapter - meetings are held too far away.

o Certification did not contribute to my path or salary.

o Useful to speak about how our BA expertise is critical to the success of

change/transformation projects.

o Many job postings for BA's but not many postings for CBAP.

CBAP Pioneer B – West Coast US

o Took CBAP exam to further the discipline.

A Decade of CBAPs

7 Copyright Shirley J. Sartin 5/4/2016

o BAs hired in the past did not have the skills they said they had

o More formal standards were developed and thus we can improve

o Happy to see that work has furthered the cause.

o Certification has helped career. Received (and still do) many job offers from companies

that only want CBAPS so that they can enjoy the security of knowing a potential

employee knows their craft.

o Skills honed allowed easy transition to ScrumMaster to Product Owner to Agile Coach

and eventually to CEO of an Agile consulting firm.

o BA skills are well-suited for the versatility needed for the ScrumMaster role and the

analytics needed for the Product Owner position.

CBAP Pioneer C – East Coast US

o Harder than expected to get recognition for the profession.

o Agile sidetracked a bit but am now seeing most organizations using agile WITH analysts!

o Jobs titled BA and BSA have grown significantly.

o Helping people become BAs and develop skills and confidence is challenging because

the work is really very complex.

o BAs on a project makes it hard to get other team members and stakeholders to stop and

really THINK about things.

o Speed of life and work works against the BA. No one has time to think.

o Overall IIBA and CBAP have been great for the organizations which have embraced

them.

CBAP Pioneer D – Northeast US

o Able to make an IIBA meeting on occasion but not nearly as much as I would like due to

my travel schedule.

o My area of focus has moved from business analysis to systems engineering. Many of the

same concepts but applied to large system of systems (hardware, software, policies all

rolled into one instead of the software development focus that permeated IIBA).

CBAP Pioneer E – Midwest US

o IIBA and its CBAP designation did quite a bit for the industry

Global recognition of the importance of business analysis

Consistency for understanding what the job entails.

o Have renewed 3 times, but have heard many people who have not or are not going to

renew.

o Many people are wondering about the direction of IIBA.

How to integrate business analysis into Agile projects.

Significance of the designation—is it worth the hassle.

CBAP Pioneer - Me!

o Last recertification struggled to decide to make the effort to track and report on relevant

BA efforts and follow through on the renewing of my CBAP designation.

o But, was there in the beginning of the certification efforts and the work is not completely

finished.

o Industry is dynamic and should always grow and change.

o One day my BA world will end and my CBAP can retire.

IIBA has provided for that eventuality and I’ll be able to pack away good old

CBAP number 2 in retirement, as wellxiii

.

Summary I’m looking forward to the next few years and experiencing the changes in our industry and watching IIBA

continue to grow and mature. I want to thank those who gave of their time in the beginning and along the

way….and to those future BAs who will continue the effort. IIBAs work is never done. Please become

involved and help the organization…pay back and pay forward. There remains plenty of room for those

who want to make a difference in our world. Get certified. Volunteer today. Make a difference!

A Decade of CBAPs

8 Copyright Shirley J. Sartin 5/4/2016

References

i http://www.iiba.org/News-Events/Newsletters/Archived-

Newletters/2006/IIBA_Newsletter_Summer_2006.aspx ii http://www.iiba.org/News-Events/Newsletters/Archived-

Newletters/2007/IIBA_Newsletter_February_2007.aspx http://www.iiba.org/News-

Events/Newsletters/Archived-Newletters/2007/IIBA_Newsletter_March_April_2007.aspx iii

http://www.iiba.org/News-Events/Newsletters/Archived-

Newletters/2007/IIBA_Newsletter_May_2007.aspx http://www.iiba.org/News-

Events/Newsletters/Archived-Newletters/2007/IIBA_Newsletter_June_2007.aspx iv http://www.iiba.org/News-Events/Newsletters/Archived-

Newletters/2007/IIBA_Newsletter_June_2007.aspx v http://www.iiba.org/Certification-Recognition/Certification-Registry/CBAP-Registry.aspx

vi http://www.iiba.org/News-Events/Newsletters/Archived-

Newletters/2006/IIBA_Newsletter_April_2006.aspx vii

http://www.iiba.org/News-Events/Newsletters/Archived-

Newletters/2005/IIBA_Newsletter_November_2005.aspx viii

http://www.iiba.org/About-IIBA/iiba-senior-leadership-team.aspx ix

http://www.iiba.org/Certification-Recognition/certification2016/certificationFAQ.aspx x http://www.iiba.org/News-Events/Newsletters/Archived-

Newletters/2007/IIBA_Newsletter_June_2007.aspx xi

http://www.iiba.org/Certification-Recognition/Benefits-of-IIBA-Certification.aspx xii

http://www.iiba.org/News-Events/Newsletters/Archived-

Newletters/2006/IIBA_Newsletter_Nov_Dec_2006.aspx xiii

http://www.iiba.org/Certification-Recognition/CBAP-Designation/CBAP/cbap-retired-status-policy.aspx