Free IIBA CCBA Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 3

According to the BABOK® Guide, the business analysis approach is the plan that describes how the business analysis activities will be executed. To plan the business analysis approach, the business analyst must understand the organizational process needs and the objectives that apply to the initiative1. The organizational process needs are the policies, standards, and procedures that guide thebusiness analysis work. The objectives that apply to the initiative are the goals and expected outcomes of the project or program.

The other options are not correct because they are not necessary to plan the business analysis approach. Stakeholders’ threats and perceived threats, consideration of risk and reward, and purpose of the proposed solution are all aspects that may be considered during the business analysis activities, but they are not required to plan the approach itself.

According to the CCBA® Handbook, an implementation subject matter expert is “a stakeholder who has specialized knowledge of the technologies, tools, or techniques that will be used to implement the solution” (p. 15). They are involved in determining if the requirements can be implemented, as they have the technical expertise and experience to assess the feasibility, risks, and costs of the solution. They can also provide guidance and recommendations on how to best implement the requirements and achieve the desired outcomes. The other options are not correct because:

A. A domain subject matter expert is “a stakeholder who has in-depth knowledge of a specific aspect of the business domain” (p. 15). They are involved in defining and validating the requirements, as they have the business knowledge and insight to identify the needs, problems, and opportunities of the domain. However, they may not have the technical knowledge or authority to determine if the requirements can be implemented.

C. Project team members are “stakeholders who are responsible for the delivery of the solution” (p. 15). They are involved in implementing the requirements, as they have the skills and resources to execute the project plan and produce the solution deliverables. However, they may not have the technical knowledge or authority to determine if the requirements can be implemented.

D. A sponsor is “a stakeholder who authorizes the initiation of a project or initiative and provides the financial resources for it” (p. 14). They are involved in approving the requirements, as they have the decision-making power and influence to support the project or initiative. However, they may not have the technical knowledge or authority to determine if the requirements can be implemented. References:

CCBA® Handbook, p. 14-15

Identify Stakeholders for Requirements Gathering - Olive Technologies, section “Implementation Subject Matter Expert”

Brainstorming is a technique that involves generating as many ideas as possible in a group setting, without judging or evaluating them. The purpose of brainstorming is to stimulate creativity and innovation, and to explore different possibilities and perspectives. Setting a goal for the number of ideas to be generated in a brainstorming session is not advisable, as it may actually limit the ideas that can be generated. A goal may create a sense of competition or pressure among the participants, which may inhibit their creativity and willingness to share. A goal may also cause the participants to stop generating ideas once the goal is reached, even if there are more ideas to be discovered. Therefore, it is important for Brian to not set a goal for the number of ideas the group should generate in the session, but rather to encourage them to generate as many ideas as they can.

References: The information is verified as per the BABOK® Guide and related IIBA resources, which outline the standards and practices for business analysis. The BABOK® Guide is a key resource for understanding business analysis techniques and their applications across different contexts123. You can also find some useful resources and sample questions from other sources45.

A structured walkthrough is a technique that involves presenting a business analysis deliverable to a group of stakeholders for review and feedback. The purpose of a structured walkthrough is to validate the quality, accuracy, and completeness of the deliverable, as well as to ensure that it meets the stakeholder needs and expectations. A structured walkthrough can be used to validate a created, selected, or tailored business analysis approach, as it allows the business analyst to explain the rationale behind the approach and to obtain the agreement and approval of the stakeholders.

References: The information is aligned with the competencies and knowledge areas defined in the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide) and the Certification of Capability in Business Analysis™ (CCBA®) as provided by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA®). For detailed references, please consult the CCBA® guide1 and the BABOK® Guide2 available through the IIBA® website and bookstore3. You can also find some useful resources and sample questions from other sources45.

The technique that you can use to track problems with the requirements is issue tracking. This is a technique for identifying, documenting, monitoring, and resolving issues that arise during the business analysis work12. Issue tracking helps to ensure that the requirements are of high quality, aligned with the stakeholder needs, and delivered on time. The other options are not techniques for tracking problems with the requirements, but rather techniques for managing or verifying the requirements, such as RTM (B), which is a technique for tracing the relationships among requirements and other deliverables3, problem tracking ©, which is a technique for identifying and resolving problems with the solution4, or baselining (D), which is a technique for establishing an approved version of the requirements5. References: Business Analysis Expert Certification, CCBA® | IIBA®, Certification of Capability in Business Analysis™ (CCBA®), Business Analysis Certification Competencies, CCBA® | IIBA®, The Ultimate Guide to Business Capability Analysis, CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, 2nd Edition

 Sharing the requirements document with the development team immediately may lead to a lack of proper review and validation of the requirements by relevant stakeholders. This can result in rework if errors are found later, impacting the project timeline and potentially leading to delays in other project activities.

References: The CCBA® Handbook and the BABOK® Guide emphasize the importance of requirements review and validation to ensure that they align with business needs and stakeholder expectations12. It is crucial for the BA to facilitate a thorough review process before proceeding with development

A classification schema is a technique that helps to organize and categorize requirements based on common characteristics or attributes. A classification schema can facilitate effectively understanding the different types of requirements by providing a clear and consistent way to communicate, prioritize, analyze, and manage them. A classification schema can also help to identify gaps, overlaps, and dependencies among requirements. References: BABOK® Guide, Version 3, Chapter 10: Techniques, Section 10.6: Classification Schema, Page 387; Chapter 6: Requirements Life Cycle Management, Section 6.2: Prioritize Requirements, Page 146.

