I had the pleasure of being a guest at the International Institute of Business Analysts (IIBA) last night. Admittedly, I was hesitant about going at first. I mean wouldn't my time be better spent working on feature based development in SharePoint 3 than swapping Word Templates with a bunch of B.A.'s? Nope.
A short time into the main presentation of the evening, I started to understand the goals of the organization - global recognition of Business Analysts and the development of standards and best practices (also known as the Body of Knowledge or BOK). These guys have a vision, and it is commendable. Anything that can increase awareness and develop global standards in such a challenging and often misunderstood and misapplied field has to be a good thing.
I highly encourage a read through V1.6 of the BOK. Its a long document (329 pages), but its well worth the time investment. With some heavy hitters on the writing panel like Scott Ambler (Agile) and James Baird (BPM), you can be assured the quality of information is outstanding. Put it on your PDA or smart- phone and read it in the Tim Hortons line up - you will thank me.
I'll be joining the IIBA this week. Who knows, I might even present on the role of User Experience in Business Analysis sometime soon. I hope to see you at the next chapter meeting!
Posted in Opinions on January 19, 2007
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