IIBA CBAP Actual Questions

According to the BABOK® Guide, one of the tasks of the business analyst is to obtain stakeholder approval on requirements. This task involves ensuring that the stakeholders have a shared understanding of the requirements and that they agree on their validity and priority. The business analyst also has to address any concerns, issues, or conflicts that may arise during the approval process. The business analyst has to communicate the requirements clearly and effectively, using appropriate techniques and tools, such as presentations, prototypes, models, or simulations. The business analyst also has to document the approval decisions and track the status of the requirements throughout the project lifecycle. The other options are not relevant to this task. The stakeholders’ ability to pay for the solution is not a factor in the approval of the requirements, but rather a factor in the feasibility and viability of the solution. The project manager’s input on the solution is not a substitute for the stakeholder approval, but rather a complement to it. The project manager may have a different perspective and interest in the solution than the stakeholders. Getting all the stakeholders to sign off on the requirements is not enough to ensure their understanding and agreement. The business analyst has to verify that the stakeholders have reviewed and comprehended the requirements before obtaining their signatures. References:

• BABOK® Guide, Version 3, Section 4.5: Obtain Stakeholder Approval on Requirements, page 118-120.
• Getting Back to Basics: Delivering Approved Requirements - Modern Analyst, paragraph 2-3.
• Requirements approvals – The Functional BA, paragraph 1-2.

According to the BABOK® Guide, one of the elements of the conduct elicitation activity is tracking the time actually spent eliciting the requirements. This element helps to provide a basis for future planning by comparing the actual time spent with the planned time, identifying the variances, and analyzing the causes and impacts of the variances. Tracking the time actually spent eliciting the requirements also helps to monitor the progress and performance of the elicitation activities, evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the elicitation techniques, and improve the estimation and scheduling of future elicitation activities. The other options are not elements of the conduct elicitation activity, although they may be related to it. The number of stakeholders that did not participate in the requirements elicitation is an element of the confirm elicitation results activity, which helps to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the elicitation outcomes. The cost of actually eliciting the requirements is an element of the manage requirements traceability activity, which helps to track the relationships and dependencies among the requirements and other project deliverables. The changes that entered the scope throughout the requirements elicitation activities are an element of the maintain requirements activity, which helps to manage the changes and updates to the requirements throughout the project life cycle. References:

• BABOK® Guide v3, section 4.2, page 108-109
• Conducting elicitation activity – The Functional BA, paragraph 1
• Prepare for Elicitation, paragraph 2
• Elicitation and Facilitation—Tools, Tips, and Techniques, paragraph 2

Categorizing and ranking requirements is a technique of prioritizing requirements based on multiple criteria and dimensions. Categorizing requirements by type of work can help to group the requirements that have similar characteristics, such as functional, non-functional, technical, or business requirements. Ranking requirements within each category by ease of implementation to difficulty of implementation can help to determine the effort, time, and resources needed to implement the requirements, as well as the potential risks and dependencies. This approach can help Zoe to plan the solution delivery and to balance the scope, quality, cost, and schedule of the project. References: BABOK Guide v3, page 52; CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, page 160.

 Crashing is a process of adding labor to a project to reduce the project duration. Crashing involves increasing the resources, such as staff, equipment, or materials, to accelerate the completion of critical activities. Crashing may also involve paying overtime, hiring consultants, or outsourcing some tasks. Crashing is usually done when the project is behind schedule or when there is a need to meet a deadline. Crashing may increase the project cost and risk, so it should be done carefully and only when necessary.

Forming, storming, and rolling wave planning are not related to the process of adding labor to a project. Forming and storming are stages of team development, where the team members get to know each other and resolve conflicts. Rolling wave planning is a technique of iterative planning, where the work to be done in the near term is planned in detail, while the work in the distant future is planned at a higher level. References:

• CBAP Certification Study Guide v3.0, page 33
• BABOK Guide v3, page 16
• Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) | Coursera, Course 3, Week 3, Video: “Project Management Concepts”