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113 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What does the "Underlying Competencies" knowledge area describe? |
The behaviors, characteristics, knowledge, and personal qualities that support the practice of business analysis. |
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What are the six underlying competencies identified in the BABOK?
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- Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving - Behavioral Characteristics - Business Knowledge - Communication Skills - Interaction Skills - Software Applications |
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True or False: the underlying competencies described in the BABOK are unique to the professional of business analysis.
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FALSE
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What are the types of Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving?
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Creative thinking, decision making, learning, problem solving, and systems thinking
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What is the purpose of "Creative Thinking"?
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To effectively generate new ideas for approaches to problem solving and generating alternative solutions
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Usage of creative thinking should be ___ and ___ to the situation.
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Innovative and appropriate
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How can a BA promote creative thinking in others?
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By asking questions and challenging assumptions
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What are the effectiveness measures of creative thinking?
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- Successful generation and productive consideration of new ideas - Application of new ideas to resolve existing problems - Willingness of stakeholders to accept new approaches |
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What is the purpose of decision making?
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To be effective in understanding the criteria involved in making a decision, in making decisions, and in assisting to make better decisions.
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What is the definition of "decision making"?
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Gathering relevant information, breaking down the information, making comparison and tradeoffs, and choosing the most desirable option.
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What are some of the traps that can impede successful decision-making?
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- tendency to accept the initial framing of a problem - sunk cost fallacy - tendency to place greater weight on evidence that confirms existing impressions |
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What are the effectiveness measures of decision making?
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- Confidence of the participants that a decision is correct - New info or options causing a decision to be revisited are genuinely new and not simply overlooked - Decisions are effective in addressing the underlying problem - Impact of uncertainty and new info can be effectively addressed |
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What is the purpose of learning?
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To learn about business domains and how they function, and then translate that into an understanding of how to benefit an organization
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What is "learning"?
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The process of gaining knowledge or skills
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What must a business analyst be able to do with information to identify opportunities to creation new solutions or evaluate solutions to ensure they are effective?
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Synthesize
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What are the stages of learning?
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- Initial acquisition of raw facts - Comprehension of their meaning - Applying knowledge in day-to-day work - Analysis, synthesis, and evaluation |
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What are the effectiveness measures of learning?
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- Agreement that analysis models effectively and completely describe the domain - Identification of related problems or issues from multiple areas in the domain - Rapid absorption of new information or new domains |
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What is the purpose of "problem solving"?
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To ensure that the real, underlying problem is understood and that solutions actually address that problem.
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What are the effectiveness measures of "Problem Solving"?
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- Confidence in the process that a selected solution is correct - New solution options can be evaluated effectively with the problem solving framework - The process avoids making decisions based on preconceived notions, policies, or other traps |
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What are some problems that may cause a suboptimal solution to be selected?
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Preconceived notions, policies, or other traps
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What is the purpose of "Systems Thinking"?
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Understanding how people, processes, and technology within an organization interact in relationships and patterns to create a system as a whole
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What is "systems thinking"?
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It suggests that the system as a whole will have properties, behaviors and characteristics that emerge from the interaction of components, which are not predictable from an understanding of the components alone.
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True or False: a system is always an IT system.
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False. It is much broader; may include people, interactions between them, external force, and all other relevant elements and factors
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What are the effective measures of "systems thinking"?
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- Understanding of how a change to a component affects the system as a whole - Identification of reinforcing and compensating feedback loops - Understanding of how systems adapt to external pressures and changes |
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What are the behavioral characteristics needed by BAs, as listed in the BABOK?
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Ethics, Personal Organization, and Trustworthiness
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What is the purpose of "Ethics" in business analysis?
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Must be able to behave ethically in order to earn the trust and respect of stakeholders, and be able to recognize when a proposed solution or requirement present ethical difficulties.
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True or False: fair treatment requires that the outcome be beneficial to a particular stakeholder group
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False, but it does require the affected stakeholders understand the reasons for the decision
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Why must a BA be able to identify when an ethical dilemma occurs?
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To understand how such dilemmas may be resolved
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What are the effectiveness measures of ethical behavior?
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- Decisions are made with due consideration to the interests of all stakeholders - Reasons for a decision are clearly articulated and understood - Prompt and full disclosure of potential conflicts of interest - Honesty regarding one's abilities, performance of one's work, and accepting responsibility for failures or errors |
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What is the purpose of a BA having personal organization?
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To assist the BA in effectively managing tasks and information
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What is personal organization?
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Ability to readily find file or information, timeliness, management of outstanding tasks, and appropriate handling of priorities.
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What does effective time management require?
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Effective prioritization, elimination of procrastination, and clarity of goals and expectations.
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What are some standard techniques for applying personal organization?
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Action plans, to-do lists, priority setting
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What are the effectiveness measures of personal organization?
