Helping Hand Questions for CCBA

A sponsor is a business analysis stakeholder who authorizes, funds, and supports the business analysis activities and resources in order to achieve the desired business outcomes. A sponsor is typically a senior executive or manager who has the authority and influence to approve and prioritize the project scope, budget, and schedule. A sponsor also provides strategic direction, resolves issues, and champions the project within the organization. A business analyst works closely with the sponsor to understand their needs, expectations, and goals, and to communicate the project status, risks, and benefits.

References: The role and responsibilities of a sponsor are described in the BABOK Guide, version 3, under the section 2.2 Stakeholders1. The CCBA Certification Study Guide, version 3, also covers this topic under the chapter 5 Elicitation and Collaboration2. Additionally, the Business Analysis for Practitioners: A Practice Guide provides a detailed explanation of how to engage and manage sponsors throughout the project life cycle

Allocating requirements is the process of assigning stakeholder and solution requirements to solution components, releases, and organizational areas. The purpose of this process is to maximize the business value delivered by the solution, by ensuring that each requirement is addressed by the most appropriate component, release, or area. Allocating requirements also helps to manage dependencies, risks, and priorities among requirements. References:

• Business Analysis Expert Certification, CCBA® | IIBA®, section “Who can Become a CCBA?”
• A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide), version 3, section 6.4 “Allocate Requirements”

According to the BABOK Guide, the task of assessing proposed solutions involves analyzing the feasibility, risks, impacts, and benefits of various solutions that could address the business need1. This task requires input from various stakeholders who have different perspectives and expertise on the problem and the solution domains. Among the stakeholders listed in the question, the one that will provide information on technical constraints that could limit the solutions that may be implemented is suppliers. Suppliers are external entities that provide products or services that are part of the solution or that enable the delivery of the solution2. Suppliers can provide information on the technical specifications, capabilities, limitations, costs, and availability of their products or services, which can affect the feasibility and suitability of the proposed solutions3.

The other options are not correct stakeholders for providing information on technical constraints that could limit the solutions that may be implemented:

• Project manager: The project manager is responsible for planning, executing, monitoring, and controlling the project activities, resources, budget, and schedule2. The project manager can provide information on the project constraints, such as scope, time, cost, quality, and risk, but not on the technical constraints of the solutions3.
• Sponsor: The sponsor is the person or group who authorizes, funds, and supports the project and the solution2. The sponsor can provide information on the business objectives, priorities, expectations, and benefits of the solutions, but not on the technical constraints of the solutions3.
• Operational support: The operational support is the person or group who provides ongoing maintenance and support for the solution after it is deployed2. The operational support can provide information on the operational requirements, issues, and performance of the solutions, but not on the technical constraints of the solutions before they are implemented3. References:
• 1: BABOK Guide, section 6.1 Assess Proposed Solution, page 112
• 2: BABOK Guide, section 2.2 Stakeholder Roles, page 23-25
• 3: CBAP/CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, 2nd Edition, by Susan Weese and Terri Wagner, Wiley, 2011, page 296-297

 According to the BABOK® Guide, the purpose of managing the solution scope and requirements from a business analyst’s objective is to ensure that the requirements and designs are aligned with the business need and the agreed solution scope, and that they are understood and approved by the key stakeholders. The business analyst (BA) should obtain and maintain consensus among the key stakeholders for the overall solution scope, which defines the boundaries and deliverables of the solution. The BA should also manage the changes to the solution scope and requirements, and communicate them to the relevant stakeholders. Therefore, option C is the correct answer. The other options are not the primary purpose of managing the solution scope and requirements, but rather the outcomes or benefits of doing so. References: BABOK® Guide, page 38; Business Analysis Expert Certification, CCBA® | IIBA®, section “What Should I know to be CCBA Certified?”