Events
Upcoming Events
Wed, May 1, 2024
6:00 to 7:30 PM CT
Jamie Champagne
How To Think Like Your Customer When They’re Not Even in the Room
Register Now
Your goal is to delight the customer. But who told you what the customer wants? If you actually get to
interact with your customers, they often want the world on a silver platter with a giant EASY button!
And that story is completely different from what marketing is promoting or what the technology team
is saying is feasible. So how do you “think like the customer” in a way that drives viable solutions?
Mon, May 6, 2024
6:00 to 7:30 PM CT
Social Event to Build a Community
Multi-Chapter Event: Bluegrass, SE Michigan, and Chicagoland
Register
Wed, May 15, 2024
6:00 to 8:00 PM CT
Bowling with the chapter!
Northbrook Pinstripes
1150 Willow Rd, Northbrook, IL 60062
Register
Wed, Aug, 7, 2024
6:00 to 7:30 PM CT
Maria Jacobs, CRM IT Business Solutions Manager, OMRON
Jira Tips & Tricks
Past Events
Members can view presentations for many of these at https://chicago.iiba.org/presentations
Wed, Apr 3, 2024
6:00 to 7:30 PM CT
Hans Eckman
Achieve More By Doing Less
We’re going to Stop the Insanity! There will always be times when extra effort is needed,
but we’ll discover ways to significantly improve your productivity to help you get more
done with the time you have. The key is to understand what is important, how to stop
doing or delegate what isn’t important, and how to recognize the difference.
- Learn how some of our best intentions are counterproductive
- Learn to recognize and correct inefficient behaviors
- Learn cheat codes and techniques that can streamline and automate unimportant tasks
Wed, Mar 6, 2024
6:00 to 7:30 PM CT
Dr. David Marco, President, EWSolutions
AI, ML, and ChatGPT's Role in Data Management
Tue, Feb 13, 2024
6:00 PM CT
Social Event to "Build a Community"
Join us for our themed Agile Tips & Tricks Social event as we continue to "Build our Community". We will be celebrating National Internet Friends Day, National Cheddar Day and Fasnacht Day! What can you make with cheddar cheese? Do you celebrate Fasnacht Day? Let's celebrate our internet friends, like our group that typically attends this event, on National Internet Friends Day! Bluegrass, Southeast Michigan, and Chicagoland IIBA Chapters will once again join together to celebrate our internet friends with cheddar and fasnacht, and learn about some Agile Tips & Tricks from our resident experts. Bring your favorite internet friend and your favorite party recipes to share as well as we continue to "Build our Community."
The Agile Tips & Tricks, recipes and what we build together as our BA technique will be shared with all participants following the event.
Wed, Feb 7, 2024
6:00 to 7:30 PM CT
Robert Snyder, President, Innovation Elegance, LLC.
"What If I Feel Setup To Fail?"
Despite decades of books, certifications, and methodologies for project management and leadership,
failure happens. Failures at the team and individual levels are common. Until project success is
systematic, what can individual employees systematize to fail fast, fail small, and reduce failure—for us
as Business Analysts and for our teams?
This session proposes a half-dozen tools that, when in place, are instrumental for success, then a half-
dozen tools to use to minimize the magnitude of failure. Weaved among the tools are the concepts of
Aikido—a martial art that aims to minimize damage to all stakeholders.
Mon, Dec 4, 2023
6:00 PM CT
Social Event to "Build a Community" hosted with IIBA Bluegrass and IIBA Southeast Michigan
Include Cookie Recipes! It's Naughty or Nice Day!
Wed, Nov 1, 2023
6:00 to 7:30 PM CT
Brad Malone, PMP, President of Twin Star Consulting Company
Assumptions, Constraints, Risks and Issues: Are you powerfully addressing and managing each?
Joint meeting with AITP Chicago (Association of Information Technology Professionals
This discussion will focus on the importance of distinguishing assumptions, constraints, risks and issues and provide state stakeholder management strategies associated with each condition. Many organizations collapse or confuse the four terms, and thus have a difficult time effectively managing the required responses. More mature organizations are beginning to see the value of effectively managing the definition and communication of project assumptions, constraints, risks and issues across similar projects, and are undertaking efforts to invest the time and personnel to identify common assumptions and proactively respond to those systemic risks critical to the success of the organization's projects. Other organizations, however, continue to invest little effort within their project's initiation and planning phases in identifying and communication assumptions and constraints, leaving their project teams in a reactive, fire-fighting mode of managing projects when issues arise in the execution phase. These organizations often have to accept deliverables which don't meet the performance objectives, in a project already late and over budget.
