IIBA Denver Chapter Logo

 

 

IIBA Informant
News from the Denver Chapter of the IIBA
May 16, 2016 
In This Issue
May Chapter Meeting
President's Letter
View from the BABOK
Certification FAQs
Membership News
Thank You!
April Networking Event
Get Involved!
Join Our Mailing List!
If you enjoy reading this newsletter and think that other Business Analysts, Project Managers, or Directors in your organization might enjoy it as well, it's easy to share. Just forward it to your colleagues.

 

Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Would you like to receive upcoming issues of this newsletter and learn more about IIBA and the Business Analysis profession? Just click on the Join Our Mailing List link on the IIBA Denver Chapter website.

May Chapter Meeting
Calendar

IIBA Chapter May Meeting is this Wednesday!

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

5:30 - 6:00 - Check in, networking
6:00 - 6:30 - Announcements and Chapter business
6:30 - 7:30 - Presentation
7:30 - 8:00 - Group QA session


Speaker: Michelle Kahler
  
Presentation Title: How to Influence Your Sponsors for Success

Research consistently states that engaged executive sponsorship is one of the most important keys to success for an organization implementing a change effort.  Business Analysts are inherently positioned to influence sponsors and business owners to help lead them through critical change initiatives.  The most effective Business Analysts use their influence with key stakeholders to confirm business objectives align with organizational strategy, clearly define and articulate business needs/requirements and make sure the final solution is what is really needed for the business. Success in this activity elevates the level of the Business Analysts, strengthens their leadership and career development, and provides much needed value to the business.  Join us as Michele guides us through this interactive session.  She will provide insights from across industries and key take-aways that a Business Analyst can implement immediately to improve influence with sponsors and achieve success.

Location:
Business Tech Center
8301 East Prentice Avenue, #400
Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Meeting Call-in Number:
If you can't attend the meeting in person, you can call-in and listen to the meeting announcements and presentation @ 712-432-1212 with ID 642-869-993. Connect to this meeting at this link . If you have problems during the meeting and need help, contact the webinar coordinator using the in-meeting messaging tool.

Cost
There are two levels of membership: 1) IIBA National and 2) IIBA Denver Chapter with IIBA National. The meeting cost is free for members of the Denver Chapter. The cost is $10 for non-members of the Denver chapter. 

Sponsor: 
The meeting is sponsored by Progressive.  
  
President's Letter
by Monte Malenke
As you have probably seen, I recently sent out a special mailing to colorful-tulip-field.jpg announce the board positions that are up for election as new terms start for them on July 1st. This year we will have a couple of positions that the existing board member will not be continuing in that role, specifically VP of Finance and VP of Communication. So this is your chance to step up and invest back to your business analysis community!

Please consider getting involved in one of these roles, as our chapter is completely dependent on the volunteers that make things happen. I think you will find the IIBA Denver Chapter board to be a pleasure to work with and a great experience to be a part of and grow with to expand your own experience and resume. Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Stephanie Vinton at VolunteerCoordinator@denver.iiba.org, or me at President@denver.iiba.org if you considering running for one of these positions, or have someone you would like to nominate.

I look forward to seeing you at the May chapter meeting!
ECS Team - Platinum Level Sponsor
ECS Team is a Platinum Level annual sponsor for 2016, and they are also sponsoring the April Networking event. ECS Team,  a national professional services firm, provides seasoned  consultants w ith deep expertise in a wide range of technologies to deliver  innov ative  solutions. We do this while leveraging your existing technology by working side-by-side with your staff. This approach shortens time-to-market, decreases costs and lowers project risks. For more information, please contact:
 
Chasity Rohl
Senior Staffing Manager
303-565-2785 

Progressive is the May Meeting Sponsor
Progressive began in 1937, and over the years, we have worked hard to build a superior proposition for auto insurance consumers through competitive pricing and by continuously improving our products and services. Today, we offer competitive rates and 24-hour, in-person and online services to all drivers throughout the United States.
 
