The BABOK Guide and IIBA in Brief
In short The BABOK® Guide is the main industry standard describing what business analysis involves. It is published by IIBA, a professional association for business analysts. Use it as a map of the discipline and a planning checklist, not as a step-by-step method.
Based on: IIBA, BABOK® Guide v3 (2015), preface and sections 1-11; IIBA, Global Business Analysis Core Standard, preface.
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BABOK® and IIBA® are registered trademarks of the International Institute of Business Analysis. This site is independent and not affiliated with IIBA.
Key ideas#
What the guide is#
A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge describes generally accepted business analysis practice: the tasks analysts perform, the techniques they use and the skills they need. The current edition is version 3, published in 2015. It describes what the work involves, not a mandatory sequence of steps, so you combine it with your own delivery approach.
How version 3 is organized#
| Part | What it covers | Where to read more |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | Introduction and how the guide is structured | — |
| Section 2 | Key concepts: the core concept model, requirements classification, stakeholders, requirements vs. designs | BACCM, Requirements Classification, Stakeholder Roles, Requirements vs. Designs |
| Sections 3-8 | Six knowledge areas with 30 tasks between them | see the list below |
| Section 9 | Underlying competencies in six categories | Underlying Competencies |
| Section 10 | Catalog of 50 techniques | The 50 BABOK Techniques |
| Section 11 | Five perspectives: Agile, Business Intelligence, Information Technology, Business Architecture, Business Process Management | BABOK Perspectives |
| Appendices | Glossary, mapping of techniques to tasks, summary of changes from version 2.0 | — |
The six knowledge areas group related tasks:
- Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring (5 tasks)
- Elicitation and Collaboration (5 tasks)
- Requirements Life Cycle Management (5 tasks)
- Strategy Analysis (4 tasks)
- Requirements Analysis and Design Definition (6 tasks)
- Solution Evaluation (5 tasks)
Each task follows the same layout: its purpose, inputs, the elements of the work, guidelines and tools, suggested techniques, stakeholders involved, and outputs. Each technique is also described in a fixed format: purpose, description, elements, and usage considerations (strengths and limitations). The fixed layout is what makes the guide useful as a reference: you can jump to any task and find the same kinds of information.
The core concept model, BACCM, ties everything together. It names six concepts (change, need, solution, stakeholder, value, context) that apply in any industry or method.
Version history#
The guide has evolved through several editions:
- 1.0 (January 2005) was an early draft structure, followed by 1.4 (October 2005) and 1.6 (drafted in 2006, revised in 2008).
- 2.0 (2009) introduced the requirements classification schema and input/output models for tasks.
- 3.0 (2015) added the BACCM, the perspectives, an expanded set of underlying competencies and new techniques. According to IIBA, it was shaped by thousands of comments from practitioners after a public review of a 2014 draft.
About IIBA#
The International Institute of Business Analysis is a non-profit professional association founded in Toronto, Canada, in October 2003. A committee to define the body of knowledge was formed in October 2004. IIBA’s stated activities are developing and promoting recognition of the business analysis profession, defining the body of knowledge, supporting knowledge sharing among practitioners, and certifying business analysts (for example, the Certified Business Analysis Professional, CBAP).
IIBA also publishes the Global Business Analysis Core Standard, an abridged English version of about 50 pages. It covers the key concepts and a condensed description of the six knowledge areas, without the full technique catalog and perspectives.
How to apply it#
- Start with the key concepts. Read section 2 first. The BACCM and the requirements classification give you a shared vocabulary for everything else.
- Use the knowledge areas as a planning checklist. At the start of an initiative, walk through the 30 tasks and ask: does this apply here, who does it, and how formal should it be?
- Knowledge areas are not phases. The tasks run in parallel and repeat. Strategy analysis can continue while you elicit and evaluate.
- Pick techniques by task. When you are stuck on a task, check which techniques the guide suggests for it (the technique-to-task appendix helps), then read the technique pages.
- Adapt through perspectives. If your work is agile, BI, IT, architecture or process work, read the matching perspective to see what shifts.
- Borrow the glossary. Shared terms prevent long arguments about what “requirement” or “design” means.
- Pair it with practical books. The guide tells you what good practice includes. Books such as Wiegers and Beatty’s Software Requirements or the BCS Business Analysis show how to do it.
Example#
The analyst at The Workshop (a fictional chain of 12 bike-repair workshops) uses the knowledge areas as a one-page checklist before the project starts:
| Knowledge area | Question for this project |
|---|---|
| Planning and Monitoring | How formal should requirements be, given an outside development team? |
| Strategy Analysis | What is wrong with phone booking today, and what should the future state be? |
| Elicitation and Collaboration | When can we observe front-desk staff during the Saturday rush? |
| Requirements Analysis and Design Definition | Which booking and notification requirements, and which models do we need? |
| Requirements Life Cycle Management | Who approves changes once the developers start? |
| Solution Evaluation | How will we know, three months after launch, whether status calls dropped? |
Pitfalls#
- Treating the guide as a methodology. It does not prescribe an order of work or a required set of documents. Tailor it.
- Producing every output for every task. Scale formality to risk and size.
- Pushing the guide’s jargon onto stakeholders. Use their language; keep the guide’s terms for the analysis team.
Sources and further reading#
- IIBA. A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK® Guide), version 3. International Institute of Business Analysis, 2015. Preface (history); sections 1-11; appendices (glossary, technique-to-task mapping, changes from version 2.0).
- IIBA. Global Business Analysis Core Standard. International Institute of Business Analysis. Preface and version history.
- Further reading: K. Wiegers, J. Beatty. Software Requirements, 3rd ed. Microsoft Press, 2013; D. Paul, D. Yeates, J. Cadle (eds.). Business Analysis, 2nd ed. BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, 2010.