Register by April 18, 2023!
Are you stuck in a limiting role and feel that no one will give you the chance to prove yourself as a business analyst?
Or perhaps you are in a business analyst role without the benefit of formal experience, and the worry of looking like an imposter keeps you from tackling more challenging projects?
Do you feel that management doesn't give you the opportunity to truly fill a business analyst role, and are ready to do what it takes to earn their trust and respect?
When you join The Business Analyst Blueprint® certification program, you’ll learn all 12 of the industry-standard techniques and the business analysis process framework – the best practices in business analysis.
Even if you aren't yet an "official" business analyst, you'll secure your internal confidence that you ARE a business analyst.
The program starts on July 20, 2023.
The Business Analyst Blueprint®
is an online and interactive
business analyst certification program
In The Business Analyst Blueprint® certification program:
What’s more, it’s worth 60 PDs/CDUs so it supports your certification and re-certification needs for the ECBA™, CCBA®, or CBAP® from IIBA®.
In addition to on-demand instruction you can take with you anytime, anywhere, and templates you can use to get started right away, you’ll be able to ask your questions in our live webinar sessions (participation is optional and recordings will be available) and submit your sample work for instructor review and feedback.
(Participants and employers tend to love our learning model because you can fully participate while keeping up with your project commitments. In fact, your project work can actually become part of the course, so the training can deliver an immediate return to your organization.)
"For the first time in two years as a BA, I feel that I'm in the driver's seat on completing the necessary BA analysis work leading to user stories. I can see that this will lead to the drafting of much higher quality user stories and reduce the amount of revision work."
“Even though I had some major health and personal issues going on since the beginning of this course ....the engaging and well structured course content and your team's support kept me going and I made it to the 4th module and I am so happy that I made it this far and got the opportunity to broaden my skill set and get acquainted with so many genuinely brilliant people in the industry.”
"I recommend this course very specifically because I couldn’t find anything else that walks you through actual skills and job training. If you’re looking for actual training on best practices, not just hacking away at it in your day job without knowing if you’re doing it right or wrong, this is a great course for you."
"I had a 13-year career as an underwriter. I needed work where I can think, analyze and then solve a problem. It matched with the business analyst. I'm using everything I learned in The Business Analyst Blueprint® in my new role as a Transformation Manager.
The course is a framework if you want to be a business analyst. It gives you the tools to use. You are not empty.
I invested in myself because I didn’t have employer support and it paid off."
"Even with my 20 plus years of experience doing business analysis work, this training has stepped up my game. I was able to nail an interview and use the right terminology with confidence. I don’t believe I could have done that without going through The Business Analyst Blueprint®."
“I felt that, personally, there was a 'gap', and I was looking for something that would bridge the gap and give me the assurance that all the personal self-directed learning that I had done and the knowledge that I had amassed, I just wanted confirmation that it was all industry best practice. I wanted a situation where an authoritative source could confirm to me that I knew what I knew and confirmed what I didn’t know."
"I just wanted to reach out and let you know how much my time with Bridging the Gap means to me. I secured a dream job with a state agency as a Financial Analyst.
The only reason I had the confidence to leave my previous position and fulfill this dream was due to The Business Analyst Blueprint® program – that told me to believe in myself. I left my previous employment during the pandemic, took my 401k, and invested in the most defining journey of my lifetime. Thank you for being the confidence boost I needed to set myself in the right direction! I could not have done it without the nudge from Bridging the Gap!"
"I quickly became the go-to person after The Blueprint. That was amazing. I’ve just flourished since then.
When the opportunity for the Applied Certification in Business Analysis™ (ACBA) came I’d had so much success and I said, okay, I’m just going to bite the bullet here and pay for this and do it.
The very first thing that happened after I finished my ACBA was I posted it on LinkedIn. My CIO sent me a message saying, “Superb. This is awesome.” I got immediate recognition from a place I did not expect it. The confidence just continued to grow."
“The biggest change that has happened is that this course has enabled me to better correlate the ‘systems analysis’ work I performed 20 years ago to the ‘business analysis’ work I am seeking today.”
