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AI revenues skyrocket - and enterprise CIOs pay the bill
Large AI firms make huge investments and project tripled revenues, and some critics worry about the cost to the end customer
Leading AI vendors and infrastructure providers have invested more than$1 trillionin the emerging technology in recent years, and the check is coming due, with some of these companies now aiming to cash in on past spending.
Huge revenue projections from AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Nvidia have raised eyebrows from potential customers, with critics saying end users will bestuck with the billafter an orgy of spending over the past four years.
The cost of new technology to customers tends to decrease over time, but some observers suggest the recent AI gold rush may delay price cuts for several years.
Bluegrass IIBA - Learn GenAI for Business Analysis through a Real-World, Hands-On Exploration
Feb 23, 2026 12:00 PM - Mar 16, 2026 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (UTC-05:00)
A 4-Week Interactive Learning Series | Mondays at Noon ET
February 23 – March 16, 2025
Are you curious about how generative AI can enhance your business analysis work—but not sure where to start? Join the Bluegrass IIBA Chapter for a hands-on exploration that goes beyond demos and theory.
This isn't a "sit and watch" webinar. Over four engaging sessions, you'll actively use GenAI tools alongside facilitator Van Miller and fellow business analysts to tackle a realistic insurance industry challenge. You'll work through an authentic case study involving customer experience improvement, legacy system integration, and regulatory compliance—the kind of complex scenario BAs face every day.
Virtual interactive workshop series |
Facilitated by: Van Miller, CBAP |
Hosted by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter
Mar 10, 2026 12:00 PM - Mar 12, 2026 4:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04:00)
GUARANTEED TO RUN | Early Bird Pricing Ends February 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! |
Tuesday, March 10 - Thursday, March 12, 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
Mar 12, 2026 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04:00)
Curious about what business analysts actually do all day?
Join the Bluegrass IIBA Chapter, Wisconsin IIBA Chapter, and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (UWO) for an engaging panel discussion that pulls back the curtain on one of today's most dynamic and in-demand careers. Whether you're a UWO student exploring career paths or a professional considering a transition into business analysis, this event offers invaluable insights from practitioners who live it every day.
Our expert panelists will share real stories from the field—the challenges they tackle, the stakeholders they collaborate with, the tools they use, and the impact they make. You'll discover how business analysts bridge the gap between business needs and technology solutions, drive organizational change, and create value across industries.
Panelists: [Speaker Name]
| Thursday. March 12, 2026 | 5:30 PM EDT | Local and remote attendance options available
| Hosted at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
| Hosted by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter and Wisconsin IIBA Chapter
Lunch ‘n Learn BA Technique – Prompt Engineering for BAs
Mar 16, 2026 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04:00)
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.
Prompt Engineering for BAs: Mastering Conversations with Intelligent Agents
This session will showcase how Business Analysts can turn AI conversations into reliable BA deliverables. We’ll cover a short history of prompt engineering, reusable prompt patterns & frameworks, how to curb hallucinations and sycophancy, and the essentials of context engineering. We will progress from “asking questions” to outcome-first prompting and demonstrate how multimodal AI (voice, text, images, video) enables smarter conversations that accelerate discovery, requirements, and stakeholder alignment. You will be provided with copy-paste templates and a lightweight prompt test plan you can use the same day!
In this session, you will learn to:
• Apply proven prompt patterns/frameworks to generate clear requirements, acceptance criteria, and stakeholder summaries.
• Reduce hallucinations and counter sycophancy using a practical quality checklist (grounding, evidence, validation).
• Engineer context effectively (roles, constraints, domain snippets, RAG) so outputs
• Leverage multimodal AI (voice, vision, text) to produce richer, outcome-focused deliverables—fast.
Presented by: Misael Castro Rosas
| Monday, March 16, 2026; 12:00 PM EST | Virtual presentation |
Hosted by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter
Mar 25, 2026 7:00 PM - Apr 01, 2026 9:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04:00)
Early Bird Pricing Ends March 13th | Unlock Your Data Superpowers: Transform from Business Analyst to Business Insights Hero | In today's data-driven business landscape, business analysts must be equipped with robust data and analytics skills. Business analysts who can truly understand, interpret, and leverage data are strategic organizational assets.
This comprehensive workshop is designed to transform participants into data-savvy professionals capable of leveraging advanced analytical techniques to drive business insights and decision-making. This interactive workshop will provide practical knowledge and skills to prepare business analysts for projects with a significant data component. Accelerate your career to become a more strategic, data-informed business analyst! This course qualifies for 4 PDHs/CDUs for all IIBA® certifications. This course will contribute 4 PMI® PDUs towards your chosen certification. Wednesdays, March 25th and April 1st, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EDT | Virtual training course | 2 sessions | 4 PDHs/CDUs |
This course is sponsored by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter |
This course is delivered by Why Change Academy.
Bluegrass IIBA - Spring 2026 Business Data Analytics Virtual Study Group
Apr 02, 2026 6:00 PM - May 07, 2026 8:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04:00)
Early Bird Pricing Ends March 20th | Are you interested in IIBA® Certification in Business Data Analytics (IIBA®-CBDA), or just would like to learn more about the content of Guide to Business Data Analytics? Then this business data analytics training opportunity is for you!
