BAA Certification

The goal of the Business Architecture Association (BAA) Certified Business Architect (CBA®) is to provide a certification that a Business Architect (BArch) has the minimum capabilities and competencies to design, develop and implement business architectures which align business results to the overall business strategy. By ensuring that a Business Architect meets these minimum criteria companies can be certain that the proficiency and a probability that the practitioner can consistently be successful in helping guide strategic change in a company. The certification is thus focused on an ability to translate business strategy into action and then mobilize the appropriate components in the business to deliver the changes needed to realize the goals of the company. It is not meant to certify that a person is competent at business improvement related design or development activity.

The CBA® is focused on identifying and challenging the background, true experience, knowledge and skills of Senior Level Business Architects. Those who pass this test will be certified as Business Architect Practitioners. This distinction and certification separated those from everyone else practicing Business Architecture as a discipline.

This certification is based on real professional experiences as a Business Architect - not on a course or group of courses. The CBA® is not an academic certificate. It is not granted to anyone based on their education or the courses they may have taken. It is rather a certification of true capabilities and knowledge based on experience, skills, and knowledge. However, because we believe that education is important for any Professional Practitioner in any discipline, the BAA has elected to set basic educational requirements as mandatory in qualifying to challenge the certification test. Additional education and other requirements have also been set to retain certification.
Requirements

  • Educational requirements needed to challenge the CBA® test: Bachelor’s Degree, minimum of 5 years of actual verifiable experience as a Business Architect (assumes on the job training throughout this period – this should be discussed in the CBA® experience section of the application to sit for the test).
  • Professional experience required: A minimum of 3 years of practical cross organizational Business Architecture project engagements, plus 5 to 7 years of composite business experiences in several of the following disciplines (Strategy, Finance, Operations, Information Technology, Human Resources / Change Management, Internal / External Consulting and Program Management).
  • Requirements needed to retain the CBA® certification: A minimum of one professionally led training session each year or either speaking at a professional gathering (such as a conference) on a Business Architecture topic, or publishing one paper or article in a professional journal on a Business Architecture related topic which has been reviewed and endorsed by the BAA Institute.

Certification will be given for three years assuming that all other requirements are met (see the BAA web site for a comprehensive discussion on the CBA® and its requirements). At that time, certified individuals will need to reapply for certification and prove that they have met the requirements for recertification.

Terminology–Architecture itself means different things to different people. The BAA definitions for some of the more commonly used Business Architecture terms is at the end of this document. It is a start and will evolve. Any recommendations with definitions are welcome. For the most part, the terms used in the test will have commonly accepted meanings. For example, “business” follows the common Webster’s definition.

Roles–The Business Architecture Association recognizes that there is a wide range of activity that Business Architects may become involved in. It also recognizes that Business Architects will be involved in both business guidance/strategic transformation and in business redesign at all levels. But, the association makes a distinction between Business Architecture, Business Analysis, and Process Architecture. In reality people in all groups are called upon to do work that overlaps into one another’s disciplines.