The Applied Certification in Business Analysis™ (ACBA) certifies that you’ve applied the foundational business analysis techniques and planning processes in an industry-standard way.
Upon successfully meeting the ACBA requirements, you'll receive:
A few important notes about the ACBA:
And, we also just want to highlight the value of being listed in the Registry of ACBA Recipients. We often receive questions from recruiters and hiring managers wanting to reach out to our course participants in specific locations and industries, and we’ve never had an easy way to accommodate this request. Now we’ll send them right to the ACBA registry to find out about YOU.
One question we've received is how the ACBA relates to the certifications from IIBA®. The Applied Certification in Business Analysis™ is unique because you earn it based on your application of the course materials in a real-world work setting. There is no exam and no prior work experience requirements.
The intention of the ACBA is to augment the opportunities for professional certification provided by IIBA® by providing a practical, real-world, experience-based credential that's open to new and mid-career professionals looking for more than an entry-level certificate.
And if you are already IIBA® certified, the ACBA can augment your credentials by showing that you have applied the business analysis techniques in an industry-standard way that's been vetted by expert instructors.
We're sure you would like some specific details of what’s covered in this program so you know exactly what best practices you’ll be able to add to your resume and what work samples you’ll have to present as evidence of those skills.
Here’s a snapshot of the course material included with The Business Analyst Blueprint® certification program.
Start Date: Thursday, January 26, 2023
Workbook Due Date: Sunday, February 19, 2023
When you have a clear understanding of the business process, you will be able to clarify the business problem to be solved and ensure the technical solution delivers actual value to the business.
Business process analysis is often the first set of models we do when beginning to scope a new project or analyze a feature request or evaluate what the data is telling us about how to improve our organization.
You'll discover:
“The combination of having regular access to highly experienced BAs and detailed feedback on my workbook submissions allowed me to close the knowledge and skills gaps that were showing up in my day to day work as a new BA. I learned how to think like a BA instead of like a software developer.”
“The first module sold me. The knowledge acquired in such a short period of time was incredible.”
"After reviewing/taking in your original suggestions and redoing the workbook, I had so much more confidence as well as the ability to “read” previous workflows created for other projects. There were many aha! moments.
I am happy to share a win – I will be creating the workflows and steps going forward for ALL our accounting and underwriting processes, bypassing the vendor's $40K cost. Additionally, the IT Director has requested to work directly with me on the project which is fantastic."
"I thought I was quite competent with workflow diagrams and process maps etc. but the information provided by the course has forced me to review this so-called competency - which is good and confirms that one's BA practical skills are already improving! : )
My main-take away was the additional practical skills that I now have which in-turn gives me confidence in my skills and abilities. My confidence in January was low but as a consequence of my participation on the The Business Analyst Blueprint® course, it is high and I am now optimistic about my chances of securing another BA role soon."
"During The Business Analyst Blueprint®, I held a workshop with people in the organization so that we could collaboratively document the business process, and then improve it. As a result of this words spread in the different teams. Not even the teams that I, necessarily, worked in, but the teams that are containing the people who I helped the workshop with. People were saying, “Oh, this is really good. It’s really good.”
And what happened was that I contacted the program manager for the project off the bunch of project lists that were related, and he introduced me to another, to a project manager who was thrilled when she heard that I wanted to do business analysis. She was looking for someone to help her. As a result, my manager approved that part of my role would be business analysis going forward. So, it wouldn’t just be support analysis, which was great because that’s what I wanted."
Start Date: Friday, March 3, 2023
Workbook Due Date: Sunday, March 26, 2023
When you analyze your functional (software) requirements in use cases and visually model them in wireframes, you create the perfect combination to get your business stakeholders and technical implementers on the same page about the requirements more quickly.
You'll discover:
"I wrote my first use case to help the business partners understand how we could use Salesforce's person account. I had business partners saying “I’ve never ever seen it done this way and this is fantastic."