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- Ability to find information - Regular on-time completion of tasks - Efficiency in the completion of work - Ability to easily identify all outstanding work and that status of that work item |
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What is the purpose of trustworthiness in a BA?
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To earn the trust of key stakeholders to ensure that the BA is able to elicit requirements around sensitive issues and ensure that recommendations are properly evaluated
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What does "trustworthiness" require of a BA?
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That they engage with the stakeholder's needs, not desires, and that they honestly address issues when they occur
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What are the types of "Business Knowledge" a BA should be aware of?
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- Business Principles and Practices - Industry Knowledge - Organization Knowledge - Solution Knowledge |
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What is the purpose of a BA knowing about business principles and practices?
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To ensure that they are incorporated into and supported by solution
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What are business principles?
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Characteristics that are common to all organizations with a similar purpose and structure (regardless of industry)
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What are some common sets of functional areas of organizations?
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HR, Finance, IT, Supply Chain Management
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What are the effectiveness measures of "business principles and practices"?
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Understanding of: - Business environments, operations, process and practices - Relevant regulatory, compliance, and government frameworks - Auditing and security issues |
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What is the purpose of a BA having industry knowledge?
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Understanding new challenges that may be posed by competitive moves, and which solutions have proven effective elsewhere |
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What is "industry knowledge"?
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Understanding of the competitive forces that shape an industry
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What does industry knowledge require that a BA understand?
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- Various customer segments that an industry services - Demographic or other characteristics common to that segment - Major trends impacting the industry - Competitors and their actions |
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What industry knowledge must a BA know?
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Knowledge of: - Major competitors and partners of the organization - Major customer segments - Common products and product types - Sources of industry information, including trade magazines/journals |
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What industry knowledge must a BA understand?
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- Industry-related material; what's going on in the industry - How to identify key trends shaping the industry - Industry-specific resources and process documents - Industry standard processes and methodologies - Industry regulatory environment |
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What is the purpose of a BA having organization knowledge?
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Assists in understanding of the organization for which business analysis is being performed
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What is "organizational knowledge"?
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An understanding of the business architecture of the organization that is being analyzed
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What does understanding organization knowledge include?
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- Business models - Organizational structure - Relationships between business units - People who occupy key stakeholder positions |
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Understanding of an organization requires understanding of information __ of ___ and __ that usually exist in parallel with formal ones.
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Lines of communication, authority
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Besides lines of communication, the BA must also understand what?
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The internal politics that govern or influence decision-making
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What are the effectiveness measures of organizational knowledge?
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- Understanding of terminology or jargon - Understanding of the products or services offered - Ability to identify SMEs in the organization - Organizational relationships and politics |
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What is the purpose of Solution Knowledge for a BA?
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Used to identify the most effective means of implementing a change
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What is the definition of "Solution Knowledge"?
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Familiarity with the range of solutions or suppliers can assist with the identification of possible alternatives
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What are the effectiveness measures of solution knowledge?
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- Reduced time or cost to implement - Shortened time on requirements analysis and/or solutions design - Understanding when a larger change is justified based on business benefit - Understanding how additional capabilities present, but not current used, in a solution can be deployed to provide business value |
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What are the types of "communication skills" a BA should have?
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- Oral communications - Teaching - Written communications |
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What is the purpose of oral communication?
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To enable business analysts to effectively express ideas in ways that are appropriate to the target audience
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What is "oral communication"?
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Ability to verbally express ideas, information, or other matters
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Oral communication is a __ communication channel.
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Rich
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True or False: Oral communication includes both emotional and non-verbal cues
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TRUE
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What are two communication skills required for effective oral communication?
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- Ability to make oneself understand - Active listening skills to ensure statements of others are understood |
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In order communication, the BA must understand the __ of communication, and how it can positively or negatively influence the listener.
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Tone
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When is oral communication the most effective?
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When the information being communicated will be used in the short term
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What are the effectively measures of oral communication?
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- Effectively paraphrasing statements - Effectively facilitating sessions, ensuring success through prep-work and coordination - Developing and delivering powerful presentations - Can communicate criticality or urgency in a calm, rational manner |
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What is the purpose of teaching for a BA?
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Ensures that BAs can effectively communicate issues and requirements and that the information is understood and retained
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What is "teaching"?
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Educating others about the context that a solution will be implemented in
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What are the different learning styles that a BA should be aware of?
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Visual, auditory, kinesthetic
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BAs must understand teaching methods and what else?
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How to confirm the student has learned and can apply that learning
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What are the effectiveness measures of teaching?
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- Verification that learners have acquired information that has been imparted to them - Ability of learners to use new skills or demonstrate new knowledge |
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What is the purpose of written communication for a BA?
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For BAs to document elicitation results, requirements, and other information for which medium-to-long term records are required
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True or False: Oral communication is most effective when in the long-term
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False. This is best for short-term.