According to the BABOK® Guide, the governance approach is an artifact that defines the processes, roles, and responsibilities for approving, prioritizing, and managing requirements and designs. The governance approach also specifies the decision making authority, approval criteria, and change control procedures for the requirements and designs. By understanding the governance approach, the business analyst (BA) can identify the appropriate stakeholders who have the authority to approve the requirements and the approval process that needs to be followed. References: BABOK® Guide, Version 3, Chapter 2, Section 2.4.5; Business Analysis Expert Certification, CCBA® | IIBA®, Section “What Should I know to be CCBA Certified?”

According to the Capability in Business Analysis™ (CCBA®) guidelines, one of the tasks that business analysts perform in the requirement elicitation activity is to select the appropriate elicitation techniques that suit the context and needs of the stakeholders12. A checklist that contains stakeholder details, such as who are involved, location, group dynamics, etc., is a useful tool to help the business analysts to choose the most effective and efficient elicitation techniques for the given situation34. For example, the business analysts may decide to use interviews, focus groups, observation, or prototyping, depending on the stakeholder characteristics and preferences.

References: The CCBA® learning documents, which can be found on the IIBA website12, describe the various tasks and techniques that a business analyst can use to elicit the requirements from the stakeholders, including the selection of elicitation techniques. Additionally, the IIBA Bookstore offers resources that provide further insights into the objectives and best practices for business analysis, including the use of checklists and other tools to support the elicitation process345.

According to the BABOK® Guide, one of the tasks of the business analyst (BA) during requirements lifecycle management is to verify requirements. This involves ensuring that the requirements and designs meet the quality standards and are usable for their intended purpose. One of the techniques that can be used for this task is a checklist, which is a predefined list of criteria that can be used to evaluate the quality of requirements and designs. The checklist can include characteristics such as completeness, feasibility, unambiguity, and testability, which are commonly used to assess the quality of requirements and designs. References: BABOK® Guide, Version 3, Chapter 7, Section 7.1; Business Analysis Expert Certification, CCBA® | IIBA®, Section “What Should I know to be CCBA Certified?”

Atomic characteristics of requirements ensure that each requirement is self-contained and can be understood without the need to reference other requirements. This means that the requirement is complete and provides enough detail for understanding on its own. It is a key quality attribute in business analysis to ensure clarity and prevent misunderstanding or ambiguity.

References: The concept of atomic characteristics in requirements is covered in the CCBA certification materials, which emphasize the importance of clear, concise, and independent requirements as part of effective business analysis practices123.

The BA team is evaluating the technology and infrastructure of the new COTS application and how it will interact with the existing legacy systems. Technology and infrastructure are the hardware, software, networks, and platforms that support the solution and enable its functionality. Evaluating the technology and infrastructure is an important aspect of assessing the feasibility, compatibility, and performance of the solution, as well as identifying any integration challenges, risks, or gaps. The BA team should consider the technical requirements, constraints, and dependencies of the solution, as well as the current and future state of the technology and infrastructure of the organization.

References: The answer is verified and explained using the principles found in the CCBA® certification learning documents, specifically the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK®) guide, which outlines the knowledge areas and skills required for effective business analysis and the handling of such situations123.

According to the BABOK® Guide, data mining is an elicitation technique that involves analyzing large volumes of data to discover useful information, such as trends, patterns, and relationships. Data mining can help the business analyst (BA) to investigate the potential causes of the shortfall in the online system by understanding the customer behavior, preferences, and feedback. Data mining can also help the BA to identify opportunities for improvement and optimization of the system. References: BABOK® Guide, Version 3, Chapter 4, Section 4.7; Business Analysis Expert Certification, CCBA® | IIBA®, Section “What Should I know to be CCBA Certified?”

According to the BABOK® Guide, stakeholder engagement is the process of identifying and involving the people who are affected by or can influence the change initiative. Stakeholder engagement helps to ensure that the business analysis information is relevant, accurate, and complete. If the BA suspects that the elicitation activities are not delivering the quality of information required, the BA should adopt stakeholder engagement techniques to improve the participation and collaboration of the stakeholders. Some of the stakeholder engagement techniques are brainstorming, focus groups, interviews, observation, prototyping, surveys, and workshops. References: BABOK® Guide, Version 3, Chapter 4: Elicitation and Collaboration, Section 4.1: Prepare for Elicitation, Page 76; Chapter 9: Underlying Competencies, Section 9.2: Behavioural Skills, Page 336.

 The scenario describes a task that involves interviewing an industry thought leader who predicted that many of the regulations currently imposed by the government will change very soon. The task requires the BA to document the inputs from the thought leader and consider how they will impact the strategic initiatives of the insurance company. This is an example of identifying assumptions, which is an element of requirement validation. Assumptions are statements that are believed to be true or certain without proof or evidence. Identifying assumptions helps to clarify the uncertainties and risks that may affect the requirements and the solution.

References: The answer and explanation are consistent with the CCBA® Handbook and the IIBA® website, which provide the details and best practices for the requirement validation technique as part of the business analysis process12. The CCBA® resources also describe the elements and criteria of requirement validation, such as identifying assumptions12.