Happy 2008! With the dawn of a new year, lots of business analysts are looking forward to earning their IIBA certification (CBAP) this year. The number of people who will be able to certify is still limited somewhat because the exam is still taken on paper and must be proctored in select locations. The IIBA is working toward streamlining this process and making the exam more accessible to everyone.

I have heard lots of people speculate that the CBAP will be as popular as the PMP certification. I thought it would be interesting to hear other thoughts on this. I do see great potential in the BA profession as the role solidifies. I think it will take us a few more years to really hit the mainstream. Of course, many new ideas/trends in the IT world fizzle out after a couple of years so this could happen with the BA role. What do you think?

Will the CBAP be as big as the PMP?

1. By

Name: Hidden Hidden Location: Hidden, Hidden Last login: 5/15/2008 Member since: 12/18/2006 Personal Information Country: Hidden City: Hidden State: Hidden IM: View Full Profile >

thumbarger on 1/4/2008
On the usability side of the house, there is a certification called the Certified Usability Analyst or CUA. It would be interesting to get some comments from usability professionals about their certification process and comparable or as big as PMP. This is a designation offered by a company called Human Factors International (one of the largest companies focusing on software usability). I don't know when they first started offering the certification, but they currently mention that more than 1,600 people have earned the designation. It does not appear that the Usability Professionals' Association supports an industry certification similar to the IIBA's CBAP process. There is a link on the UPA's website that discusses a project where certification was examined - http://www.usabilityprofessionals.org/upa_projects/body_of_knowledge/certification_project/

---

2. By

Name: Craig Brown Location: Hidden, AU Last login: 5/14/2008 Member since: 7/13/2007 Personal Information Country: AU City: Unknown State: Hidden IM: View Full Profile >

craigwbrown on 1/15/2008
I reckon that the CBAP is going to be HUGE.

---

3. By

Name: Hidden Hidden Location: Hidden, Hidden Last login: 1/15/2008 Member since: 10/4/2007 Personal Information Country: Hidden City: Unknown State: Hidden IM: Unknown View Full Profile >

pkdaly on 1/15/2008
Certified Usability Analyst is a for-profit product of Human Factors International ($650 for the test and $4500 for the 4 courses + test). It is not recognized by the industry, there are no continuing education, work experience or training requirements. The closest thing to PMP in usability is 'Certified Professional Ergonomist/Certified Human Factors Professional' (CPE/CHFP), however, ergonomics and human factors engineering (and thus the test content) may be totally unrelated to the user experience work a usability professional may be doing--I haven't had to apply any anatomy or safety design knowledge in my software GUIs. CPE has degree, training, work requirements in addition to passing a test, and is governed by a non-profit board. UPA and various usability groups debated certification a while back and got to a stalemate. As a PMP, and usability hiring manager, I see the benefit of independent certification. But it is hard enough to get usability professionals to agree on a job title...

---

4. By

Name: Hidden Hidden Location: Hidden, Hidden Last login: 2/25/2008 Member since: 8/28/2007 Personal Information Country: Hidden City: Hidden State: Hidden IM: Unknown View Full Profile >

john pimentel on 1/17/2008
I am a BA. I joined the IIBA two years ago, and renewed last year. There isn't even a membership card. I wish them well, but I've given the process enough of my own money. With the continued arms race for unique certifications, no doubt this one will survive. My question is whether or not a CBAP will really provide any value to people doing the job? I believe not. As a PMP, I will continue to spend my resources keeping that certification current. It has clout. It is recognized. It is listed in job postings.

---

5. By

Name: Hidden Hidden Location: Hidden, Hidden Last login: 4/18/2008 Member since: 5/4/2007 Personal Information Country: Hidden City: Hidden State: Hidden IM: Unknown View Full Profile >

Kupe on 1/17/2008
Hey John, There is a membership card now! I'm not a PMP, but how does that designation help you as a BA? Was the PMP recognized and on job postings after its 1st year? I'm curious.

---

6. By

Name: Hidden Hidden Location: Hidden, Hidden Last login: 5/15/2008 Member since: 12/18/2006 Personal Information Country: Hidden City: Hidden State: Hidden IM: View Full Profile >

thumbarger on 1/21/2008
[this comment was added by another member, but it got corrupted and I had to re-enter it from the history log] Looking at BA postings on job boards such as Dice, I STILL see BA job descriptions that contain project management experience, project responsibilities in the job itself, and even the PMP certification listed. The PMP does help, because it is recognized. I need a job TODAY. So, my PMP helps me stay employed TODAY. That's not relevant to the original topic, but to the question put to me about how the designation helps me as a BA. Another reason is that the PMP means I gained a thorough understanding of how PMI thinks, and how PMI trained Project Managers like to, or are supposed to, run projects. As a BA, I think it is IMPERITIVE that I understand the boundaries of everyone's job. If I don't know things like that, then I am running around chasing my tail trying to figure out what is done, or isn't done when I am involved. Where did the BA come from? Remember Business Process Improvement? Now it’s Business Analysis, with some of the old some of the new. Please let's not get into a theoretical disucssion of the differences between BPI and BA. We’ll probably have new formulas and t-shirts to differentiate us from the old BPI gang. Where’s that BABOK when I need it? If the topic had been “how valuable is the PMP?” my opinion to that might have led you to believe I LOVED the CBAP. I am neutral to both. I could have left out my remark about not getting a membership card I suppose. My point here is not to beat on the CBAP, but that there is continual repackaging. I truly believe it will be usurped by some other consulting driven paradigm. BPI, TQM, PMP, Six Sigma, CBAP, whatever. These are waves. They are sold. They are integrated. They are forgotten. I am glad the IIBA now has a membership card, but no I do not think the CBAP will be big.

