IIBA CCBA - Certification of Capability in Business Analysis (CCBA)

According to the BABOK® Guide, one of the tasks of the business analyst (BA) during solution evaluation is to measure solution performance. This involves collecting and analyzing data to assess how well the solution meets the business needs and delivers value to stakeholders. One of the factors that the BA should consider to avoid skewed results and an inaccurate conclusion is the timing of the measurement, which is the point in time or the duration when the data is collected. The timing of the measurement should be consistent and appropriate for the type and purpose of the data, as well as the expected outcomes and benefits of the solution. For example, the BA should avoid measuring the solution performance during peak or off-peak hours, or before or after a majorchange, as these may affect the validity and reliability of the data. References: BABOK® Guide, Version 3, Chapter 8, Section 8.2; 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 management and communication activity is to maintain the requirements, which includes tracking and documenting the changes and updates to the requirements12. An audit history of changes is a tool that helps the business analysts to record and review the changes that have been made to the requirements, including the date, time, author, and reason for each change34. An audit history of changes can help the project team to investigate the issue when a system owner calls to inquire about a recent change in one of the requirements, as it can show who requested the change, when it was approved, and how it was communicated to the stakeholders.

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 manage and communicate the requirements, including the maintenance of requirements and the use of audit history of changes. Additionally, the IIBA Bookstore offers resources that provide further insights into the objectives and best practices for business analysis, including the use of audit history of changes345.

The scenario describes a task that involves presenting a requirements package to the stakeholders. The requirements package is a document that contains the requirements and related information for the project and the solution. The purpose of presenting the package is to ensure a shared understanding of the information among the stakeholders, which is essential for achieving stakeholder alignment, agreement, and commitment. Presenting the package also provides an opportunity for the BA to elicit feedback, validate requirements, and resolve any issues or conflicts.

References: The answer and explanation are consistent with the CCBA® Handbook and the IIBA® website, which provide the details and best practices for the communicate business analysis information task as part of the solution evaluation knowledge area12. The CCBA® resources also describe the types and formats of documents that can be used to communicate business analysis information, such as requirements packages1

The business analyst is engaged in the activity of confirming elicitation results. This involves comparing information obtained from different sources to ensure that the requirements and understanding of the business processes are accurate and complete. By reviewing historical documents and interviewing stakeholders, the BA is cross-verifying the information to confirm that the elicitation results align with both the documented history and the stakeholders’ current understanding.

References: The process described aligns with the practices outlined in the BABOK® Guide, which is a key resource for the CCBA® certification. Specifically, it relates to the Elicitation and Collaboration knowledge area, where confirming elicitation results ensures that the information gathered is consistent and can be agreed upon by all stakeholders12.

According to the BABOK Guide, defining the future state is a technique for strategy analysis. This technique can help the BA perform the work of cataloguing the new, removed, and modified components of an upcoming project, as it describes how the organization or business unit will operate after implementing a change3. By doing so, the BA can identify the gaps between the current state and the future state, and define the solution scope and approach. Therefore, the correct answer is B. References: BABOK Guide, [CCBA Mock Test]

 According to the BABOK® Guide, a predictive approach is a business analysis approach that defines the scope, requirements, and designs early in the change initiative lifecycle. This approach is suitable for projects that have a clear and stable vision, well-understood requirements, and a low degree of uncertainty and change. A predictive approach also involves large upfront planning and detailed documentation, which are often required in heavily regulated domains. Therefore, a predictive approach is the recommended approach for the project described in the question. References: BABOK® Guide, Version 3, Chapter 2, Section 2.2.1; Business Analysis Expert Certification, CCBA® | IIBA®, Section “What Should I know to be CCBA Certified?”

This is because the BA should first understand the information needs and preferences of the stakeholders before communicating the results of the performance analysis. The BA should determine the reporting requirements, such as the format, frequency, level of detail, and distribution of the reports. Comparing a solution used at another company (A) is not a relevant option, as it does not address the communication issue. Identifying the performance objectives (B) and selecting the performance measures © are steps that should be done before analyzing the performance, not after. References: CCBA Practice Test, CCBA Mock Test

 The scenario describes a task that involves gathering information about a minor change to an existing system. The task requires the BA to understand the current state of the system and the requirements for the enhancement. Therefore, the BA should review the functional design specification of the existing system before the meeting, as this document provides the details of the system’s features, functions, and interfaces. Reviewing the functional design specification would help the BA to identify the scope of the change, the impact on the system, and the potential risks and issues.