"I am now able to write more detailed and meaningful requirements and get a better appreciated for use of wireframes as this technique was not often incorporated in my requirement documentation. Additionally the course provides certification that increases my marketability."
Start Date: Friday, April 7, 2023
Workbook Due Date: Sunday, April 30, 2023
You’ll learn how to help business stakeholders make data requirements decisions on data migration and system integration projects, without getting too technical. You'll also earn more credibility with developers since you'll be able to talk their language (even when you don't know how to code or write SQL).
You'll gain confidence in the following data modeling techniques:
“I was invited to a meeting last week to review the ERDs for a project I'm working on. I was able to engage and ask questions I would not have been able to ask in previous weeks. It is so helpful to submit class work from my actual projects on the job."
"I’m part way through a legacy ERP & SAAS e-commerce integration project and found myself knee deep in relational databases and trying to understand how these fit together with the business requirements . I talked thru my ERD with the DBA at work ... and we spoke the SAME language! It was awesome to get the recognition from a technical person."
"I have used some of these techniques (Data modeling, mapping for data migration) in my previous projects but I was not sure whether that work can be considered as BA work or not. This course has given me confidence about my skills and experience as BA. As well as it has helped me polish my BA skills.
During the course, I got opportunity to use some of these techniques in my current project like BPM, and Use Cases. The team was very much impressed by the documentation I had done and the outcome were much better than my previous brainstorming sessions.
I think I am a confident BA now, ready for CBAP certification!"
Start Date: Friday, May 12, 2023
Workbook Due Date: Sunday, June 4, 2023
You’ll learn how to leverage the 8-step business analysis process framework to bring more professionalism and success to any business or technology change project.
You'll gain confidence in the following steps:
“The program has boosted my confidence. The BA essentials is now like a Bible to me - I read it almost every day.”
"In the BA Essentials Master Class, I realized that I was skipping and/or skimping over first steps that keep a project on track and focused. By giving each step its required time and energy I expect my next project will flow smoother and the end users will feel more empowered in the process."
"I was in the middle of a project and the course pointed out areas where I needed to concentrate, even backtrack a little, to keep everything cleanly moving forward.
It reminded me that I needed to ask "why" more often because the groups I work with try to push changes/projects through and I realized I wasn't always understanding why we were pursuing them."
You'll be able to complete The Business Analyst Blueprint® certification program without the hassle of travel or missing work.
You can work through the course material when and how it works for you. Materials are provided in multiple formats to suit different learning styles.
You'll receive:
This is not a 3-5-day program where you leave full of information but no real guidance on how to actually apply at work what you learned.
This is an interactive, 5-month, online certification program where we are with you step by step as you expand your experience and face real-world challenges, and are at your side to help you work through them with confidence and increased success.
We make the best of the asynchronous, online learning environment to expand your learning and confidence.
Inside the program you'll:
As a participant in The Business Analyst Blueprint® certification program, you’ll translate learning into experience with unprecedented, confidential access to our trusted, expert mentors for the full 5 months, so you have plenty of time to receive support on your real-world project situations.
And guidance is provided on your actual project work, not a fictitious case study, so you don’t have to do something ‘extra’ just to benefit from or complete the course. (And if you aren’t currently working as a business analyst, don’t worry, we provide plenty of scenarios for you to apply these techniques outside a formal BA role.)
"I think the biggest win for me professionally was this just really built my confidence. Before I would look at things differently or I would ask questions or I would just walk through how things worked with my stakeholders. And I was definitely doing that kind of haphazardly, not in a formalized or contextual, well thought out way, to pain the complete picture.
I would definitely say that the course has built my confidence, and I think it really has been a great stepping stool to step off in terms of, “I can do, I can be, I am a business analyst.” And after completing my first data model, I have some street cred with the developer."
"The reason I signed onto your program was to validate and affirm what I did or didn't know about being a Business Analyst. I was laid off from a lucrative BA consultant position, and the layoff lasted almost 6 months. In addition to the loss of job, I was told I was 'not technical' enough for their needs, 'we are turning to internal staff to meet our needs'.
