Events

GUARANTEED TO RUN | Are you ready to take your business analysis career to the next level? Whether you're pursuing your first certification with the ECBA™, advancing to CCBA®, or aiming for the prestigious CBAP® designation, this comprehensive study group is designed for you. Even if certification isn't your immediate goal, mastering A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide) version 3 will equip you with industry-standard frameworks, techniques, and best practices that distinguish exceptional business analysts. This is more than just exam preparation—it's an opportunity to build a strong foundation in business analysis principles, connect with fellow BA professionals, and gain confidence in applying BABOK® concepts to real-world challenges. All participants will receive a CBAP® or ECBA™ Study Guide. This study group uses additional study material, student homework and provides four (4) practice test experiences for participants. This study group will provide 35 Professional Development (PD) Hours for those students seeking IIBA® core certification, and provide practice tests opportunity for all students. Students will be provided with course material. This study group is an instructor-led course by instructors from the Bluegrass IIBA Chapter. 14 sessions | 35 Professional Development (PD) Hours / 35 Continuing Development Units (CDUs) | Monday, January 19 - Monday, March 30, 2026; 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM ET | Virtual training sessions.

Transform Your Impact, One Conversation at a Time | Whether you're presenting to stakeholders, leading a team, or advocating for your ideas, communication is everything. Yet so many of us struggle to move beyond the surface—to truly connect, inspire confidence, and leave a lasting impression. It's time to unlock a transformative approach to connecting, building trust, and engaging your audience. The Bluegrass IIBA Chapter is thrilled to invite you to an exclusive session with communication expert Varun Sharma. He will reveal the four essential pillars of a transformative approach to connecting, building trust, and engaging your audience—separating ordinary communicators from truly exceptional ones. Presented by: Varun Sharma, Leadership Cultivator, Speaker, Coach | Wednesday. January 21, 2026 | 6 PM EST | Virtual event | Hosted by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter

GUARANTEED TO RUN | Early Bird Pricing Ends January 23rd | 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, February 9 - Wednesday, February 11, 2026; 12:00 PM - 4:30 PM EST | Virtual training course | 3 sessions | 14 PD Hours/CDUs | This course is sponsored by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter This course is delivered by SoftEd US

Early Bird Pricing Ends January 30th | In today's competitive job market, simply listing your skills on a resume isn't enough—you need to prove what you can deliver. The Bluegrass IIBA Chapter presents a comprehensive 4-hour portfolio-building course with Yulia Kosarenko of Why Change Consulting, designed to help BA professionals showcase their expertise through tangible, professional artifacts that make hiring managers take notice. Why does every business analyst need a portfolio? A portfolio gives you a search-optimized online presence, makes your resume stand out from competitors, and provides concrete examples during interviews when you're asked about your experience. It's your knowledge repository, your confidence booster, and increasingly, it's becoming table stakes in the profession—not having one can make you appear out of sync with modern professional standards. This hands-on training guides you through creating six essential business analysis deliverables: business use case diagrams, swimlane process flows, context models, stakeholder registers, RACI matrices, and requirements traceability matrices. You'll learn not just what to create, but when and how to apply each technique effectively. This course qualifies for 4 PDHs/CDUs for all IIBA® certifications. This course will contribute 4 PMI® PDUs towards your chosen certification. | Wednesdays, February 11th and 25th, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST | Virtual training course | 2 sessions | 4 PDHs/CDUs | This course is sponsored by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter | This course is delivered by Why Change Academy.

Clarity-Driven Business Analysis: How Role Definition & Process Alignment Improve Delivery Outcomes Join the Bluegrass IIBA Chapter for an powerful lunch hour designed to elevate your business analysis practice through clarity, structure, and strategic alignment! This practical, interactive session introduces a clarity-driven technique for defining roles, streamlining processes, and creating predictable delivery outcomes. Business Analysts consistently operate at the intersection of people, processes, and outcomes—yet many project challenges stem from unclear responsibilities, overlapping expectations, and fragmented workflows. In this hands-on session, you’ll learn a structured approach to defining roles, mapping responsibilities, and aligning processes so teams can move with confidence, cohesion, and accountability. Working through real-world examples, we’ll explore how clarity transforms project delivery, reduces rework, and strengthens stakeholder engagement. Whether you’re a new analyst or a seasoned practitioner, this session will enrich your toolkit with methods you can apply immediately. Presented by: Lloni Soogrim, CSM, Business Analyst | Thursday, February 12, 2026; 12:00 PM EST | Virtual presentation | Hosted by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter

