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Watermark Learning Blog

Discover insights, tips, and articles from industry experts on leadership, business analysis, and professional development.

Questions from a Certified ScrumMaster Part 1
Agile, Certification, Scrum, Watermark Learning

Questions from a Certified ScrumMaster Class – Part 1

I recently taught a Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM) class at Watermark Learning. Our two-day class is packed full of real-world examples of how to apply Scrum to solve complex problems. Of course, there is never enough class time to work through the backlog of questions that students raise, and as a passionate Scrum practitioner, this nags […]

Get Ready with PMI-ACP
Agile, Certification, PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®, Watermark Learning

Get Gig-Ready with the PMI-ACP

Considering the success and popularity of agile, today’s project professionals, including project managers, business analysts, team members, and even administrators, are wise to earn their PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®). Formalizing your knowledge and experience through certification contributes to your professional growth and gives you a leg up in the gig or on-demand economy in

Words Matter Using the Right Agile Terminology
Agile, Scrum, Watermark Learning

Words Matter: Using the Right Agile Terminology

As the Agile movement has become mainstream, common vocabulary associated with the philosophy has also become mainstream. However, as more and more people use these words, their meaning appears to occasionally drift. This is a common occurrence in movements like Agile as people co-op terms to appear in alignment with a philosophy without actually changing

Show Up Every Day
Influencing and Consulting, Leadership, Watermark Learning

SHOW UP Every Day

Deadlines, changing priorities, and relentless distractions make it challenging to bring our professional best to every task at work. Some days are frustrating, some infuriating. No one feels like they are hitting on all cylinders in terms of creativity and energy 100 percent of the time. But what about those core values that characterize our personal best?

Certification Test Anxiety Take a Prometric Test Drive
Agile, BRMP, Business Analysis, CBAP, CCBA, Certification, ECBA, PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®, PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)®, Project Management, Project Management Professional (PMP)®, Watermark Learning

Certification Test Anxiety? Take a Prometric Test Drive!

A certification test can cause a lot of anxiety. Some people seem to be able to add letters after their names as easily as Vanna White gets them to light up on Wheel of Fortune. CBAP, CCBA, ECBA, BRMP®, PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)®, Project Management Professional (PMP)®, PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®, CSM, CSPO…the list goes

Five Competencies That Help Business Analysts
Business Analysis, Watermark Learning

Five Competencies that Help Business Analysts Connect the Dots

What do detectives, entrepreneurs/innovators, doctors, lawyers, and effective business analysts all have in common? Among other things, they all have to connect the dots[i] to be successful. Like detectives sorting through objects at the scene of the crime, or doctors sorting through sometimes disjointed information provided by patients, business analysts need to sort through information—lots

My ECBA Journey
BA Training, Business Analysis, ECBA, Watermark Learning

My ECBA Journey

As a marketing coordinator, I had no idea what a business analyst was before coming to Watermark…and I’m still learning. Now, with IIBA’s new level 1 certificate (ECBA), I decided to take the plunge and learn more about this role, in order to educate myself and be able to speak BA with our customers. The

Tips and Tricks for Facilitating Conflict Resolution
Business Analysis, Project Management, Watermark Learning

Tips and Tricks for Facilitating Conflict Resolution

Originally published September 1, 2009 We all know that conflict is a difference of opinion and therefore neutral – neither good nor bad. Right? But try telling that to a project manager or business analyst embroiled in conflict. Conflict can threaten to destroy the team and sabotage efforts to elicit requirements. But it doesn’t have to.

Five Trends in Business Analysis for 2017
Agile, Business Analysis, Project Management, Watermark Learning

Five Trends in Business Analysis, Project Management, and Agile for 2017

Since 2009, we have enjoyed reflecting on what’s happened the previous year on projects and making predictions for the upcoming year. To summarize the “trends” we saw in 2016: Emergence of the Business Relationship Manager (BRM) to maximize value Agile successes, challenges, and use beyond software Trends in business analysis and project management certifications Implications