Agile Business Analysis - Developing an online knowledgebase and extending the BABOK

[David M.]

The Agile business analysis and requirements community is rich in the diversity of its knowledge and experience.

As some of you may know, IIBA is developing an Agile extension to the Business Analysis Book of Knowledge (BABOK) to reflect Agile working practices, knowledge, skills, and competencies.

A wider community group has also been established to create a business analysis and requirements knowledgebase (resource), gathering the knowledge and experience of those active in Agile business analysis and requirements, for the wider business analysis and Agile communities, and to support IIBA's Agile Business Analysis team incorporating the knowledgebase into the BABOK. This activity may (or may not) also become an Agile Alliance programme.

Hopefully, after we have completed an initial version of the knowledgebase, the group will evolve into a virtual community for Agile business analysis and requirements. At this point, the group is intended to support people adopting Agile techniques.

Over the next six months, we aim to develop:

• an introduction to Agile practices for business analysts;
• an overview of business analysis for Agile practitioners;
• a statement of the typical working practices followed by Agile business analysts; and
• an overview of the roles, skills, and competencies needed - especially those that may be new to many business analysts.

This will initially be delivered as an online knowledgebase (wiki) and an appendix document to the existing BABOK (with a view to it becoming incorporated in version 3.0).

If you would like to be involved, we’re putting together a team of business analysts experienced with Agile practices to collaborate with others in the Agile and business analysis communities.

This is currently being led by IIBA, with the involvement of several agile business analysts and others from the agile community – including people from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, and USA.

We’re looking for an additional 5-6 people for the core team, and a network of others for them to work with.

If you would like to work with colleagues around the world, as well as those closer to home; feel that you have a good grip of the BABOK (possibly with CBAP) and strong experience working on agile projects that would equip you to do this; and are able to give around 5-10 hours per week for the next six months; then please submit, by email to david.morris@theiiba.org, a brief description (no more than 2 sides of A4) of what you would be able to contribute with an overview of your business analysis and Agile experience and qualifications.

We’ll be reviewing these and hopefully holding brief discussion sessions (via Skype) with a number of people with a view to kicking this off in the New Year.

I look forward to working with you.