DVT launches BA development programme in SA

Edward Ngubane.

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Software and services company DVT has launched a business analysis (BA) development programme for its BA team in South Africa. Created and managed by Edward Ngubane, Head of Business Analysis at DVT and the former president of the South African chapter of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), the new programme looks to bolster DVT’s current and interning BA staff with internationally accredited IIBA certification.

“The first part of the programme kicked off in August last year catering for our BAs based in Johannesburg and Cape Town – with 12 BAs in total taking part,” says Ngubane.

“The majority of participants are writing the flagship IIBA certificate, CBAP (Certified Business Analysis Professional), which requires at least five years’ working experience and is a testament to the maturity and skillset we already have in the DVT BA team,” he says. “The remaining participants are writing CCBA (Certification of Capability in Business Analysis) and is a marker of how we’re planning to grow our team of young professionals with a view to filling the demand for BA skills both locally and abroad.”

Ngubane says the BA development programme is delivered remotely in two-hourly sessions once a week by CBAP-certified DVT facilitators in the two cities – Reggie Musonza and Zilumkile James. The facilitators present the entire content of IIBA’s curriculum of more than 50 BA techniques and six knowledge areas, underlying competencies and perspectives in business analysis. While some participants have already sat for their exams in December 2021, the rest will be sitting their exams in January/February this year, before a second intake takes place in March 2022. Two participants who sat for their CBAP/CCBA exams at the end of 2021 passed and are already certified. This is something that we are proud of because it shows that the programme is working.

“From a DVT perspective, there are three key reasons we developed this programme,” he says.

“Firstly, for our staff, it means international credibility and marketability, which is important considering some of them are already actively working with global clients. Secondly, as one of the largest BA service providers in South Africa, we want to showcase our strength in numbers and demonstrate how seriously we're taking the process by adhering to the internationally recognised IIBA framework. Thirdly, and probably most importantly, it’s all about developing our people and investing in their capability, something we’ve always paid very close attention to as a company.”

As the programme expands, Ngubane expects it will also introduce the entry-level ECBA (Entry Certificate in Business Analysis) and more specialised certifications, like IIBA-AAC (Agile Analysis Certification), CPOA (Certificate in Product Ownership Analysis), CDBA (Business Data Analytics Certification) and CCA (Cybersecurity Analysis Certification) within the DVT team.

“We firmly believe in the concept of continuous development, because without that, you run the risk of stagnating and losing relevance,” he adds.

“We live in a world that changes every day, so we have to be at the forefront of that change, embrace it and be ready for it. And the only way we can do that is by continuously improving ourselves and what we have to offer as professionals to our clients.”

DVT has one of the largest business analysis teams in South Africa and is looking to expand the team and skillsets significantly in the coming months and years.