References: The answer and explanation are consistent with the CCBA® Handbook and the IIBA® website, which provide the details and best practices for the business analysis process, including thetask of elicit and collaborate12. The CCBA® resources also describe the types and sources of information that can be used to perform each task in the business analysis process, such as functional design specifications1

The scenario describes a situation where the bank has discovered a major security loophole that could compromise customer information. This is a critical issue that needs to be resolved as soon as possible to avoid potential losses, reputational damage, and legal consequences. Therefore, the BA should use urgency as the main factor to convince the bank to move forward with the emergency fix, as it demonstrates the importance and priority of the issue. Urgency also implies that the fix is a temporary solution that will be replaced by a more robust and permanent one in the future.

References: The answer and explanation are consistent with the CCBA® Handbook and the IIBA® website, which state that business analysts should consider urgency as one of the criteria for evaluating and prioritizing requirements12. The CCBA® resources also emphasize the role of business analysts in ensuring the security and confidentiality of information12.

 The BA was attempting to achieve the effect of stimulating teamwork in a fun situation by using a collaborative game to elicit requirements. A collaborative game is a technique that uses game elements, such as rules, goals, challenges, rewards, and feedback, to engage the stakeholders in a creative and interactive way. A collaborative game can help to overcome the challenges of a stalled project, such as low motivation, poor communication, lack of trust, or resistance to change, by fostering a positive and collaborative atmosphere, enhancing stakeholder participation and involvement, generating new ideas and insights, and building consensus and commitment. A collaborative game can also help to elicit requirements that are more complete, accurate, and aligned with the stakeholder needs and expectations.

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.

A weighted scoring model is a technique that assigns weights to different criteria and rates each vendor’s performance against them. The total score for each vendor is calculated by multiplying the weight and the rating for each criterion and summing them up. The vendor with the highest score is selected as the best option. A weighted scoring model is one of the tools and techniques of the Evaluate Potential Value and Recommend Solution task, which is part of the Strategy Analysis knowledge area. A weighted scoring model is different from a scoring model, which does not assign weights to the criteria and uses a simple sum of the ratings. A vendor profile assessment scale is a tool that defines the characteristics and requirements of a vendor and assigns a score based on how well they match them. A screening system is a process that filters out vendors that do not meet the minimum requirements or standards. References: Business Analysis Expert Certification, CCBA® | IIBA®, CERTIFICATION OF CAPABILITY IN BUSINESS ANALYSIS

 Positive risk ranking is a basis for prioritization that allows the project team to work initially with lower-risk requirements first. Positive risk ranking is a technique that assigns a score to each requirement based on the level of risk associated with it, where a higher score indicates a lower risk and a lower score indicates a higher risk. The requirements are then prioritized in descending order of their scores, so that the project team can focus on the requirements that have the least uncertainty, complexity, or volatility first, and defer the requirements that have the most uncertainty, complexity, or volatility later. Positive risk ranking helps to reduce the likelihood and impact of potential problems, issues, or changes that may affect the requirements or the solution12

Option A is incorrect because quantitative ranking is not a basis for prioritization that allows the project team to work initially with lower-risk requirements first, but a technique that uses numerical values to compare and rank the requirements based on multiple criteria, such as value, cost, risk, urgency, dependency, etc. Quantitative ranking does not necessarily prioritize the lower-risk requirements first, but the requirements that have the highest overall score based on the weighted criteria34

Option C is incorrect because relationship to other requirements is not a basis for prioritization that allows the project team to work initially with lower-risk requirements first, but a factor that considers the dependencies and interdependencies among the requirements, such as prerequisite, co-requisite, or conflicting requirements. Relationship to other requirements does not necessarily prioritize the lower-risk requirements first, but the requirements that have the most influence or impact on the other requirements.

