How to Easily Pass the IIBA CBAP Exam: Expert Advice

 Business rules analysis is a technique used to identify, express, validate, refine, and organize the rules that shape day-to-day business behavior and guide operational business decision making. Business rules are specific, actionable, testable directives that support a business policy. Business rules can relate to access control, policy, calculation, or inference. Business rules should be atomic, explicit, and separated from the process that implements them. References:

• IIBA®, 10.9 Business Rules Analysis
• Business Rules Analysis — Business Analyst Learnings
• Using Business Rules Analysis to Model and Analyze BI Requirements
• Business rules analysis – The Functional BA

According to the BABOK® Guide, eliciting requirements is not a compartmentalized activity that can be completed in a single phase of the project. Rather, it is an ongoing process that occurs throughout the project life cycle, as new information is discovered, new stakeholders are identified, and changes are requested. Therefore, the duration of the requirements elicitation process is not determined by the schedule, the size, or the stakeholder involvement of the project, but by the evolving nature of the requirements themselves. References: BABOK® Guide v3, section 4.1, page 50; CBAP® Handbook, page 6.

 A parametric estimate is an estimate that uses a mathematical formula or model to calculate the time, cost, or resources required for a project or activity based on historical data and known variables. In this scenario, the 25 workstations per hour represents a parametric estimate of the productivity of the project team, which can be used to determine the total duration and cost of the installation. A parametric estimate is usually more accurate and reliable than other estimation techniques, such as expert judgment or analogy, as it is based on objective and quantifiable data. References:

• CBAP Certification Study Guide v3.0, page 33
• BABOK Guide v3, page 16
• Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) | Coursera, Course 3, Week 3, Video: “Project Management Concepts”

Benchmarking is the process of comparing the performance or quality of a product, service, or process against a standard or best practice. Bob and Susan are benchmarking the materials by testing them and measuring the results to see how they compare to each other. This will help them select the best material for their project.

References:

• CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, 2nd Edition, Chapter 6: Enterprise Analysis, page 217.
• BABOK® Guide, Version 3, Section 3.4: Strategy Analysis, page 50.

Business rules analysis is a business analysis technique that involves identifying, analyzing, and documenting the rules that govern how an organization operates and makes decisions. Business rules analysis can help an organization to adapt to the change economy, new technologies, and an increase in competition by ensuring that the rules are aligned with the organizational goals and objectives, and that they are consistent, transparent, and flexible. Business rules analysis can also help to identify any gaps, conflicts, or redundancies in the existing rules, and to propose new or revised rules that can improve the organizational performance and efficiency. References: BABOK Guide v3, page 142; CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, page 191.

 According to the BABOK® Guide, a risk is “an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on one or more project objectives such as scope, schedule, cost, and quality” (p. 10). A risk can have both positive and negative impacts, depending on the perspective of the stakeholders and the objectives of the solution. For example, a risk of adopting a new technology may be that it increases the productivity of the employees (positive) but also requires more training and maintenance (negative). A risk analysis in the business case should consider both the probability and the impact of the risks, as well as the strategies to mitigate or exploit them. References: BABOK®Guide, p. 10, 114-115; Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) | Coursera, Course 3, Week 2, Video: “Risk Analysis and Management”

 The project manager is the stakeholder who is responsible for assessing the solution scope to determine the project scope. The solution scope defines the features and functions of the product or service that will meet the business needs and requirements. The project scope defines the work that needs to be done to deliver the solution. The project manager is the person who plans, executes, monitors, and controls the project activities, and ensures that the project scope is aligned with the solution scope, the project objectives, and the stakeholder expectations. References: BABOK Guide v3, page 36; CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, page 74.

Implementation subject matter experts are the stakeholders who would need detailed technical interface requirements. These are the people who are responsible for designing, developing, and deploying the solution components that interact with other systems or applications. Technical interface requirements specify the format, structure, protocol, and security of the data exchange between the solution and the external entities. Project manager, regulators, and testers are other types of stakeholders who may need different levels of information related to the requirements, but not necessarily the technical interface details. References:

• BABOK® Guide, p. 29, 36, 51, 54
• CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, p. 45, 49, 50, 52
• Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) | Coursera, Course 1, Week 3, Video: “Stakeholder Analysis”

 A requirements management plan is a business analysis plan that defines and describes the process to be followed in managing the solution scope and requirements. It includes the following items12:

• The requirements structure and traceability
• The requirements prioritization and approval process
• The requirements change control process
• The requirements communication and reporting process
• The requirements validation and verification process
• The requirements configuration management process
• The requirements reuse and disposal process

A requirements management plan is an important component of the business analysis plan, as it helps to ensure that the requirements are aligned with the business needs and objectives, and that they are delivered and maintained in a consistent and effective way. References:

• Requirements Management Plan - IIBA®
• Requirements Management Plan Template

 Requirements prioritization is the process of assigning relative importance and urgency to the requirements based on various factors, such as business value, stakeholder needs, risk, dependency, and feasibility. Requirements prioritization helps to define the solution scope by determining which requirements are essential, which are desirable, and which are optional for the solution. Requirements prioritization can be used with both plan-driven and change-driven approaches to business analysis, depending on the level of certainty and stability of the requirements. Requirements prioritization does not depend on the stakeholder importance, but rather on the stakeholder agreement and alignment on the requirements. References:

• BABOK® Guide, p. 54-55
• CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, p. 164-165
• Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) | Coursera, Course 2, Week 1, Video: “Requirements Prioritization”