{{Recipient.FirstName}}, Here is your upcoming events and relevant news from Bluegrass IIBA Chapter. The chapter's mission is to empower business analysis professionals to become organizational leaders; sharing information is one way we do that.
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6 ERP Trends for 2026 and beyond: CIOs rethink core systems
Facing what industry observers call an upgrade ‘supercyle,’ IT leaders are considering options in a market disrupted by AI, end-of-life deadlines, modernization decisions, and modular upstarts.
The market for enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems is entering what some industry experts are calling an upgrade “supercycle,” fueled by a convergence of key factors.
Grandview Researchpredicts global ERP software sales will grow 9.5% annually from 2026 to 2033. Fortune Business Insights puts the growth rate from 2026 to 2034 at 13%. And Morgan Stanley analyst ChrisQuintero is even more bullish, saying the ERP market will grow by 17% annually.
This projected growth spurt is significant because, as Forrester analyst Faram Medhora points out, “The ERP solutions market is mature, saturated in large enterprise adoption, and driven primarily by modernization rather than net-new ERP buying.”
Oct 12, 2026 6:00 PM - Nov 09, 2026 9:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04:00)
Are you interested in Product Ownership Analysis (IIBA®-CPOA) certificate, or just would like to do a deep dive into business analysis for product ownership, then this agile product ownership analysis training opportunity is for you!
Bluegrass IIBA Chapter will host a virtual Product Ownership Analysis Study Group for those individuals interested in IIBA®-CPOA certification or learning the IIBA® Guide to Product Ownership Analysis to elevate their career.
Bluegrass IIBA Chapter will run the study group for five (5) sessions on Monday evenings beginning on October 12, 2026. This study group will provide 15 Professional Development (PD) Hours for those students seeking IIBA® core certification, and provide a practice exam opportunity for all students. We ask students to begin studying early so it is a good idea to be registered at least one week prior to the first session. Register two weeks prior to the first session to take advantage of Early Bird pricing. Students will be provided with course material.
This study group is an instructor-led course by instructors from the Bluegrass IIBA Chapter.
Oct 29, 2026 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04:00)
When: Thursday, October 29th | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT
Where: OSAKA Japanese Restaurant, inside the Holiday Inn — 1976 Justice Drive, Lexington, KY
Join fellow business analysis professionals (and anyone in the Lexington BA community!) for a relaxed evening of great food and good company.
Nov 05, 2026 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Eastern Standard Time (UTC-05:00)
Join us for a delightfully themed evening as the Bluegrass, Southeast Michigan and Chicagoland IIBA Chapters come together to celebrate what makes both life and agile work special.
This month, we're stacking three celebrations into one unmissable event — because why sprint through one theme when you can triple-track it?
Business analysts are impact-makers by trade — we untangle the messy middle, connect the dots nobody else sees, and turn "it depends" into "here's the path forward." This month, we're celebrating exactly that with 'Be the Impact Day', honoring the everyday ways BAs drive meaningful change — one requirement, one root cause, one well-facilitated meeting at a time. And because great impact deserves great fuel and a little fun, we're pairing it with 'National Sandwich Day' (and every good sprint deserves a good spread). And to round it out, we're embracing 'Cliché Day' — the one day a year we can say "let's circle back" without any guilt whatsoever. All for a night that's equal parts inspiring and ridiculous.
This promises to be a fun and interactive event, one You Won't Want to Miss!
Hosted by Bluegrass, Southeast Michigan and Chicagoland IIBA Chapters
Nov 12, 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (UTC-05:00)
Join the Bluegrass IIBA Chapter for an engaging lunch hour focused on enhancing your business analysis toolkit! Our expert-led session will feature a hands-on demonstration of a practical BA technique you can apply to your work immediately.
Does your team struggle to get everyone on the same page about how work actually gets done? You're not alone. Unclear business modeling practices are one of the leading causes of miscommunication, costly rework, and project failures — and they don't have to be.
Join us for an engaging Lunch 'n' Learn session where experienced BA practitioner David Vrbanek will demystify Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) — one of the most powerful tools in a Business Analyst's toolkit. Whether you're new to process modeling or looking to sharpen your skills, this session will meet you where you are and leave you with practical techniques you can apply immediately.
Presented by: David Vrbanek, CSPO, Senior Agile Business Analyst
| Thursday, November 12, 2026; 2:00 PM EST | Virtual presentation |
Hosted by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter
Nov 18, 2026 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Eastern Standard Time (UTC-05:00)
Our brains are remarkable, but they're far less reliable than we think. Join Thea Soehren for an eye-opening look at classic attention and perception experiments that reveal just how easily we miss the obvious, misremember the past, and confidently believe things that simply aren't true.