For more information, visit www.progressive.com
The Business Tech Center Is Our Business Space Sponsor
We would like to the thank The Business Tech Center for their involvement with the IIBA Denver Chapter. The BTC currently has an exclusive offer for IIBA members - get 15% off the rental rate! 
 
To learn more, click here for a map and pictures of our meeting facility. 
or contact Pam Brockhouse at 303-996-2849 or
View from the BABOK®
by Ramkumar V Ramachandran
4.5: Manage Stakeholder Collaboration
BABOK V3 identifies managing stakeholder collaboration as a business analysis task for Elicitation and Collaboration. This task is a new recommendation coming out of BABOK V3 and not in BABOK V2. The purpose of this task, per BABOK V3, is to encourage stakeholders to work towards a common goal.

The more significant the impact of the change or its visibility within the organization, the more attention is directed to managing stakeholder collaboration.

Stakeholder Engagement approach and Business Analysis Performance assessment are the inputs to managing stakeholder collaboration. The Stakeholder Engagement approach describes the types of engagements and how they might be managed. The Business Analysis performance assessment provides information about the effectiveness of tasks including those focused on stakeholder engagement.

To enable this collaboration business analysts should:
  • Gain agreement on the time and resource commitments from them
  • Monitor the risk of losing focus, not providing quality information and delayed approvals
  • Reciprocate the collaboration and encourage free flow of information, ideas and innovations
Various techniques are recommended for managing stakeholder collaboration. Collaborative games could be used to simulate teamwork and collaboration in which knowledge and experience on a given topic can be shared. Lessons learned could be used to understand stakeholders' satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Risk analysis and management could be used identify and manage risks.

The output of the task is the willingness from stakeholders to engage in business analysis activities and interact with the business analyst when necessary.
 

FAQ about New IIBA Certifications

IIBA aligns the development and maintenance of globally recognized standards for business analysis and the certification of BA professionals. On November 5, IIBA announced a new multi-level, competency-based certification program, which will be launched in September 2016. The purpose of this document is to help answer any questions that you may have. Over the coming weeks and months, IIBA will provide additional insight on the exciting new certification program. For answers to FAQs, click here.  
Membership News
by Susan Futey, CBAP, VP Membership
Welcome new Denver Chapter members!

Welcome new Denver Chapter members!
Felicity Halse
Kineta Lievers
Aaron Mayzes
Active Member Count: 92

Not a member yet but interested in joining?
It's a great way to network, share business analysis knowledge and experience, and learn about new techniques and processes.  Best of all, membership is just $25/year Join Now! 
    
Benefits of being a local chapter member:
  • Attend chapter meetings free
  • Participate in Denver Chapter elections (as candidates or as voters)
  • Participate in members-only offers such as volunteer opportunities at BA World
  • Get to wear a snazzy name badge at the meetings
IIBA member, but not a Denver Chapter member, your cost = $10 per meeting. IIBA member and a Denver Chapter member (annual membership fee of $25) your cost = free.
Take advantage of this deal today! 
 
 
You do have to be a member of the IIBA International Organization in order to join the IIBA Denver Chapter. Join IIBA through their website at  www.iiba.org .   IIBA Membership benefits include:
If you have any questions about membership or renewal, please feel free to send an email using the Contact Us link on the IIBA Denver Chapter website.   
Thanking our Volunteers!
by Monte Malenke, President
This month I want to recognize Felicia Arambula and Grant Warden as our co-volunteers of the month! Thank You

They both are stepping down from their roles as VP of the Finance Committee and VP of the Communication Committee, and have made such valuable contributions to the chapter during their terms. They have each been an integral part of keeping the chapter running and have been great to work with. You will both be missed, but thank-you so much for your investments in the chapter!

April Networking Event
On April 20th, 34 people joined the Denver Chapter at Breckenridge Brewery for networking and great food. You can see the fun you missed. Plan to join us in October for our next networking event.
     
