2021 A Year in Review
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As we wrap up 2021, I thought we should look at the milestones that shaped the past year. From the impact of COVID-19 to Zoom fatigue to the Great Resignation, work has changed a lot and it has taken organizations and professionals time to adjust. The pandemic also sparked opportunities for business analysis professionals as businesses increased their focus on Agile analysis, data analytics, and digital transformation.
Let's take a moment to review some of our amazing accomplishments throughout the year:
Global Reach
We have expanded our focus to become more global.
IIBA has been working with French language and Japanese Chapters to support the translation of our IP (Intellectual Property) and some exam content to enable IIBA to offer learning materials in local languages. Thanks to our French-Canadian volunteers, IIBA released the French ECBA exam in September 2021 and the French Edition of BABOK® Guide in March 2021.
We are also aligning our events strategy with our translation work. In December 2021, IIBA hosted Vive l’analyse, a 3-day, French language business analysis conference targeting European, African, and Canadian professionals. Attendee comments ranged from, “Belle présentation ! Merci beaucoup” to “très inspirant” and “Merci pour cette riche présentation”. If you missed this ground-breaking event, you can access the content on-demand (But hurry, the offer ends January 31, 2022).
Domain Leadership
We are the leading voice in business analysis.
Using engagement scoring allows IIBA to quantifiably measure how active (or engaged) our members are. Recently IIBA invited Members to join in one-on-one interviews to learn first-hand about their experiences. We heard about what we are doing well, what Members want to see less of, what Members want to see more of, and what Members want us to continue doing. Through active listening, we found some ways to simplify and improve how we engage with new and long-term members to enhance their member journey.
New in 2021, IIBA launched a Global Research Program to share insights to help you address challenging business problems. In the Achieving More with Data series, IIBA provides essential insights into the critical role business analysis skills play in today's data-driven culture. This research quantifies capabilities leading to project success and the impact of business analysis in driving increased ROI and reduced failure rates in data analytics projects. The Global State of Business Analysis survey (formerly the Salary Survey) is now published under the umbrella of the Global Research Program. The annual survey looks at the maturity of the practice, skills in-demand, career information, and more to share a snapshot of the landscape of business analysis in 2021.
Effective Networks
We support connected and effective communities across all stakeholders.
IIBA is incredibly thankful to our Partners who help us advance the practice and support the learning and development of business analysis professionals. Thank you to our Academic, Endorsed Education Providers and Corporate Members. This year IIBA recognized AstraZeneca, United Kingdom for Leadership Excellence in the Advancement of Professional Development in Business Analysis; North Highland Worldwide Consulting received the Leadership Excellence in Business Analysis Advocacy & Corporate Engagement award; and Commonwealth Bank of Australia was the recipient of the Leadership Excellence in the Practice of Business Analysis. If you missed the presentation, you can watch it here.
Robust Content
We co-create and disseminate content as the definitive voice for standards and an authoritative voice for practice.
The launch of KnowledgeHub for Members enables users to dig deeper into techniques and explore examples and resources to apply to their everyday business analysis practice. This tool brings together community-driven content in a variety of formats including checklists, templates, videos, and more in a searchable format that acts as a “how-to” resource supporting the techniques and approaches in BABOK® Guide and The Guide to Business Data Analytics. In the recent phase two launch, IIBA added new scenarios including:
- How do I talk and communicate to executives?
- How do I manage logistics for elicitation activities?
- How do I know when to verify vs validate requirements?
- How do I understand business rules and business processes?
Certification Roadmap
In addition to publishing KnowledgeHub content and resources, IIBA released our Guide to Product Ownership Analysis, ECBA™ (Entry Certificate in Business Analysis) exam refresh (with updated exam questions), Certificate of Product Ownership Analysis (IIBA®-CPOA), Canadian French ECBA™, Canadian French edition of BABOK® Guide, and began work on refreshing the Core Standard.
Product Ownership Analysis (POA) was widely embraced by our community this year. IIBA's Guide to Product Ownership Analysis provided a foundational understanding of the Product Ownership Analysis discipline and outlines a defined framework, techniques, and case studies for practical application. Along with the Guide, Digital Access Resources were also launched as another way to absorb the concepts of POA.
More than 800 people registered to write the CPOA exam within the first month of launch and as of November 30, 2021, there are more than 500 CPOA certified individuals. Congratulations to those newly CPOA certified professionals! 
Meaningful Engagement
We have clear customer value in every area where we engage, especially with our members and enterprise partners.
Chapter Harmonization was a huge area of focus for IIBA. We’ve made it simpler for Members to connect with their local Chapter by assigning all Members to a home Chapter. Plus, we made it easy for Members to attend other Chapter events, meetings, and study groups either online or in person.
Volunteering
IIBA’s 2021 Chapter and Volunteer Awards recognized those individuals and teams who have shared their time, knowledge, and expertise by providing community-driven content; translating BABOK® Guide and Certification Exams; organizing and participating in events, study groups, and webinars (over 30 Member exclusive and over 20 public webinars!); and volunteering within Chapters (including launching Mentoring in-a-box).
Processes & Platforms
We are lean, scalable and customer-centric in all processes, tools and systems.
Our Information Technology team supported implementation of Harmonization, two upgrades to our Association Management System, and implementing a new financial system to improve processes for Members, Chapter Leaders, and online customers.
Culture & Organization
We are one team with common direction and mutual dependence, both internally and with our chapters and volunteers.
Member onboarding
This August, we launched a new Member onboarding experience. Finding out what individuals are interested in and helping them navigate to the tools and resources they want helps them feel at ‘home’ on iiba.org and gets them engaged at the start of their IIBA Membership journey.
IIBA’s new vision and mission shared in 2021 have helped guide our work this year. Following this roadmap and the lessons we’ve learned from the pandemic, we’ll continue to support the delivery of better outcomes backed by globally recognized standards and position business analysis for success post-pandemic. We are excited about what’s next and will continue to focus our attention on developing resources in 2022 to meet the growing global analysis demand and support our Membership - so every person achieves more.
IIBA’s KnowledgeHub puts the globally recognized standards for the practice of business analysis right at your fingertips and IIBA Membership gives you exclusive access. If you are not yet a Member, join today to become a Member of IIBA and start experiencing all the benefits.
IIBA Members check out the tools on iiba.org including KnowledgeHub, Global Research Program, Certification, and more.
Not a Member? Join today to access Member tools and resources.
About The Author:
Tiffani Iacolino is a Product Marketing Manager at IIBA® and has 15+ years of marketing experience across the legal, technology, telecommunications, publishing, media, and professional services industries. She’s passionate about delivering meaningful products and solutions to the business analysis community, including IIBA’s latest offering the Cybersecurity Analysis Learning and Certification Program. Hailing from the Greater Toronto Area, she enjoys an amazing cup of coffee, running, and yoga -- between chasing her two adorable children!