---

7. By

Name: Hidden Hidden Location: Hidden, Hidden Last login: 4/18/2008 Member since: 5/4/2007 Personal Information Country: Hidden City: Hidden State: Hidden IM: Unknown View Full Profile >

Kupe on 1/22/2008
I can't agree with you more that having PM experience and understanding of project roles, etc. is very valuable as a BA. I also agree with you that for today many companies have not embraced the need to have CBAPs on their staff, unlike they have with the PMP. Yes, the PMP is more recognized today. But why don't you think the CBAP will be recognized? Was PMI and the PMP designation recognized to help people get jobs 1 year into certifying people? I don't know that answer, but I assume it took some time to get recognized. I think when the CBAP is widely recognized we are going to see John Pimentel, CBAP!!!!

---

8. By

Name: Hidden Hidden Location: Hidden, Hidden Last login: 1/24/2008 Member since: 11/1/2007 Personal Information Country: Hidden City: Hidden State: Hidden IM: Unknown View Full Profile >

jmedica on 1/24/2008
The CBAP will be as big as the Business Analysts that get certified. If no one does it, then it will die out. If a large group of BA's get certified, it will have meaning. PMP would have little meaning today if it hadn't been touted and pushed by PM's in the field. If we want to be taken seriously as a group, and have some long term credibility, we need to work hard to make this meaningful - in my opinion. This kind of certification can go along with the Center of Excellence concept for Business Analysis, and lends credence to the CoE designation if there are several certified resources on hand. I can't say I am looking forward to the test (who ever looks forward to tests?), but I am looking forward to being Certified.

---

9. By

Name: Hidden Hidden Location: Hidden, Hidden Last login: 4/3/2008 Member since: 7/17/2007 Personal Information Country: Hidden City: Hidden State: Hidden IM: Unknown View Full Profile >

dchu on 1/28/2008
We certainly hope so! This certification is important for BA's and for the industry as a whole because at last the job of "nailing jelly to a tree" has been recognised professionally by the industry. How many times have we been asked "what does a BA do?". And how do we measure the quality of what we do? The emphasis on ensuring that you have the right work experience before applying to sit is a good leveller and the whole format has given our company the means by which to start a career framework for our BA’s. The biggest stumbling block for many BA's downunder is that the majority of proctored exams are held in the Northern Hemisphere, so unless you have VERY generous and supportive company (like I do) it is nigh on impossible for us to get to an examination without paying for the trip ourselves. Given that all bar one exam last year was held in the Northern Hemisphere, this is a very expensive exam! In addition the requirement to have 20 approved candidates before the IIBA will consider holding a proctored exam outside of the established centres is off-putting. Apathy rules unfortunately - people would rather wait to hear if the exam is going to go ahead first before applying. If it were at all possible to set a date immediately I believe people would be more motivated to complete their application form and send it in. Another stumbling block is that in certain companies training for BA's that would keep them up-to-date has been few and far between. If the company you are working for isn't using the methodology, tool or technique, you don't get the training. So meeting the training criteria of 21 hours is pretty tough. So, in conclusion - yes, I think the CBAP certainly has the potential to be as big, if not bigger, than PMP. We just have some hurdles to get over. I believe that once the IIBA get their computer-based exam up and running we will see a surge in uptake. Until then the IIBA may need to find ways to provide better opportunities for holding the proctored exam in other countries.

---

10. By

Name: Hidden Hidden Location: Hidden, Hidden Last login: 5/9/2008 Member since: 2/12/2008 Personal Information Country: Hidden City: Hidden State: Hidden IM: Unknown View Full Profile >

lmhcampbell on 5/9/2008
As a CBAP, I am excited to hear and learn who else is working towards gaining their designation. That being said, I think that we need to be very clear and agile when it comes to maintaining this designation. From the PMI perspective, individuals with the designation of PMP or CAPM have to earn a certain number of PDU's. This is done through Chapter participation/attendance, presenting at Chapters or other industry events and then the more traditional route of formal training. I'd like to see our program incorporate some of this. Having an industry designation for our profession is very important and I anticipate that a great number of business analysis professionals have been wanting something of this caliber for many years. Additionally, I believe that employers have been looking for something that will help to distinguish candidates/employees in the market place.

---