Business Analytics Certification

Business Analyst is our new corporate colleague

who is helping organizations in three unique ways that no one
else is capable of doing. She is (1) helping organizations to
visualize a to-be-solution without actually building the solution
(2) achieving that objective at a minimal cost and (3) providing a
road-map to the project manager. Information technology is the
first industry that introduced business analysis position at a
large scale to bridge the gap between the business owners and
the developers in multi-million dollar projects. But subsequently,
after witnessing the contribution of business analysts, other
industries followed suit. Today business analysts are very
common in industries such as Banking, Finance, Insurance,
Healthcare, Hospitality, Automotive, Aviation, Supply Chain,
Retail etc.

Till today, there are no graduate or postgraduate business analysis programs offered in universities
(except a few in North-America). On the other hand, companies in
various industries have a huge demand for trained business
analysts. In the absence of trained manpower, the best bet for
these companies is to go for candidates who have decent
business knowledge with analytical and communication skills.
Though

the

academic

system

is

not

very

responsive to this industry need, few not-for-profit associations

came up to provide a structure to this emerging profession. The
pioneer among them is International Institute of Business
Analysis (IIBA), Canada established in the year 2003. IIBA
through its Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) first
gave a framework to this profession. It conducts examinations
such as CCBA and CBAP to certify professionals in business
analysis.
Business Analysis Body of Knowledge Version
2.0 consists of nine chapters. I would group them into two
categories. One is foundation chapters and the other is
knowledge areas. The foundation chapters are Introduction,
Underlying Competencies and Techniques. The knowledge areas
are

Business

Enterprise

Analysis

Analysis,

Planning &

Requirements

Monitoring,
Analysis,

Elicitation,

Requirements

Management & Communication and Solution Assessment &

Validation. By mastering these nine chapters one can claim that
he or she has a thorough understanding of business analysis

framework and can effectively perform the business analysis role

to a perfection.
Till 2009, academic credential or certification
was not a necessary one to become a successful business
analyst. But subsequently with the popularity of CCBA and CBAP
certifications, the depth of knowledge and value exhibited by
those certified, companies started looking for candidates with
these certifications. This trend is increasing year-after-year as we
started seeing more and more companies are asking for CBAP
certifications in their job descriptions.
Why to go for Certification?
1. Certification gives a framework of knowledge to the business
analyst and adds an academic credential that provides immense
confidence while performing business analysis.
2. Certification demonstrates that the individual has undergone a
rigorous assessment and acts as a benchmark in recruitment
and client relationship.
3. It connects the certified to a worldwide community to keep
abreast with the latest trends in the profession.