PMI-PBA® Certification Bootcamp

Many organizations are shifting toward a dual role for Project Managers in which they act as both Project Manager and Business Analyst.  PMI’s Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA®) certification is designed for project professionals who play both roles of PM and BA.

The need for Business Analysis certifications is growing along with the role.  The U.S. Bureau of Labor predicts that by 2022, business analysis will increase by 18.6%.  Additionally, Business Analysts ranked the highest for wage growth on Glass Door with a 10% increase from 2014 to 2015 and we’re seeing more organizations include certifications in their hiring criteria.

According to research from the Project Management Institute, in the next five years, more than half of organizations plan to integrate their PM and BA practices.  Much of this change is driven by agile adoptions.

In agile environments, the role of the Business Analyst doesn’t go away; the approach changes.  Instead of performing analysis only at the beginning of a project, analysis in done throughout a project and different techniques may be used.

The PMI-PBA® certification is really about the different kinds of analysis that are needed.  This includes needs assessment, analysis planning, traceability, and other analysis tools and techniques.  The questions on the exam are situational based and not simply memorization of information in a book.

Where the International Institute of Business Analysis’s CBAP® certification is geared toward senior business analysts with 7-10 years of experience and includes a deep dive into the BA role, the PMI-PBA® looks at analysis activities at the business level and focuses on what you should consider along with requirements.

CLICK HERE to hear all of Dayle’s advice for preparing for and passing the PMI-PBA exam

In this episode, Dayle Beyer gives us an overview of PMI’s Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA®) certification. she’ll help us to understand the requirements and benefits of the certification, what the exam covers, and give us some advice on preparing for the exam.

PMI-PBA® Certification Bootcamp

Length:

In-person classes – 4 days / Virtual (Live online) – 8 sessions. Provides 35 contact hours, enough to apply for the PMI-PBA® exam.
Detailed Course Description (.pdf)

Length: 

Want to make sure that you are ready for the PMI-PBA® exam and increase your odds of passing it on the first try?                                                                                                                                                

This comprehensive workshop will prepare you for the PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA®) exam and help you make the most of the limited study time you have.  The course was designed, created, and is taught by recipients of multiple certifications who have been through the PMI-PBA®  in order to help others focus on the critical areas to study and to provide insights into the exam.

It is current with the framework of knowledge outlined by the PMI-PBA® Examination Content Outline and includes over 700 sample PMI-PBA® exam questions to make you ready and know what to expect come test time.  Additionally, you’ll learn test-taking tips and strategies, along with other practice exercises to reinforce the material.

Objectives

  • Identify the critical principles, activities, tasks, techniques, and tips described in the PMI-PBA® Examination Content Outline.
  • Anticipate the four general types of questions that appear on the exam and learn how to answer them.
  • Measure your ability to successfully complete the exam through sample questions in each domain.
  • Dissect and understand tricky sample questions through guided discussion after every practice exam.
  • Develop a personal test prep strategy, employing various test-taking tactics.

WHY TAKE THIS COURSE

  • Increase your confidence and improve your chances of passing the PMI-PBA®  certification exam.

  • Streamline the massive amounts of information required to pass the test.

  • The small-class environment, group exercises, and hundreds of sample exam questions keep you engaged and aid in your retention and learning.

  • Learn from experts. The course is designed and taught by credentialed instructors with extensive knowledge of the business analysis best practices. Our principals are contributing authors of the PMI-PBA® Practice Guide.  

  • Trusted. Study with a firm that has helped thousands of people pass the CBAP® and PMP® exams. We know how to combine learning with test preparation in an engaging way!

  • Earn all 35 Contact Hours needed to apply for certification. 

Pre-Requisites

  • Before taking this course, students should fulfill the Project Management Institute (PMI®) requirements of 4500 hours BA experience with 2000 hours working on project teams.

  • A separate application to take the PMI-PBA® examination is required.

  • We recommend that participants begin their PMI-PBA® application before taking this course, although it is not necessary.

  • We recommend students read the PMI-PBA® Handbook and PMI-PBA® Examination Content Outline prior to class.