Wed, Oct 18, 2023
6:15PM CT
Pinstripes, Oak Brook
Bowling and Snacks
In-person (sign-up)
Wed, Oct 4, 2023
6:00 to 7:30 PM CT
Deirdre Caren, Agora Insights Ltd
AI in Business Requirements Processes
This one-hour webinar with Deirdre Caren is an invaluable opportunity for business analysts to gain insight into how ChatGPT Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used. Attendees will gain an understanding of why AI is an essential tool for capturing customer needs, as well as an overview of the benefits it provides. The session will also provide a practical look at how AI can be integrated into existing requirement-gathering processes. This webinar is designed for business analysts and other professionals seeking insight into how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used in the requirements-gathering process. It is ideal for project leads, managers, product owners, developers, operations teams, and anyone interested in harnessing the potential of AI to improve their team’s success. It will include a Show & Tell: examples of AI Used in Requirement Gathering and Tips & Best Practices for Using AI in Business Requirements Processes
Wed, Sep 13, 2023
6:00 to 7:30 PM CT
As we celebrate International Chocolate Day, what chocolate recipes do you have? Chocolate fudge, Boston Cream Pie, Chocolate Bunnies or Chocolate Martini? Since it is also National Peanut Day, add some peanuts to your chocolate. This will give you positive thoughts for Positive Thinking Day! Wear your favorite chocolate outfit and bring a friend to our Peanut Chocolate Positive Thinking Celebration!
Bluegrass, Southeast Michigan, and Chicagoland IIBA Chapters are joining together to celebrate chocolate, and learn about some Agile Tips & Tricks from our resident experts. Bring your favorite chocolate recipes to share as well as we continue to "Build our Community."
Wed, Sep 6, 2023
6:00 to 7:30 PM CT
Jen Battan, Uncommon League
Story Mapping
If you agree that creating context is key to problem solving, requirements, and analysis work then story mapping is a tool you need in your toolbox. What other technique helps you take the tiny parts of a product and smoosh it all together to see the shiny new product, with features prioritized and even a hint to a timeline? It's one of The Uncommon League's favorite and most versatile techniques. In this session we’ll go beyond what is a story map to creating one, and learning how to leverage the knowledge the map gives us, no matter what role we’re in.
Wed, Aug 2, 2023
6:00 to 7:30 PM CT
Niel Magsombol, Transformation Architect, In-Vision Consulting
The BA Roles in a Scaled Agile Enterprise
Scaled Agile Framework or SAFe is the #1 scaling framework in the world and consequently there are many career opportunities for the Business Analyst. This session will cover different areas in which a BA can use their unique skills and experience in the different levels of a Scaled Agile Enterprise from tactical to more strategic roles.
#SAFe #ScaledAgileFramework
Wed, Jun 28, 2023
6:00 PM to 7:45 PM CST
Annual General Meeting
Wed, Jun 14, 2023, 6 - 7:30 pm CT
Agile Tips & Tricks Social Event - Multi-Chapter Event to Build Community
Join us for a Father's Day themed Agile Tips & Tricks Social event as we continue to "Build our Community." // What kinds of food do you and your family serve at summer parties to celebrate your father? Fire up the grill and cook those hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken and more. Serve that mac & cheese and potato salad. Maybe homemade ice cream or fruit kabobs. Don’t forget the nice tall cold drink! Wear your favorite floppy hat and shades and bring a friend to our Father's Day party! // Bluegrass, Southeast Michigan, and Chicagoland IIBA Chapters are joining together to celebrate our fathers, and learn about some Agile Tips & Tricks from our resident experts. Bring your favorite summer time recipes and "dad jokes" to share as we continue to "Build our Community". // The Dad Jokes, Agile Tips & Tricks, recipes and what we build together as our BA technique will be shared with all participants following the event.