Ready to transform the way you think about product development? In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the difference between products that soar and those that stumble often comes down to three critical elements: a compelling vision, a strategic roadmap, and deep customer understanding. Whether you're a seasoned BA or aspiring to step into a Product Owner role, this session will equip you with the insights and practical tools to elevate both your organization's outcomes and your own career trajectory. You'll discover how to craft product visions that inspire teams, develop strategies that cut through complexity, and truly deliver solutions that resonate with your customers' needs. We'll dive into essential concepts including product strategy frameworks, vision development, Design Thinking methodologies, and proven techniques for uncovering what customers really want. Best of all? You'll walk away with actionable tools you can implement immediately—no theory overload, just real-world approaches that drive results. Join us to sharpen your product mindset and gain the competitive edge that today's market demands. Your next breakthrough product starts with clarity, strategy, and insight—let's unlock it together! Presented by: Martina Svoboda, Agile CoE Manager, Southern Company | Wednesday. February 18, 2026 | 6 PM EST | Virtual event | Hosted by Bluegrass IIBA Chapter

Early Bird Pricing Ends February 7th | Spot the bugs. Strengthen the build. | Do you want to take your Business Analyst skills to the next level? Learn how to lead software testing activities using evidence-based concepts, core principles, and practices to verify the accuracy and efficiency of developed solutions for businesses and organizations. Let us show you how! Bluegrass IIBA Chapter is hosting an all-day workshop on Saturday, February 21, 2026, during which participants will learn how to: • Use critical thinking skills to evaluate software requirements and identify and prioritize defects that need technical team support to ensure project success. • Utilize different test techniques to write test cases and reports for a variety of business scenarios. 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

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

Join the Bluegrass, Southeast Michigan, and Chicagoland IIBA Chapters for a unique Agile After Hours event celebrating Tongue Twister Contest Day, Tell a Fairy Tale Day, Pink Shirt Day Canada, International Stand Up to Bullying Day, and National Chili Day! This fun-filled event will feature an engaging Agile activity exploring "When Requirements are Fairy Tales" – a lighthearted yet insightful look at ambiguous requirements and how to transform them into clear, actionable stories. We'll also be hosting a tongue twister contest that's sure to bring laughter and test your articulation skills! Hosted by Bluegrass, Southeast Michigan and Chicagoland IIBA Chapters

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

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

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.

EARLY BIRD PRICING ENDS MARCH 24th | 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

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

Save the Date for Unleash Your Potential Conference. Elevating Business Analysis Excellence. Half-Day Workshops on Thursday, May 14, 2026. Full-Day Conference on Friday, May 15, 2026. Workshops provide a deeper learning experience on one topic. Conference will have multiple concurrent presentations from industry thought leaders from around the world. You won't want to miss this cost-effective world-class professional development opportunity. Registration will open soon. Conference speakers and schedule will be announced when available.

The Bluegrass IIBA Chapter will host its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and induct the eleventh class of professionals into the Bluegrass Business Analysis Hall of Fame (BBAHoF). The AGM will look at what the Chapter has accomplished in the past year in relation to its strategic plan, its community outreach efforts, relationships it has built and inform participants of the strategic plan for the coming year. There are transformational changes happening in the global business analysis community, we will look at how the Bluegrass IIBA Chapter will bring those changes to the Bluegrass business analysis community. The Bluegrass Business Analysis Hall of Fame recognizes those from the community that have made a significant individual contribution to the advancement of business analysis as a profession within the Bluegrass region. Presented by: Bluegrass IIBA Chapter Board of Directors | Wednesday, May 20, 2026 | 6:00PM EDT | Virtual Presentation

Early Bird Pricing Ends May 16th | Model smarter. Communicate better. | Business modeling practices are often unclear definitions, resulting in miscommunication amongst stakeholders, and contributing to project failures, due to the inability to describe and understand an organization’s business processes end-to-end and top-to-bottom. Let us help you build your skills! Bluegrass IIBA Chapter is hosting an all-day workshop on Saturday, May 30, 2026, during which participants will learn how to: ● A best practices approach to developing a Business Process Model ● Practical exercises in Business Process Modeling based on real-world examples ● The use of the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) for business-oriented and IT-oriented views of a given process 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