  • For maximum preparation value, students should be prepared to take the exam within 3 months of taking the course.

Skill Level: Intermediate

Audience:

All who wish to pass the PMI-PBA® certification exam and become a PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA®). Provides the required 35 contact hours. 

Format: 

To assimilate the vast amount of information needed to pass the PMI-PBA® exam, there is a mixture of lecture, discussion, exercises, quizzes and many practice questions in the course.  Be prepared to answer practice tests to simulate the exam, with discussions about why answers were correct or incorrect.  Many students find this one of the most helpful parts of the class.  You will also learn methods of recall and retention to help retain critical information needed to pass the PMI-PBA®  exam.

WHAT YOU’LL RECEIVE

  • Both our Traditional and Virtual classes use the same materials.
  • Comprehensive study guide with PowerPoint slides and detailed notes to serve as both an in-class guide and on-the-job reference.  
  • Free 90-day subscription to our online PMI-PBA® study exam simulator (with 800 randomized questions and detailed answer explanations). 
  • In-class exams with realistic practice questions and answer explanations.
  • Class discussions that dissect practice questions to learn how to analyze and answer them.
  • Study table of tools and techniques included in the exam.

Course Content:

Introduction to PMI-PBA® Certification

Overview of certification process, requirements, and application tips

PMI-PBA® Exam overview

21 proven exam-taking tactics and tips to reduce anxiety and increase results

Exam Content

5 Domains

Business Analysis and Project Management terminology

Practice Exam Questions & Review

Needs Assessment

Define the business problem or opportunity

Develop the business case

Propose solution scope

Determine the value proposition

Develop project goals and objectives

Identify stakeholders

Determine stakeholder values

Define product scope baseline

Tools and Techniques

Elicitation

Problem solving and opportunity identification

Root cause analysis

Scope modeling

Stakeholder analysis

Valuation

Practice Exam Questions & Review

Planning

Determine project context

Determine project lifecycle approaches

Review business case

Plan requirements traceability

Create requirements management plan

Plan requirements change control

Plan for document control

Define project expected outcomes

Define the solution evaluation process

Determine key performance indicators

Tools and Techniques

Contingency planning

Document management

Estimating

Planning

Refine stakeholder analysis

Requirements prioritization

Scheduling

Traceability

Practice Exam Questions & Review

Analysis

Utilize the iterative elicitation process

Elicit requirements

Analyze, decompose and elaborate requirements

Perform gap analysis

Compare requirements to product scope

Accept requirements

Allocate requirements

Obtain requirements sign-off

Create requirements baseline

Write requirements specifications

Validate requirements

Elaborate and specify detailed requirements acceptance criteria

Tools and Techniques

Allocate requirements

Analytic

Business rules analysis

Data analysis

Decision making

Elicitation

Interface analysis

Measurement tools

Prioritization

Process analysis

Scope Modeling

Validation

Valuation

Verification

Practice Exam Questions & Review

Traceability and Monitoring

Trace requirements

Monitor requirements status

Update requirements status

Communicate requirements status

Manage changes to requirements

Tools and Techniques

Backlog management

Change control

Issue tracking

Requirements traceability matrix

Practice Exam Questions & Review

Evaluation

Validate test results

Analyze solution gaps

Gap analysis

Go / No-Go recommendation

Obtain solution sign-off

Evaluate solution results

Tools and Techniques

Analyze solution gaps

Evaluate solution results

Measurement

Quality control and management

Validate test results

Valuation

Verification

Practice Exam Questions & Review

Soft Skills

Techniques

Collaboration Tools

Conflict management

Facilitation tools

Leadership principles & skills

Negotiation

Political and cultural awareness

Systems thinking

Practice Exam Questions & Review

Test-Taking Strategies

The exam process: what to expect

Study and test tips

Creating your own test prep strategy

Discuss simulated “take home” exam and online study exam strategies

Re-certification

 

Note: We are constantly improving our course offerings to ensure the best training possible and to keep you abreast of the latest industry trends.  As a result, this outline is subject to change.