New White Paper on PMI-PBA® Certification

Business analysis skills are no longer optional for a project team. Surveys continue to show that poor requirements management is the number one reason for project failures. Project managers either have to enhance their own business analysis skills or bring a business analyst onto their teams as a professional partner from the initiation of a project through closing. Business analysis skills include critical thinking, elicitation, and requirements modeling. These skills and many more are now recognized with the PMI-PBA® Certification program, the PMI Professional in Business Analysis.

When word hit that PMI® was entering the business analysis arena and offering a certification program, Barbara Carkenord, RMC’s Director of Business Analysis Practice, committed to understanding its focus and supporting practitioners interested in attaining it. From the rollout of the PMI-PBA®, she has actively contributed to industry awareness of the program, through webinars, articles, and training.

In her first blog post regarding the PMI-PBA, “PMI and Business Analysis Certification: A Good Fit?”—Barb describes what improving our organizations is all about:

“I can’t predict the future but I’m hopeful the increased attention that will be given to business analysis as an important skill set will continue to grow the profession and improve our organizations. And isn’t that what it is all about? Project managers and business analysts work to improve the way our organizations support customers and to increase the quality of our products. Anything that advances these initiatives will be good for organizations around the world.”

Barb also served as part of the pilot group for the PMI-PBA exam. After taking the exam without any preparation materials, she shared feedback on her experience in the blog post “I Took the PMI-PBA® Exam.” (And she passed!)

Then came her experience at 2014 PMI Global Congress, where she was invited to present a session in the new track Business Analysis and Requirements Management.

Now Barb has created a downloadable article, “The New PMI-PBA® Designation: An Inside Look at Business Analysis and PMI’s New Business Analysis Certification,” which describes the program for people interested in pursuing the certificate.

This article covers what you should know about the PMI-PBA, such as:

Why is PMI focusing on business analysis and requirements management?
What is a business analyst?
Who does business analysis work? Who should get the certification?
The PMI-PBA exam itself
Qualifying to take the PMI-PBA exam
Barb’s thoughts on the PMI-PBA

In the past year, RMC Learning Solutions has created a database of practice questions and exam simulation software, BA FASTrack™ for the PMI-PBA® Exam, as well as Hot Topics PMI-PBA® Exam Flashcards (in flip book or audio CD format). RMC also offers an instructor-led virtual training course to prepare for the exam—and there are students who have taken the course who have already passed!