Comments on: The PMI-PBA vs. IIBA CBAP or CCBA

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 09 May 2016 03:09:34 +0000

In reply to Steve Hodnett. Steve, The PM should NEVER function as a coordinator in a note-taker role. And the BA should not be the person to "execute" the project. Please tell us what company you work for so I can avoid it like the plague.

By: Dan Tampa Bay

Dan Tampa Bay — Sat, 09 Jan 2016 03:07:56 +0000

Hi Laura,

I found your article and comparison assessment of the two certifications very insightful. I am a BA with some PM experience going on my 3rd year in a large financial institution. I ascertained from the article that it is really a mix of 1. what your employer’s scope is/what they desire, 2. what best fits your experience 3. your objective and goals when choosing the right certification. I have been on the fence but am ready to get certified and articles like this certainly help in the decision making process. Thank you for all the insight! I will be following you from now on! Oh and I think the PMI-PBA is the right route for me.

By: Steve Hodnett

Steve Hodnett — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 21:28:36 +0000

In reply to Srila Ramanujam. Not a fan of Business Analysis being subservient to the PM domain. If we do not provide true analysis, evaluations, and recommendations to our business partners then our value to deliver solutions to the business diminishes. I believe the discipline should continue to be independent of the PMI. In my role as a BA, I need the PM to function in a coordinator, note taker type role so that I can create the vision and strategy to execute the project.

By: Laura Brandenburg

Laura Brandenburg — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 02:10:30 +0000

In reply to Jim Reich.

Hi Jim,

Great points about looking at what your employer wants. I would add to look around at what other local employers want too. Sometimes we can get locked into boxes inside our organizations that make us less marketable elsewhere, which limits our career options long-term.

As far as my thoughts on the project BA…

-Many organizations are doing some level of strategic business analysis, it’s just not the BAs who are doing it. I did a lot of this work as a Director of Enterprise Solutions, when I was leading a BA/PM/QA team.
-We cannot merely deliver what the organization asks of us and be disappointed when our role doesn’t expand. Just like you did, we need to educate our organizations about the kinds of activities we can take on as strategic business analysts and proactively work to expand our roles if we want to move into more strategic work.

By: Jim Reich

Jim Reich — Sun, 12 Apr 2015 12:26:55 +0000

Thank you for the thoughtful article. I appreciated your perspective. I’ve been in Business Analysis for 15 years and recently obtained my PMI-PBA. I tested for the CBAP in 2012, but sadly I failed. However I learned a great deal about Business Analysis from IIBA, and put things in place at an organization that represented the more strategic approach that you mentioned.
The one comment I would make regarding the decision to pursue one certification over the other is, to not only assess what a BA desires to focus on, but also what does the organization have an appetite for when it comes to business analysis. In organizations that I have working with in Banking, Healthcare and Insurance, I have found that by and large, all of the organizations want a more project-oriented BA. I find that most organizations are not ready for the strategic BA; mostly from the IT perspective.
I would welcome your thoughts in return. Thanks again!