For business analysts, this isn't just fascinating trivia — it's essential. Once you understand how fallible human perception really is, you start to rethink everything: how you capture requirements, how you validate stakeholder input, and how you protect projects from the hidden risk of "I'm sure I remember it correctly."
Come find out why our minds overlook, distort, and forget — and leave with practical ways to become a sharper listener, a more careful note-taker, and a more trustworthy analyst.
Presented by: Thea Soehren, CBAP, CSPO, ICP-APO
| Wednesday, November 18, 2026; 6:00 PM EST | Virtual presentation |
| Hosted by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter
Dec 07, 2026 12:00 PM - Dec 09, 2026 4:30 PM Eastern Standard Time (UTC-05:00)
GUARANTEED TO RUN | EARLY BIRD PRICING ENDS NOVEMBER 20th |Are you looking to expand your skills in using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform your business analysis and become a leader in leveraging emerging technologies?
The future of business analysis lies at the intersection of human creativity and technological leverage. Our AI for Business Analysis course is an immersive and interactive journey to prepare experienced BA professionals for the AI-empowered future. Through real-world exercises with leading AI agents and tools, gain first-hand experience planning initiatives, analyzing requirements and devising solutions. You will learn methods of “prompt engineering” for using generative AI agents to produce key BA artifacts, research new subject matters, evaluate work, and conduct interviews with subject matter experts. Whilst balancing AI’s power to create content with human judgment, you will discover AI dialog techniques that will enable iterative and incremental analysis and development.
This course qualifies for 14 PDHs/CDUs for all IIBA® certifications. This course will contribute 14 PMI® PDUs (12 Ways of Working and 2 Business Acumen) towards your chosen certification. |
Get EEP level training at IIBA Chapter pricing! |
Monday, December 7 - Wednesday, December 9, 2026; 12:00 PM - 4:30 PM EDT |
Virtual training course | 3 sessions | 14 PD Hours/CDUs |
This course is sponsored by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter
This course is delivered by SoftEd US
Do you like to challenge your mind by solving puzzles? Are you naturally curious? Click the puzzle image below to download and solve our monthly puzzles to challenge your mind. You do get the answers along with the puzzles, so no cheating!
Chapter Members and Study Group Participants who received their Certification
Read the list of recent certifications earned by members of our Bluegrass community.
IIBA® Offers 20% Off Certification Exams and Exam Bundles Through Year-End
Discount runs October 29 to December 31 and is open to members and non-members alike
Business analysis professionals looking to earn a certification have a new reason to act before the end of the year. The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA®) is offering 20% off any IIBA certification exam or exam bundle from October 29 through December 31.
Bluegrass IIBA Volunteer Spotlight: Patricia Carlin Earns the Collaboration and Engagement Award
Our Volunteer Spotlight Series continues with Patricia Carlin, recipient of the Collaboration and Engagement Award. This award recognizes a volunteer who builds connections, both within our chapter and with the wider business analysis community. Patricia has been doing exactly that since she joined the team.
IIBA® has announced the Finalists for IIBA Volunteer of the Year Award and Aaron Whittenberger from the Bluegrass IIBA Chapter makes the list for the Americas Southeastern Region.
Bluegrass IIBA Volunteer Spotlight: Lenin Reyes Earns the Spirit of Volunteerism Award
Our Volunteer Spotlight Series continues with Lenin Reyes, recipient of the Spirit of Volunteerism Award. This award recognizes a volunteer who gives generously of their time and talent, and who steps up wherever the chapter needs them. Lenin has done exactly that since joining the team.
Bluegrass IIBA Volunteer Spotlight: Daliana Zambrano Earns the Innovation & Creativity Award
Our Volunteer Spotlight Series continues with Daliana Zambrano, recipient of the Innovation & Creativity Award. This award recognizes a volunteer who brings fresh ideas and creative thinking to the chapter, and Daliana has done exactly that since she joined the team.
Bluegrass IIBA Volunteer Spotlight: Dolores Vadi Earns the Event Excellence Award
Our Volunteer Spotlight Series continues with Dolores Vadi, recipient of the Event Excellence Award. This award recognizes a volunteer whose work behind the scenes consistently elevates the quality of our chapter's events — and Dolores has been doing exactly that for more than six years.
