Hello Friends, be sure to join the IIBA Bay Area Chapter for its monthly virtual Breakfast Roundtable on THURS. SEP. 17TH, from 7:30am - 8:30am. Expand your professional network, learn from your peers, grow professionally, and earn CDUs toward IIBA recertification (if applicable).
SEP. 2026 Agenda:
7:30 7:35 Brief Chapter Announcements
7:35 7:55 Discussion Topic - From Reactive to Proactive: How to Think and Act Like a Business Analyst - with consultant, trainer, and author Laura Brandenburg, CBAP (see below)
7:55 8:15 Q&A and Open Networking with Fellow Professionals
7:35 7:55 Discussion Topic - From Reactive to Proactive: How to Think and Act Like a Business Analyst - with consultant, trainer, and author Laura Brandenburg, CBAP (see below)
7:55 8:15 Q&A and Open Networking with Fellow Professionals
Topics relevant to business analysis practitioners will vary each month and may be participant-selected via Lean Coffee format. So, bring YOUR ideas, insights, and questions! The session will be facilitated by chapter leaders.
*EVENT REGISTRATION: Please register using the "Register" button above, and once confirmed, a chapter volunteer will email you with the Zoom meeting information.
See you there!
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Session Description
Business analysts are often pulled into work reactively: responding to requests, documenting decisions after they’ve been made, or rushing to “keep up.” Over time, this can make it harder to see (and articulate) the real value of the role.
In this interactive session, participants will step back from day-to-day delivery to examine how business analysts create value before decisions are made through sense-making, clarity, and intentional influence.
Business analysts are often pulled into work reactively: responding to requests, documenting decisions after they’ve been made, or rushing to “keep up.” Over time, this can make it harder to see (and articulate) the real value of the role.
In this interactive session, participants will step back from day-to-day delivery to examine how business analysts create value before decisions are made through sense-making, clarity, and intentional influence.
During the session, participants will:
• Reflect on a real example of value they’ve already created and practice articulating it with more confidence
• Use a light self-assessment grounded in The Business Analyst Blueprint® to identify where their work has become reactive, and where a small shift could have an outsized impact
• Distinguish between low-value and high-value activities, including where AI can support clarity and better decisions (not just faster documentation)
Participants will leave with clearer language for the value they bring, a deeper understanding of how business analysis supports better decision-making, and one intentional next step they can take immediately…regardless of role, title, or organization.
About Laura Brandenburg
Laura Brandenburg, CBAP, helps business analysts unlock new opportunities in their career with practical, real-world online training. She is the founder of Bridging the Gap, author of The Value-Driven Business Analyst and How to Start a Business Analyst Career, and creator of The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program. Laura facilitates the Sustainability Exchange, a group of professionals in BA-related roles that support each other around sustainability and actively invests in projects and companies that regenerate ecosystems, promote climate security, and repattern broken systems.