I chose to use the lay-off and your program as a learning opportunity. when I completed the program I signed onto, I made copies of my work that your program required, took them to interviews, which resulted in a new Senior Business Analyst position I am currently employed (contracted) with. After I was hired I was reviewing documents for the new job, especially use case documents, and noticed how familiar they were! They were copies (the template) I used and presented in my portfolio during my interview for the job! The project manager liked them so much he presented them to the Data Architect to use.
To end my success story, I was able to validate and affirm, that the prior boss who implied that I wasn't technical was simply using that statement as an excuse to end my contract and not a valid fact of my capabilities or lack there of. I am using the skills I knew and the ones I learned from Bridging the Gap in my current job!"
"I was looking for something practical, and I found that in The Business Analyst Blueprint®. I think the practical side of it is what I liked the most.
I was able to use my current project and apply it to our assignment in each module. Without The Blueprint, I think I would just be still at the surface level where I'm still wondering...I read about that already, but I just wanted to make sure I was doing it right."
"Going through the course helped me to hit the ground running [in my new role as a CSI Analyst] and be more effective than I otherwise would have been. I felt like had a head start because I had the workbooks and I was able to use the projects that I was doing at work. It was like someone was holding my hand through the projects a bit."
Successfully completing The Business Analyst Blueprint® certification program requires the following components:
1. Learn the key, foundational business analysis techniques and processes by leveraging our comprehensive online learning materials.
2. Apply what you learn to create real-world work samples. Work samples are submitted for instructor review as a completed workbook by the deadlines provided by the program.
3. Your workbook is reviewed by an instructor to confirm it meets industry and program standards. You will receive detailed feedback to help you improve your business analysis work.
In the event that the first workbook submission does not meet the certification requirements, you’ll have a second and final opportunity to submit a revised workbook.
You'll receive an individual certificate of completion for each module passed that you can use to immediately demonstrate your new skills.
4. Upon successfully passing all 4 modules, you’ll receive your ACBA certification badge and documentation which you can use to update your resume and LinkedIn profile.
(In the event that one or more workbooks does not meet the certification requirements or you miss a deadline, you'll be able to apply your work forward to a future session of The Business Analyst Blueprint® to earn your ACBA certification and receive a courtesy discount.)
5. Upon successfully earning your ACBA, you’ll also be listed in the public Registry of ACBA Recipients (optional), where employers can discover you, your geographic location, and areas of expertise, and contact you for potential opportunities.
You’ll also leave the program with work samples you can share with employers and validated business analyst work experience you can add to your resume and share with employers in job interviews. What's more, you'll earn 60 PDs/CDUs for certification or re-certification with the International Institute of Business Analysis™ (IIBA®).
As a participant in this live, interactive program, you'll also receive exclusive access to bonus webinar sessions that accelerate your real-world application of the materials, solidify your BA mindset, and ensure your success.
"With The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program, I not only started to approach my work from a BA mindset, but I decided to change my email signature to show I was a Business Analyst. This changed the way I approached my role, my tasks for the project. I started asking more questions and looking for opportunities to make things more efficient.
Without this training program, I would probably still be doing QA, which is not bad, but I needed something more. That was an investment that I decided to take for myself. I don't regret it."
"Before I started The Blueprint, I had this strange fear of sending emails. If you are adding one additional person to an email, and if your information is not valuable, it seems like there is this paralyzing belief that you're not bringing value. That your email will take away somebody's time.
The change I experienced is that I am not going to be paralyzed by this thought. The Blueprint was just the exact technical skills I needed. The tools I learned with The Blueprint make me very confident in what I'm doing.
I paid for myself to join in February, and waited until the end of June to ask my employer to cover the investment. I had this confidence because I am learning such a valuable set of skills for my enterprise and they agreed they had seen the value in me."
"THANK YOU Laura!! Because of your training, I have just landed a Business Analyst Lead position for $90K a year. This would not have been possible without having gone through your training. Your course has given me the language and confidence to move SO MUCH FURTHER in my BA career. I owe it all to you!"
