Two of our Business Analysts are actively participating as volunteers in the IIBA Brussels Chapter. They work to promote the professionalisation of the profession discipline and the continuous improvement of methodologies.

The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA®) is an independent, non-profit professional association dedicated to the growing field of Business Analysis.

Contraste’s Business Analysts have decided to become involved in this organisation as volunteers. In this way, they participate in the improvement of methods and the professionalisation of the Business Analyst profession discipline in a global way. Being part of the IIBA community means distancing yourself from daily life, comparing your experience with that of other BAs and learning from best practices.

The Contraste group is very proud of these personal initiatives and encourages them. Indeed, the approach enriches not only personal knowledge but also the company and the services we deliver to clients.

Focus on two successful assignments in 2020.

Promotion of the profession of Business Analyst

Today, the role of the Business Analyst is still relatively unclear. The IIBA aims in particular to professionalise the profession, mainly through the promotion of the BABOK Guide and the accompanying certification programmes. Within this framework, the IIBA organizes a programme of educational seminars, workshops, presentations and other services to help BA professionals obtain certification and progress in their careers.

Robin Smets, Senior BA Analyst, is a volunteer at the IIBA and is responsible for professionalization development. He explains that his responsibilities include :

  • Recommending topics for IIBA BXL Board meetings
  • Ensuring the quality of the programme
  • Programming and communicating on CBAP ® (Certified Business Analysis Professional®) study groups
  • Promote webinars and training opportunities
  • Negotiate and plan training opportunities for members on favourable terms and conditions
  • Identify new offers, services and programmes useful to members

The big Belgian Business Analysis Survey

This year, the IIBA Brussels Chapter carried out the very first survey to map the Belgian Business Analysis landscape.

Saartje Lambregts, BA at Contraste, was involved in this study. She points out some of the elements revealed by this survey of around 200 professionals.

  • BA's are everywhere: in every industry, every sector and every geographical location. Regardless of their title
  • The BA title and the role of BA do not always go together: many BA professionals do not carry the title and conversely, many BAs take on different roles.
  • Most BAs learn the trade on the job.
  • Interactive tools are very popular in the trade and process models are the BA's best friends.
  • Most BA's respondents prefer to work in an agile context. The survey also gives some recommendations on how to move towards more agile methodologies.

This study is not an end in itself. Community sessions are organised on a regular basis. They allow the BA to reflect on and discuss the results, with the aim of creating reflections among participants that help them in their daily tasks. On the other hand, the aim is to make the survey increasingly relevant and to renew it in the coming years.

Read the full results of the study.

 

Contraste and Business Analysis

Contraste's teams are constantly looking for innovative ways to help companies solve complex situations and represent them in the simplest possible way.

Agile methodologies, change management and process improvement are at the heart of the expertise that Contraste offers companies to face master the ongoing digital revolution. Our Business Analysts advise companies to take up the challenge of an agile and sustainable IT strategy.

We find that the BA often joins the IT project too late. He or she must be present from the very beginning, in order to derive maximum added value from the project.

"A Business Analyst is someone who will seek to create added value, with a perfect understanding of the business and what it wants to move towards, and then provide solutions".