Wed, Jun 7, 2023, 1 - 2:00 pm CT
Karl Wiegers, Principal Consultant, Process Impact
BA Career Series: Essential Requirements Practices - Multi-Chapter Event (Bluegrass, Kentuckiana, Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati, and Chicagoland IIBA Chapters are joining together)
Many big books on software requirements and business analysis recommend dozens and dozens of practices. They’re all useful in appropriate situations, but it’s daunting to try to remember—let alone implement—the whole set consistently. However, every project should perform 20 core requirements activities. These lay a solid foundation for success and help teams efficiently and effectively elicit, analyze, specify, validate, and manage their requirements. These practices are valuable for both traditional and agile projects, regardless of the kind of product you’re building.
This presentation identifies those 20 core practices and drills down into several of them. They can help project and product teams understand the business problem, engage the right participants, articulate effective solutions, communicate information among stakeholders, implement the right functionality in the right sequence, and adapt to change. Do you have to perform all 20 of these on your project? Maybe not, but you’ll feel less pain and get better results if you do.
Wed, May 3, 2023
6:00 PM to 7:45 PM CST
Susan A Moore, IIBA Community Engagement Manager
Essential Skills for Agile Business Analysts
Good collaboration doesn’t happen organically. It requires a mix of essential skills - communication and leadership - to facilitate productive collaboration. Read the agile manifesto critically and you’ll find that each of the principles speaks to these essential skills. So where can these essential skills be found amongst the agile team? In the work of the business analysis professionals. These skills are the collateral they bring to enable collaboration that leads to better outcomes. This talk will provide attendees with an understanding of the essential skills they need to bring to their agile work. More importantly, it will give attendees the confidence to know their value in agile organizations. Whether you are just starting your career or looking to hone your skills, this talk will provide valuable insights and practical tools to help you succeed.
Wed, Mar 1, 2023
6:00 PM to 7:45 PM CST
Randall W. Rice, CTAL, CFLBA
Using Decision Tables to Identify New or Forgotten Requirements
Wed, Feb 1, 2023
6:00 PM to 7:45 PM CST
Judy Alter, CBAP®, FLMI, ACS, PCS & HIA.
The Case for Business Analysts on Agile Teams
Many Agile Purists say there is no need for a BA on an Agile team. This opinion could not be further from the truth. The belief appears to have resulted from the fact that Business Analyst was not a job title on an Agile Team. The challenge to anyone is to explain how you can have a successful project without business analysis. Although many companies do not use the business analyst's title anymore, there's no doubt that someone performs the business analysis. This case study will share a Strategic Project to replace a customer-facing tool with unsupported software on unsupported hardware. The Agile team used SAFe and included Business Analysts to create a web-based tool that resulted in several wins for the team.
Wed, Dec 7, 2022
6:00PM to 7:45PM CST
Scott Stribrny, President and Managing Director, Group Atlantic, Inc.
Leadership: Cracking the Code for Business Analysis Professionals
Leading projects in a changing world is especially challenging work. Just when you are feeling most pressured and vulnerable, you need to be strongest and most generous in mind and spirit. Indeed, as HBR author John Kotter notes, "More change always requires more leadership." What makes a great leader? This presentation begins to answer this question by presenting a project manager relevant five-rule framework to apply in real life (adapted from the Harvard Business Press book “The Leadership Code” and detailed in a recent series of Cutter Consortium Executive Updates co-authored by the speaker).
Wed, Nov 2, 2022
6:00PM to 7:45PM CST
Francisco Pulgar-Vidal, Gl
The Road To Improvement
Every project seeks to produce an improvement over the current state of things and many deliver the outcomes that they set out to do, but not all these changes are improvements. How will you know that an outcome that you have delivered is an improvement? And what changes can you make that will result in an improvement? This presentation will help you answer these questions to increase your effectiveness with your stakeholders.
Wed, Oct 5, 2022
6:00PM to 7:45PM CST
Saby Waraich CIO, Clackamas Community College
PM and BA in a PMO: Are They Friends or Foes?
What are the roles of Project Manager and Business Analyst? Are they friends or foes? Business Analyst has become a critical part of PMO's in the most recent decade, driven by the ascent in complexities of projects, outsourcing, and even the worldwide downturn. Projects are bound to have numerous partners, vagueness around, project features, assets, and stages, or potentially even obscure undertaking highlights, assets, and stages, all of which make necessities elicitation progressively challenging to identify. This session will cover the similarities and differences between the Project Manager and Business Analyst and recommend some strategies to work together to be effective and efficient.