"I took the concepts of business analysis that I learned in The Business Analyst Blueprint® program and I looked at what I was doing on a day-to-day basis, and I started recording it and communicated my role better to my managers. This was what helped me to start moving into different roles. Through this, I received my first promotion to a Junior BA and then I was promoted again to Business Process Analyst!"
"Making the decision to invest in The Business Analyst Blueprint® certification program was difficult for me, but I am so glad I did. Now I have the proper training to be a business analyst with a recognized certification to validate my skills, and I landed my dream job as a Salesforce Consultant.”
When you join The Business Analyst Blueprint® – the online, interactive business analysis certification program – you’ll apply industry-standard best practices to strengthen and formalize your skills as a business analyst.
You will have validated work experience in business analysis with the work samples and the Applied Certification in Business Analysis™ (ACBA) credential to back it up.
This allows you to self-declare you are a business analyst, even if your employer hasn’t yet given you the title. And you’ll have a credential to add to your LinkedIn profile and letters to your name!
In addition to the confidence you'll have, you’ll experience a sense of incredible accomplishment in earning this certification, because you will have worked through the assignments, received instructor feedback, and achieved a significant career milestone.
You won't just be on your way to creating more fulfilling work, you'll have started doing that work right here and right now.
We've packed a lot of value into this program, so let's take a quick look at everything you will receive when you sign up today.
Module 1: Business Process Analysis – Learn how to solve the right problem and build the right solution.
Module 2: Use Cases and Wireframes – Learn how to get everyone on the same page about software requirements, even if you don’t have detailed technical knowledge.
Module 3: Data Modeling – Learn how to help business stakeholders make data requirements decisions, without getting too technical.
Module 4: The BA Essentials Master Class – Learn how to leverage the 8-step business analysis process framework to bring more professionalism and success to any business or technology change project.
Downloadable mp4 videos, mp3 audios, and fully formatted full-text PDF transcripts that you can use anytime, anywhere.
Templates, swipe files, exercises, and work samples so you apply your learning easily.
6 months of online access to the program materials on our learning platform. (You can also download them for future use.)
Instructor support via email, for continuous support between modules, for the entire 5-month program.
Individualized feedback on your work samples, so you leave the program feeling truly confident in your skills.
Certificates of completion for each module you pass, for a total of up to 60 PDs/CDUs for IIBA® certification or re-certification (provided requirements are met).
10 bonus webinars to accelerate your real-world application of the materials, solidify your BA mindset, and ensure your success. (Value: $3,000+)
Instructor Hour webinars – 20+ optional group sessions scheduled throughout the program at various days and times to meet multiple time zones and work schedules so you can ask your specific questions and work through any challenges in completing the coursework. (Value: $5,000+)
Applied Certification in Business Analysis™ (ACBA) credential, certification documentation and badge, and optional listing in our public Registry of ACBA Recipients (provided requirements are met).
Bonus Webinar: How to Get to the Next Level in Your Business Analyst Career (live, online, interactive workshop) – on April 20, 2023.
Template Bundle: Complimentary copy of our Bridging the Gap Template Bundle ($485 value).
Coaching Call: An optional 30-minute coaching session with Program Manager Paula Bell, ACBA, CBAP to map out your path through the program ($297 value).
This is an application-based program where you gain on-the-job business analysis experience with direct feedback on your actual BA project work, while also enabling you to earn your Applied Certification in Business Analysis™ (ACBA) - no extra fees or exam required.
The time and financial investment are significantly less than a typical academic program or certificate program.
And unlike an academic program, you'll leave with practical experience in a real-world setting – the type of practical, realistic approaches that employers are looking for.
You'll also have the opportunity to earn your Applied Certification in Business Analysis™ (ACBA) so you can gain recognition for your business analyst skills and on-the-job experience.
So go ahead and click the “Join Now” button below to join The Business Analyst Blueprint® certification program for a tuition of $4,997 USD. (Professional development funding/reimbursements may be available from your organization – be sure to check internally.)
Register by April 18, 2023!