 
Get involved! 
by Stephanie Vinton, Volunteer Coordinator
Do you want to support local Business Analysts, the profession, increase visibility to your company, or gain recertification credits? The Denver chapter is looking for help in this manner:

Marketing Committee Rep 
The Marketing committee is seeking one volunteer to expand our efforts to market toward new members. This role would work closely with other IIBA committees (membership, communications) to plan and execute strategies to attract new members, such as membership drives or social media campaigns. Please email marketing@denver.iiba.org if you are interested.

Three chapter VPs 
Three chapter VP positions are open: VP Finance, VP Membership, and VP Communications. These are two year terms starting in July. Contact volunteercoordinator@denver.iiba.org. 
Denver Chapter Education News
by Heidi McLaughlin, CBAP, PMP, VP Education
Chapter Mentor Program 
The Denver IIBA Chapter is dedicated to providing members with various resources to enhance their knowledge and expertise. One resource is our mentor program, which allows individual members to partner with each other with the goal of sharing ideas on strategies, techniques, issues, or anything else that influences their roles as Business Analysts. 

We can each benefit from collaboration and sharing with other members. If you would like more information on how to participate, please contact Heidi for more details.

Call for Speakers 
We are looking for speakers to speak at our chapter meetings on topics relevant to business analysts. If you have an interest in being a speaker, being part of a panel of speakers, or if you know someone who would make a great speaker, please contact Heidi for more details. Some topics that have been suggested are listed below, but of course our interests are not limited to this list.  
  • BABOK Review
  • Agile Extension to the BABOK
  • Process Mapping
  • BA Diagramming & Modeling
  • Elicitation 
  • Enterprise Analysis
Upcoming Chapter Meetings
May 18 - Michelle Kahler will speak on the topic of How to Influence Your Sponsors for Success. Register here.
July 20 - Judy Cacco will speak on the topic To the BABOK and Beyond! -Situational Adventures of BAs.
September 21 - To be announced
November 16 - To be announced

See more details in future newsletters.


Newsletter Editor: Debbie Rasor, CBAP ®
Associate Editor: Barbara Griffith, CCBA ®
  
If you have a contribution to make to the IIBA Informant, please email us at editor@denver.iiba.org

If you are interested in advertising BA-related services in the IIBA Informant, please email us at info@denver.iiba.org.

Produced by the Denver Chapter of the IIBA
 
President (president@denver.iiba.org)
Monte Malenke
 
Finance Committee (finance@denver.iiba.org)
VP-Finance and Treasurer: Felicia Arambula 

Education Committee (education@denver.iiba.org)
VP-Education: Heidi McLaughlin
 
Marketing Committee (marketing@denver.iiba.org)
VP-Marketing: Shaughnessy Speirs

Membership Committee (membership@denver.iiba.org)  
VP-Membership Services: Susan Futey, CBAP
Volunteer Coordinator: Stephanie Vinton (volunteercoordinator@denver.iiba.org)

Communications Committee (communications@denver.iiba.org)
VP-Communication: Grant Warden  

Technology Committee (technology@denver.iiba.org)
AVP: Grant Warden
Webmaster: Linda Meserve

Events Committee (events@denver.iiba.org)  
VP-Events: Gary Weis
Meeting Coordination: Nicole Wilker (meetingcoordinator@denver.iiba.org)
The International Institute of Business Analysis is a non-profit organization for Business Analyst professionals.  The goal of the local Denver Chapter is to support IIBA by (1) advancing the role of the Business Analyst as a recognized profession, (2) support opportunities for members to network with, and gain knowledge from, seasoned BA practitioners as well as industry and government leaders, (3) provide access for members to a formal "knowledge base" as well as forums for sharing expertise, expressing professional opinions and building a reputation within the industry, (4) provide pathways to learn about business analysis best practices, and (5) obtain and sustain a level of financial security, sustainability, and autonomy at the local level.