Wed, Sep 7, 2022
6:00PM to 7:45PM CST
Michael F. White, The Business Analysis Doctor
The BA Role in Agile Projects
Agile Basics / Agile Frameworks / Agile Team Structure / BA Placement in Agile / How to Define your Role / Agile BA Responsibilities
Wed, Aug 3, 2022 Rescheduled to Dec 7
6:00PM to 7:45PM CST
Scott Stribrny, President and Managing Director, Group Atlantic, Inc.
Leadership: Cracking the Code for Business Analysis Professionals
Leading projects in a changing world is especially challenging work. Just when you are feeling most pressured and vulnerable, you need to be strongest and most generous in mind and spirit. Indeed, as HBR author John Kotter notes, "More change always requires more leadership." What makes a great leader? This presentation begins to answer this question by presenting a project manager relevant five-rule framework to apply in real life (adapted from the Harvard Business Press book “The Leadership Code” and detailed in a recent series of Cutter Consortium Executive Updates co-authored by the speaker).
Wed, Jun 1, 2022
6:00PM to 7:45PM CST
Dr. Susan A. Garfield, Group Atlantic
Enhancing Business Effectiveness Through Storytelling
The purpose of this program is for the audience to experience enhancing business effectiveness through storytelling by listening to a narrative and then working through example questions and issues to achieve and validate meaningful insights, anchored in a clear and deep understanding of business terms and ideas embedded in the story.
Wed, May 4, 2022
6:00PM to 7:45PM CST
Andrea Brockmeier
Watermark Learning
Navigating Difficult Conversations
Engaging in difficult conversations constructively is a skill that can make or break working relationships. Environments where people are able to have tough discussions in a safe, positive way are more collaborative, creative, and productive. In this presentation, explore the myths surrounding conflict and get a new perspective on how to approach those dicey discussions most of us would rather avoid. You will learn the various responses to conflict and get an opportunity to reflect on your own biases. A structured conversation approach will be illustrated that can be used to create better outcomes for everyone involved. Expect to leave with fresh perspectives about how to navigate difficult conversations often resulting from the inevitable differences we experience when working with others.
Wed Apr 6, 2022
6:00 PM - 7:45 PM
George Bridges
Business Data Analytics - 777
Business Data Analytics combines the discipline of Business Analysis, Data Analytics, Statistics and data science. Business Data Analytics is described as an art and science. The International Institute for Business Analyst (IIBA) defines business data analytics as "An area of study that targets effective business decision-making as opposed to using the rigorous technical know-hows through which data is analyzed. Several business analyses tools, techniques, and competencies are used in business data analytics to direct analytics initiatives at many touch-points within the life cycle of an analytics initiative." The purpose of this presentation is to present and explain business data analytics in simple and plain language. To expose the mystery and myths of business data analytics so that it can be applied in any area and any level of business.
Wed Mar 2, 2022
6:00 PM - 7:45 PM
Koryn Anderson, CBAP
IIBA Global Chapter Council - Communications
BA Job Crafting: The Time Is Now!
Job crafting is not a new concept. In fact, it has been a known term in organizational psychology since 2001, originally coined by Amy Wrzesniewski and Jane Dutton. Since then, there has been substantial research and evaluation of the concept in a multitude of contexts. So, why are we talking about it 20 years later? Given the current employment environment (where demand excessively exceeds supply), the world is in a unique scenario, especially business analysts. Whether you are newly exploring the practice or are a seasoned practitioner, you have a rare opportunity in front of you; and job crafting is a big part of it.
Wed Feb 2, 2022
6:00 PM - 7:45 PM
Susan Moore
Community Engagement Manager at the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA).
5 Things You Did Not Know About Your IIBA Membership (And how to use them to improve your career planning!)
You became an IIBA member because you had a certification or career goal. Now that you have achieved that goal, what is next for your membership? Keeping your membership can feel unnecessary if you are not getting value out of it. But many times, our members do not realize they have access to additional benefits that can help them learn and develop both professionally and personally. Your IIBA Membership comes with tools, resources and opportunities beyond those you needed to achieve that initial goal. They may even help you set new goals you did not even know you had yet!
Wed Dec 1, 2021
6:00 PM - 7:45 PM
Dave Saboe
Enterprise Agile Coach, podcaster, and author.
