PBA IQA study guide
PBA IQA · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Professional in Business Analysis (PBA) is a certification exam for business analysts who want independent, third-party validation of their practice. It is aimed at practitioners who already do analysis work - eliciting requirements, modelling processes, supporting strategy, and evaluating delivered solutions - and who want a credential that signals breadth rather than depth in a single technique. The PBA IQA study guide has 7 sections and about 2,184 words.
01Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring
Planning and monitoring is the governance layer of business analysis. It answers: how will we do the work, who decides, how will we know we are on track, and how will we handle change?
344 words, about 2 min02Elicitation and Collaboration
Elicitation is not just asking questions; it is drawing out information that people hold but have not articulated. The domain includes preparing for elicitation (choosing techniques, logistics, supporting materials), conducting elicitation (facilitation, active listening, confirming what was heard), confirming elicitation results (validating accuracy with participants), communicating business analysis information (tailoring the message to the audience), and managing stakeholder collaboration (sustained, two-way working relationships).
315 words, about 2 min03Requirements Life Cycle Management
The life cycle domain keeps requirements coherent from birth to retirement. It covers trace requirements (linking needs, requirements, designs, and tests), maintain requirements (attributes, baselines, reuse), prioritize requirements , assess requirements changes , and approve requirements .
318 words, about 2 min04Strategy Analysis
Strategy analysis bridges the current and future state. It covers analyze current state , define future state , assess risks , and define change strategy .
335 words, about 2 min05Requirements Analysis and Design Definition
This domain turns elicited information into structured, verified requirements and defined designs. It includes specify and model requirements , verify requirements , validate requirements , define requirements architecture , define design options , and analyze potential value and recommend a solution .
299 words, about 1 min06Solution Evaluation
Solution evaluation judges whether a delivered or partial solution delivers the intended value. It covers measure solution performance , analyze performance measures , assess solution limitations , assess enterprise limitations , and recommend actions to increase value .
281 words, about 1 min07Business Analysis Underlying Competencies
Underlying competencies are the personal and professional capabilities that make the other domains work. They group into analytical thinking and problem solving , behavioral characteristics (ethics, trustworthiness, organization, adaptability, attention to detail), business knowledge (industry, organization, solution knowledge), communication skills (verbal, non-verbal, written, listening), and interaction skills (facilitation, negotiation, conflict resolution, leadership, teamwork).
292 words, about 1 min