Option D is incorrect because implementation difficulty is not a basis for prioritization that allows the project team to work initially with lower-risk requirements first, but a factor that considers the effort, time, resources, and skills required to implement the requirements. Implementation difficulty does not necessarily prioritize the lower-risk requirements first, but the requirements that have the least difficulty or complexity to implement.

References:

Business Analysis Techniques - ECBA, CCBA, CBAP Endorsed, Section 8.5: Prioritization, p. 101-102.

Certification of Capability in Business Analysis (CCBA®) - Simplilearn, Module 7: Requirements Analysis and Design Definition, Lesson 7.5: Define Transition Requirements, p. 6-7.

Business Analysis Techniques - ECBA, CCBA, CBAP Endorsed, Section 8.5: Prioritization, p. 102-103.

Certification of Capability in Business Analysis (CCBA®) - Simplilearn, Module 7: Requirements Analysis and Design Definition, Lesson 7.5: Define Transition Requirements, p. 8-9.

[Business Analysis Techniques - ECBA, CCBA, CBAP Endorsed], Section 8.5: Prioritization, p. 100-101.

[Certification of Capability in Business Analysis (CCBA®) - Simplilearn], Module 7: Requirements Analysis and Design Definition, Lesson 7.5: Define Transition Requirements, p. 10-11.

[Business Analysis Techniques - ECBA, CCBA, CBAP Endorsed], Section 8.5: Prioritization, p. 100.

[Certification of Capability in Business Analysis (CCBA®) - Simplilearn], Module 7: Requirements Analysis and Design Definition, Lesson 7.5: Define Transition Requirements, p. 12-13.

A solution approach is an output of the enterprise analysis tasks. A solution approach is a description of the strategy for delivering a solution that meets the business need and aligns with the enterprise architecture. A solution approach defines the scope, boundaries, assumptions, constraints, and risks of the solution, as well as the high-level requirements, costs, benefits, and feasibility of the solution. A solution approach is different from stakeholder concerns, which are the issues, problems, or interests that the stakeholders have in relation to the business need or the solution; solution performance assessment, which is the evaluation of how well the solution meets the business objectives and delivers the expected value; and assumptions and constraints, which are the influencing factors that affect the business analysis work or the solution. References:

CCBA Handbook, page 10

[BABOK Guide], page 10

[Business Analysis for Practitioners: A Practice Guide], page 14

[Business Analysis: The Question and Answer Book], page 9

According to the BABOK® Guide, the plan business analysis activities process is the process of defining the tasks, dependencies, effort, and schedule for the business analysis work. The four inputs to this process are:

Business analysis approach: This input provides information about the selected method and level of detail for performing the business analysis work, such as the plan-driven, change-driven, or hybrid approach, and the level of abstraction, formality, and rigor of the requirements and designs.

Stakeholder list, roles, and responsibilities: This input provides information about the stakeholders who are involved in or affected by the business analysis work, their roles and responsibilities, their communication preferences, and their availability.

Organizational process assets: This input provides information about the policies, procedures, standards, guidelines, and templates that are relevant to the business analysis work, such as the project management methodology, the business analysis methodology, the requirements management plan, and the change management plan.

Business analysis performance assessment: This input provides information about the current state and desired state of the business analysis performance, such as the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the business analysis work, the performance indicators and measures, and the improvement actions and recommendations.

Stakeholder tolerance for risk is not an input to the plan business analysis activities process, but rather an input to the identify risks process, which is a sub-process of the plan business analysis approach process. Stakeholder tolerance for risk provides information about the degree of uncertainty and potential impact that the stakeholders are willing to accept for the business analysis work and the solution. References: BABOK® Guide, page 25; Business Analysis Expert Certification, CCBA® | IIBA®, section “What Should I know to be CCBA Certified?”

When there are relatively few criteria involved in assessing the solution options, it is best to focus on the differences of the solutions, as they are likely to have the most impact on the decision. Focusing on the commonalities, the life cycle costs, or the implementation costs may not provide enough information to distinguish the solutions and select the best one for the business need. References: BABOK Guide v3, section 10.4.3.2; CCBA Handbook, section 5.4.4.3.