The Phoenix IIBA Chapter is excited to host the first professional development day in the area specifically geared toward business analysts. This will be a fantastic learning opportunity for you to expand your skills set, learn about the latest industry trends, and network with your colleagues. You will also be eligible to claim up to six CDUs and PDUs for attending. We are happy to be able to bring this value-packed developmental event to the greater Phoenix area.
The BA role has become more prominent, and the ever-changing requirements and opinions of what a business analyst is has importance in the success of major projects. Enterprises depend on business analysts to propel products and projects while connecting team members. This event focuses on the future of the business analyst role, while giving educational advancement as well.
The theme of the BADD in the Desert is Business Analysis in Transformation. Throughout the day attendees will have the opportunity to participate in 4 different tracks, including Agile, Practitioner, BA Trends, and Professional Skills.
BADD in the Desert is a technical conference for business analysts, project managers, IT managers, and anyone else, whether expert or beginner, involved in technology.

Keynote - Bob the BA: Game Changer

Are you a Game Changer? A person that can change the entire game? I am talking about a major did-not-see-it-coming game changer like Lin-Manuel Miranda who wrote “Hamilton the Musical.” Hamilton is a record breaking, award winning Broadway musical with ticket prices exceeding $3,000 a seat. It is the kind of game-changing skills we as Business Analysts need. My thinking about business analysis has forever been changed after seeing “Hamilton the Musical.” Can't afford the ticket price? No worries because tickets to Bob the BA’s Game Change presentation are included in your conference price! The future requires people that are Game Changers to lead their projects, teams, and practices into a new era of technology, hybrid business models, advanced collaboration, and more. Game Changers anticipate what is coming, so they do not regret the things they did not do. Game Changers work today so that they are prepared for tomorrow. Hey Game Changer, do you know what you need to do today to get ready for the future of business analysis? Don’t be caught in the past and get ready for a game-changing event that you will not soon forget because you are about to Think, Learn & Work DIFFERENTLY!

Keynote - Kalpesh Shah: Measuring Success From Customers Point of View
Customers are not paying for your product, they are hiring your product and are paying for positive outcomes and impacts. Agile was marketed with promise of faster value delivery to customer but as it went mainstream many organizations focused only on mastering different elements of agile frameworks and progress is being measured by vanity metrics such as velocity and burndown charts leaving customer success sideways. Organizations and teams must realize that while “speed to launch” is crucial “speed to learning” is even more important as they deliver features and products. How we respond to these learning's can drive a radical change in focus from “Velocity of Story Points” delivered to “Velocity of Learning” gained and answering the fundamental question of “Is our Customer Winning?”. To accomplish this mindset shift, Product Managers and business analysts need to learn to move their focus from mastering the art of writing perfect user stories to connecting their teams with the users of their products and the "problems & challenges their customers are trying to solve”. Taking teams to the next level of making the customer successful through continuous delivery of valuable product requires an alignment between the product managers, analysts, engineering team and their customers. It requires the product managers and analyst to understand the difference between product success and customer success.

Endnote - Elizabeth Larson: 5 Conclusions That Will Change Your Thinking About The Digital BA

Everyone’s talking about the digital transformation, but what is it and where does the business analyst (BA) fit in? Do organizations need to use Agile methods to move into the digital age? How can BAs help organizations improve their business agility to take advantage of the digital transformation? What are some pitfalls that many organizations face when becoming digital, and how can BAs help them avoid common mistakes? Do we really need to “partner” with machines?! This presentation answers these questions and explains such things as:
• What the digital transformation consists of
• The difference between a traditional BA and a digital BA
• Why more organizations are recognizing the value of digital BAs with traditional skills and competencies
• The relationship between Agile and the digital transformation
• How much BAs need to know about such things as big data, AI/machine learning, and predictive analytics
• What it means to build “digital” trust
• How to talk to the business about complex, digital concepts