Product Ownership: Beyond the Backlog
A great Product Owner can help organizations achieve amazing outcomes for their customers. As more organizations transform the way they work, many Business Analysts have the opportunity to provide critical support to Product Owners or move into Product Owner roles themselves. Successful Product Ownership is about more than just backlogs and user stories. It requires a deep understanding of how to find the right problem/solution fit and the right product/market fit.
Wed Nov 3, 2021
6:00 PM - 7:45 PM
Angela Wick
Founder and Principal Trainer: BA-Cube.com
Forget about Project and Requirements Metrics! Product Metrics Is Where It's At!
As a BA or PO, the most critical piece of the "How do I add value?" puzzle is rooted in understanding the metrics that track the customer's behavior with the product. Defining, understanding, and facilitating the team in making "metrics that matter" a reality is where the value truly gets delivered. Whether you work on project, product, features, enhancements, or bug fixes; getting the customer impact and behavior changes defined and implemented successfully is where great business analysis truly stands out! This applies to Agile, Digital Transformations, DevOps, and even traditional project environments.
Wed Oct 6, 2021
6:00 PM - 7:45 PM
Gezinus Hidding, Bob Zimmerman, Scott Stribrny, and Jim McGee.
SDLC and PMLC for Technology Projects
Organizations have choices in how they manage technology projects. A big decision is how they choose and apply the methodologies available to them. These methodologies, e.g., Waterfall and Agile, are based on a Project Management Life cycle (PMLC) and a System Development Life cycle (SDLC). Waterfall and Agile have important differences, e.g., frequency of releases. But, they also have an important similarity: They both traverse a revised System Development Life Cycle (SDLC), which has resulted from our research. Also, Agile, particularly Scrum, is more about project management, traversing a (separate) Project Management Life Cycle (PMLC). How teams choose to use them will have an impact on project outcomes.
Wed Sep 15, 2021
6:00 PM - 7:15 PM
IIBA Chicagoland Chapter Core Team Open House
The IIBA Chicagoland Chapter is gearing up for the 2021-22 Program year. We are recruiting teams to help with Programs, Membership, Education, Communications and others. Chapter Board Members and current Core Team members will share volunteer opportunities along with their personal stories of how working with the IIBA Chicagoland chapter has enhanced their career.
Wed Sep 1, 2021
6:00 PM - 7:45 PM
Content Strategy 101
You are inundated by content - in the applications you use and in the ads, articles, and memes that flood your feeds. How is all that content created, stored, and managed? Content Strategy 101 will use real-life examples and thought-provoking questions to address content analysis, structure, lifecycle, and optimization.
Wed Aug 4, 2021
6:00 PM - 7:45 PM
Humans are Hard, Code is Easy
Are you a frustrated Product Owner or developer who feels like you know enough, yet the success you thought you would have is out of reach. You see others who make better strides but why? Is it a skills gap? Successful careers have influence and relationships at their foundation. Without these, you will not reach your career goals. Come learn how to set yourself apart and learn the skills of influence and collaboration. This session talks to developers and other technical roles about the importance of soft skills. Through the lens of my career missteps, I learned how avoiding relationships and communication that can derail your career. In this session I will cover the importance of relationships, empathy and influence. Technical skills are important but they are not enough to set yourself apart.
Wed Jun 2, 2021
6:00 PM - 7:45 PM
Driving Innovation: Eight Steps to Success
Have you ever missed a customer need? One that is not fulfilled by any solution that is now available? The identification of customer needs well enough to drive value and innovation, requires a deep understanding of a customer's experience. Today it seems the only sustainable competitive advantage is for you to know your customers better than your competition. Successful organizations have an effective process in place to elicit and utilize Voice Of the Customer (VOC) to: - identify new opportunities - grow substantial and sustainable revenue - improve margins The VOC reveals insights into the customer value chain, and enables the keen observer to identify value gaps and solution opportunities. Increased revenue and margins are the result of new, unique, valuable solutions for your customers uncovered by strategy-aligned VOC. The key to creating an effective VOC program is to systematically ensure that value gaps are prioritized.
Wed May 19, 2021
12:00 PM - 5:30 PM
ChiBADD21.1 - Building BA Muscles
ChiBADD21.1 is a virtual conference aimed at Business Analysis skill development, creating "fit for purpose" Business Analysts.