Bluegrass IIBA Chapter will host a virtual Business Data Analytics Study Group for those individuals interested in IIBA®-CBDA certification or learning the IIBA® Guide to Business Data Analytics to elevate their career.
Bluegrass IIBA Chapter will run the study group for six (6) sessions on Thursday evenings beginning on April 3, 2025. 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 catch the 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.
Thursday, April 3, 2025 - Thursday, April 8, 2025; 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM EDT |
6 sessions | 15 PD Hours / 15 CDUs | Virtual study sessions.
Early Bird Pricing Ends March 20th | In an increasingly complex and interconnected world, understanding and addressing the root causes of issues requires a holistic approach. The "Systems Thinking Workshop" is designed to empower professionals with the skills and insights needed to analyze and solve complex problems through the lens of systems thinking. This interactive and engaging workshop introduces participants to the principles and methodologies of systems thinking, enabling them to view challenges from a broader perspective and identify leverage points for effective intervention.
Through a combination of theoretical discussions and practical exercises, attendees will learn how to map systems, identify interdependencies, and develop strategies for sustainable solutions.
By the end of the workshop, participants will have a robust toolkit for addressing complex problems. Whether you are a business analyst, project manager, business architect, manager, consultant, or engineer, this workshop will enhance your ability to think critically, make informed decisions, and drive meaningful change. Join us to cultivate a systems thinking mindset and transform the way you approach challenges.
This course qualifies for 4 PDHs/CDUs for all IIBA® certifications. This course will contribute 4 PMI® PDUs towards your chosen certification.
Tuesday, April 7 and Wednesday, April 8, 2026 | 6PM - 8PM EDT | Virtual training class |
This workshop is Sponsored by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter
This Workshop is Delivered by Astrevo
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.
Projects often struggle not because of missing requirements, but because business and delivery teams do not share the same understanding of how a process or system actually works. Event Storming is a highly collaborative workshop technique that helps teams uncover this shared understanding quickly and visually.
In this Lunch n’ Learn session, participants will learn how Business Analysts can use Event Storming to explore complex processes, align stakeholders, and surface gaps, assumptions, and risks early. The session explains when Event Storming is most effective, how to prepare and facilitate it, and how BAs can adapt the technique for different audiences — from business stakeholders to technical teams.
Through practical examples, the talk demonstrates how Event Storming helps teams clarify workflows, identify key business events, and create a common language across roles. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of how to run a lightweight Event Storming session and how to use its outcomes to support discovery, requirements definition, and better decision-making.
Presented by: Nastassia Shahun, Business Analyst, Product Owner, Mentor
| Tuesday, April 14, 2026; 12:00 PM EDT | Virtual presentation |
Hosted by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter
What if there was a way to stop spinning your wheels on disconnected improvement initiatives and start driving real, measurable business results?
We've all been there—pouring energy into customer alignment projects, data analytics initiatives, and training programs, each living in its own silo. These efforts are valuable, but here's the catch: when optimization happens in isolation, you risk missing the forest for the trees. Individual wins don't always translate to organizational success.
Enter business process discipline—your secret weapon for connecting the dots.
This isn't just another methodology to add to your toolkit. It's the unifying framework that synchronizes all your improvement efforts while keeping your eye on what truly matters: enhanced overall performance. Think of it as the conductor that turns individual instruments into a symphony.
Join us as Sasha Aganova reveals the key techniques that will elevate your effectiveness and shares the critical success factors for advancing process maturity in your organization. Whether you're a seasoned BA or just beginning your journey, you'll walk away with practical insights you can apply immediately.
Presented by: Sasha Aganova, Managing Partner at Process Renewal Group, University Lecturer at University of Toronto, EA & BPM Best Practice Europe Award Judge
| Wednesday. April 15, 2026 | 6 PM EDT | Virtual event
| Hosted by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter
Apr 18, 2026 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04:00)
Early Bird Pricing Ends April 4th | From idea to investment—make it count. | You have been asked to create a business case to prioritize projects in your organization, perhaps propose cutting a few; to obtain additional resources for an ongoing initiative; invest in building a new capability; or decide whether to outsource a function.
Anytime your organization wants to dedicate resources beyond what’s already budgeted, a business case needs to be made. Let us show you how to make the (business) case!
Bluegrass IIBA Chapter is hosting an all-day workshop on Saturday, April 18, 2026, during which participants will learn how to:
● Spell-out the business need for the project
● Align the case with strategic goals
● Calculate the Return on Investment
● Analyze risks
● Gain support from colleagues
● Present the case to decision-makers
● Secure the resources the project needs
This course qualifies for 6 PDHs/CDUs for all IIBA® certifications.
This workshop is Sponsored by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter
This Workshop is Delivered by David Vrbanek
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.
Bluegrass IIBA Chapter will hold its annual elections for Board of Directors positions in April of this year. Up for election this year are the positions of:
President
Vice President of Community Outreach and Engagement