Register for ChiBADD 2017!

For more current events, check https://chicago.iiba.org/events-list

What’s ChiBADD? It’s the Chicago Business Analysis Development Day and it’s your opportunity to build your business analysis skills.

Through presentations by industry thought leaders and interactions with other business analysts, you’ll get actionable ideas and advice that you can bring back to your organization. Expand your skills set, learn about the latest industry trends, network with your colleagues and claim up to eight CDUs and PDUs for attending.

The BA role has become more prominent and the ever changing requirements and opinions of what a business analyst is has importance in the success of major projects. Enterprises depend on business analysts to propel products and projects while connecting team members. This event focuses on the role of the business analyst in today's changing environment while providing opportunities for educational advancement as well.

This year's theme is "BA in Transformation" and features:

Agile track
Practitioner track
Professional skills track
Eight breakout workshops
Renowned keynote speaker, Bob Prentiss

DATE AND TIME
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CDT

LOCATION
Loyola University Chicago - Water Tower Campus
25 E Pearson Street (NOT 111 E Pearson--sorry)
Chicago, IL 60611

TICKET PRICE
$175 Early Bird rate (Sale ends September 13)
$195 Regular tickets

Schedule for this year's ChiBADD:

Keynote Speaker: "Bob the BA" Prentiss
The Game Changer: It’s Time to Think, Learn & Work DIFFERENTLY
Are you a Game Changer? A person that can change the entire game? I am talking about a major did-not-see-it-coming game changer like Lin-Manuel Miranda who wrote “Hamilton the Musical.” Hamilton is a record breaking, award winning Broadway musical with ticket prices exceeding $3,000 a seat. My thinking about business analysis has forever been changed after seeing “Hamilton the Musical.” Business Analysts need to embrace that kind of game-changing skills as we head into the future of business analysis. Can't afford the ticket price? No worries because tickets to Bob the BA’s Game Changing presentation are included in your conference price! The future of business analysis requires people that are Game Changers to lead their projects, teams, and practices into a new era of technology, hybrid business models, and advanced collaboration. Game Changers anticipate what is coming and they work hard today so that they are prepared for tomorrow. Hey Game Changer, do you know what you need to do today to get ready for the future of business analysis? Don’t be caught in the past and get ready for a game-changing event that you will not soon forget because you are about to Think, Learn & Work DIFFERENTLY!

David Babicz
AgileTrack: Scaling Scrum in the Real World – Can we use Scrum beyond the team? How do we plan a portfolio? How do you get started?
Walk through practical steps to implement an Agile program that extends beyond single-team projects using Scrum. Everything begins with a vision in the world of Agile; understand how to break down a vision into major epics and features and plan them out using a roadmap and release plan. In an Agile project, iterations and product increments are used to deliver value early and often. Learn how to use this strategy to elicit constant feedback and deliver a better product to your customers.

Elizabeth Larson
Professional Skills Track: The Art and Science of Influence
In order to help organizations manage the rapid changes inevitable in today’s business environment, business analysts have to influence other stakeholders, regardless of their position in the organization. What makes this ability to influence without authority seem so easy for some and nearly impossible for others? It requires a bit of art and a bit of science. This presentation explains what influencing is, why it’s needed, and which parts require art and which science. You will be introduced to the Influencing Formula and the three steps needed to effectively influence without authority.

Steve Fastabend
Agile Track: There is no Business Analyst in Scrum. Where does the BA fit and why is this role critical in realizing value?
Scrum defines only three roles and the BA is not specifically called out. Yet the BA plays a critical role in insuring that the team can realize value. I have worked with hundreds of teams and know that a good BA plays a role in making the team, product and organization successful. I will explore the scrum roles and discuss how the BA contributes to team success in a very special way. You will leave with a deeper understanding of this role in scrum as well as a number of techniques that you can use during scrum events. We will also discuss tips on how a BA’s work support the scrum artifacts.

Gary Rush
Professional Skills: FoCuSeD™ Business Data Modeling Made Easy
Business Data Modeling is one of the most effective methods to define and document business rules and policies, yet it is resisted and misunderstood by many businesses. This session dispels the barriers to accepting and understanding Business Data Modeling while describing when and "how to" use it. This interactive session is geared to enabling business analysts to understand the importance and use of Data Modeling in gathering business requirements. It is a brief summary of the book, FoCuSeD™ Business Data Modeling Made Easy.

Afternoon Keynote: Francisco Pulgar-Vidal
Utilizing the Systemic Approach to Business Analysis
How can you multiply your impact as a Business Analyst? By using four key strategies derived from Deming-Lean-Six Sigma thinking: 1) Gain a strategic view of organizations, 2) Elicit with respect, 3) Understand performance measures, and 4) Define sustainable designs with agility. You will learn how to make Business Analysis the practice of enabling POSITIVE change by defining needs SYSTEMICALLY, and recommending INTEGRATED solutions that deliver LONG-TERM value to stakeholders.

Jack Hilty
Business Architecture: Business Analyst to Business Architect . . . and Beyond
For a long time, it was thought that the only advancement opportunity available to a Business Analyst was to become a Project Manager, however the Business Analyst may want to consider a newly emerging field—that of the Business Architect. A Business Architect essentially provides a “global view” of the organization and works to ensure that the concerns and interests of all areas across the organization work in concert to achieve enterprise-wide goals. Organizations are recognizing this need and creating positions for individuals who have proficiencies in multiple areas. Many Business Analysts have worked on cross-functional projects and may be ready to apply their core business and analysis skills at a wider enterprise level. Are you interested in advancing your career in this direction? Come hear what experts predict you will need to know to succeed.

David Heidt
Practitioner Track: The Path to Creating Business Process Competency in your Organization
Many organizations rely on a functionally siloed, IT-oriented and one-size-fits-all approach to analyze their problems, improve performance and implement new solutions. Often, they’re completely unaware of the significant drag this causes on almost every aspect of their organization. With everyone moving in unison and doing the best they can to keep pace with their business, how can the BA introduce a business process approach into the organization? The presenter will walk attendees through a pragmatic approach that delivers value while creating a sustainable business process competency.

Richard Larson
BA Trends: IIBA Certification and the BABOK 3.0 Update
IIBA has launched their version 3.0 certification program, and it is an exciting and capability-based. The BABOK® Guide version 3.0 itself is a major release in the BA community, and offers an extensive upgrade to our industry standards. The many changes require more understanding than ever due to the added complexity of both IIBA’s certification program and the BABOK® Guide itself.

This presentation provides a concise summary of the different certifications, an overview of the application process, and tips for passing whatever exam is appropriate for you. Find out which certification is right for you and learn what are the important things to study based on it. Save yourself time and grief by getting a copy and seeing how to use our application worksheet. Reduce your anxiety over the exam by learning some preparation tips from the company who has provided CBAP prep classes and related materials the longest.

Jennifer Kalz
Practitioner Track: The Experience of Prototyping
Explaining a solution that meets the need for an organization and for its stakeholders can be tricky; factor in explaining how the solution provides value or fits in the context of system and it can be downright challenging. Stakeholders are reluctant to validate solutions if they can’t see it before they buy it. This is where one of the most effective techniques listed in the BABOK comes in handy - Prototyping. Often users don't know what they want or what they don't want until they see it. When developing solutions this technique can be one of the most powerful tools in a Business Analyst's toolkit. This presentation will cover utilizing this technique including how to incorporate this little thing called User Experience.