CBAP · Question #462
A company with a big information technology (IT) department has hired a lead business analyst (BA) to enhance its business analysis practices. The lead BA discovers that sponsors are not satisfied wit
The correct answer is A. Identify typical missing or wasteful activities. This question tests why tracking planned versus actual time and completion dates for BA deliverables is valuable. The primary purpose is to surface process inefficiencies and waste.
Question
A company with a big information technology (IT) department has hired a lead business analyst (BA) to enhance its business analysis practices. The lead BA discovers that sponsors are not satisfied with project outcomes. Developers complain about incomplete, ambiguous, and changing requirements. All stakeholders, including project managers, are blaming long cycles of analysis for the delays. The business analysts, in turn, feel overwhelmed with the number of projects and frustrated by the lack of collaboration from reviewers of their deliverables. All of the evidence is anecdotal and none of the groups could strongly substantiate their opinions. The lead BA wants the BAs to report anticipated and actual completion dates for their deliverables, as well as the time spent on planned and unplanned activities. What is the lead BA trying to do by analyzing the results of such measurements?
Options
- AIdentify typical missing or wasteful activities
- BEnsure even workloads of the BA
- CEstablish an equitable compensation system
- DMotivate the BA to work belter
How the community answered
(34 responses)- A76% (26)
- B15% (5)
- C6% (2)
- D3% (1)
Why each option
This question tests why tracking planned versus actual time and completion dates for BA deliverables is valuable. The primary purpose is to surface process inefficiencies and waste.
Tracking anticipated versus actual completion dates and time spent on planned versus unplanned activities produces empirical data that reveals patterns - such as recurring rework, missed elicitation steps, or activities that consume time without adding value. This evidence-based view replaces the anecdotal complaints already present in the organization and gives the lead BA a foundation to redesign or streamline the BA process.
Balancing workloads across BAs is a secondary operational benefit and not the primary analytical goal of collecting this type of time-tracking data.
Establishing a compensation system is a human resources function unrelated to tracking deliverable completion and time metrics.
Motivating BAs to work better is a management goal that is not achieved simply by collecting time data - and is not the stated purpose of this reporting effort.
Concept tested: BA performance metrics for identifying process waste
Source: https://www.iiba.org/career-resources/a-business-analysis-body-of-knowledge/babok/
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