Helping Hand Questions for CCBA

Baseline requirements are the set of requirements that have been formally reviewed and agreed upon by the stakeholders. They serve as a reference point for the development and testing of the solution, as well as for the evaluation of the benefits and value delivered by the solution. Baseline requirements are not final or fixed; they can be changed if there is a valid reason and a proper approval process. Any changes to the baseline requirements must be documented and communicated to the relevant stakeholders, and they must follow a change control system that defines the roles, responsibilities, procedures, and tools for managing changes.

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 document that can provide the governances for enterprise analysis efforts is organizational process assets. This is a term that refers to the policies, procedures, standards, guidelines, templates, and tools that are used by the organization to conduct business analysis work12. Organizational process assets help to ensure consistency, quality, and compliance of the business analysis activities and deliverables. The other options are not documents that provide the governances for enterprise analysis efforts, but rather factors or outputs that influence or result from the business analysis work, such as enterprise environmental factors (B), which are the internal and external conditions that affect the organization and the business analysis work3, business analysis plans ©, which are the documents that describe the approach, scope, activities, deliverables, and stakeholders of the business analysis work4, or project charter (D), which is the document that formally authorizes and defines the objectives, scope, and stakeholders of a project5. 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

According to the CCBA® Handbook, one of the techniques for requirements elicitation is focus group, which is “a facilitated session that brings together a pre-defined group of stakeholders to discuss and provide feedback on a topic” (p. 22). Focus group is a useful technique when you have a large number of stakeholders who share similar characteristics, needs, or interests, and you want to gather their opinions, preferences, or expectations in a structured way. By meeting with a small group of administrative assistants that will serve as representatives for the remaining administrative assistants, you can use the focus group technique to elicit their requirements for the new software. You can also validate the requirements with the larger group of administrative assistants through other techniques, such as surveys or questionnaires. The other options are not correct because:

B. You will need to meet with all of the administrative assistants as part of requirements elicitation is not a feasible or efficient approach, as it would require a lot of time, resources, and coordination to involve 2,400 people in the elicitation process. It would also create challenges for managing and analyzing the requirements data.

C. You can meet with a small group of administrative assistants and assume their requirements are reflective of the remaining group of administrative assistants is not a reliable or valid approach, as it would introduce the risk of missing, misinterpreting, or conflicting requirements from the larger group of administrative assistants. It would also reduce the stakeholder engagement and satisfaction with the solution.

D. You can meet with the administrative assistants’ managers is not a sufficient or representative approach, as it would exclude the direct input from the end users of the new software, who are the administrative assistants. The managers may not have the same level of knowledge, experience, or perspective as the administrative assistants, and may not be able to articulate their requirements accurately or completely. References:

CCBA® Handbook, p. 22

12 Techniques for Requirement Gathering | Indeed.com, section “Focus group”

According to the CCBA® Handbook, one of the tasks of the business analyst is to “recommend actions to increase the value delivered by the solution” (p. 11). This task involves evaluating the potential value and benefits of each solution option, comparing them to the costs and risks, and recommending the best option or no option at all. If none of the proposed solutions provide enough value to justify being implemented, the business analyst should tell the stakeholders to terminate the initiative, as it would not meet the business need or deliver the expected return on investment. The other options are not appropriate actions for the business analyst to take, as they do not address the issue of value alignment. References:

CCBA® Handbook, p. 11

BABOK® Guide, p. 35, 106