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When is written communication typically required?
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For medium-to-long term recording
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Written communication involves the use of __ to communicate information.
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Symbols
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What are the effectiveness measures of written communication?
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- Ability to adjust style of writing to audience - Proper use of grammar and style - Appropriate choice of words - Ability of reader to paraphrase and describe the written content |
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What are the interaction skills needed by a BA?
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- Facilitation and negotiation - Leadership and influencing - Teamwork |
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What is the purpose of facilitation and negotiation for a BA?
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To facilitate interactions between stakeholders to help them resolve disagreements regarding the priority and nature of requirements
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What is "facilitation"?
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The skill of moderating discussions among a group
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What must the BA be able to identify when facilitating?
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- Underlying interests of the parties - Distinguish those interests from their stated positions - Help parties to identify solutions that satisfy underlying interests |
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What are some of the effectiveness measures of facilitation and negotiation?
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- Ensure participants correct understand one another's positions - Use of management skills and tools - Preventing discussions from being side-tracked - Identifying common areas of agreement - Etc... (See BABOK 8.5.1 for more) |
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What is the purpose of leadership and influencing?
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To guide others investigating requirements and to help encourage stakeholder support for a necessary change |
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What is the definition of leadership?
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Involves motivating people to act in ways that enable them to work together to achieve shared goals and objectives
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What does effective leadership require of a BA?
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Ability to develop a vision of a desired future state that people can be motivated to work towards, and the interpersonal skills to encourage them to do so
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What are the effective measures of leadership and influencing?
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- Reduced resistance to necessary change - Team members and stakeholders demonstrating a willingness to set aside personal objectives when necessary - Articulation of a clear and inspiring visions of a desired future state |
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What is the purpose of teamwork?
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To work closely with other team members to effectively support their work so that solutions can be successfully implemented |
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True or False: Team conflict is quite common
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TRUE
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What are the types of conflict?
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Cognitive and emotional
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Emotional conflicts focus on what?
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Personal interactions
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Cognitive conflicts stem from what?
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Disagreements on matters of substantive value or impact on the project or organization
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True or False: Conflicts are either cognitive or emotional, but not both
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False. Many conflict situations encompass both elements.
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What can result from working through problems as a team?
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Strengthening the foundation of the analysis of the solution
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What are the effectiveness measures of teamwork?
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- Fostering a collaborative work environment - Effective resolution of conflicts - Developing trust among team members - Support among the team for shared high standards of achievement - Shared sense of ownership of team goals |
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What are the types of software applications a BA should have knowledge of?
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- General-purpose applications - Specialized applications |
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What is the purpose of general-purpose applications for a BA?
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To document and track requirements using office productivity applications
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What are the main types of general-purpose applications?
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Word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software, collaboration/knowledge management, communication tools
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What are word processors used for?
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To develop and maintain requirements document
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What are the pros of word processors?
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Allow a great deal of control over formatting; standard templates are widely available in this format
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What are the cons of word processors?
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Limited capability for tracking changes/comments; not designed for collaborative authoring
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How are spreadsheet applications used in business analysis?
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To maintain lists; basic mathematical manipulation; support decision analysis; summarizing complex scenarios
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How is Presentation software used in business analysis?
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To support training or introduce topics for discussion
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What is the primary purpose of presentation software?
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To support the structuring and delivery of verbal information
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What does collaboration software support?
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Sharing/storing documents in a multiple-user environment in a collaborative way
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What forms may collaboration software take?
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Document repositories, wikis, discussion forums, etc.
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What are some common communication tools?
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E Mail, Instant messaging
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What is the primary purpose of communication tools?
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To facilitate communication over time or distance
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What are the effectiveness measures of general-purpose applications?
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- Ability to apply an understanding of one tool to other similar tools - Ability to identify major tools in the marketplace and describe how they are used - Understands and is able to use most of the major features of the tool - Able to use tools to complete requirements-related activities more rapidly than without them - Able to track changes to requirements made through the tools |
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What is the purpose of specialized applications in business analysis?
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To support the development of formal models
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What are some types of specialized applications?
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Diagramming tools, modeling tools, requirements management tools
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What are diagramming tools used for in business analysis?
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To support the rapid drawing and documentation of a model
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What re modeling tools used for in business analysis?
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To facilitate the conversion of the model into an executable form; may also verify notation compliance
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What are requirements management tools used for?
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To support change control, traceability, and configuration management of requirements and artifacts.
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What are requirements managements tools designed for?
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To ensure that a reason is recorded for any changes to the requirements and to help rapidly identify any impacts from those changes
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Requirements management tools are most often used by what types of organizations?
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Large and/or geographically dispersed teams
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What are the effectiveness measures of specialized applications?
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The same effectiveness measures as on general-purpose applications |
