In-person workshop: Beyond Theory - BABOK® in Action

This isn't your typical study group! We replace traditional slide-driven formats with a fresh, immersive, and interactive approach, bringing the BABOK® Guide to life in a way that's practical, fun, and highly engaging. We don't cover every page, instead, we help you practise applying the concepts through hands-on challenges and real-world scenarios. (Lewis Carroll, CBAP®, AAC®, CPOA®)

Is this for you?

• You want to complement your current study techniques with a fun, hands-on experience that brings the BABOK® to life
• You're a Business Analyst seeking more than theory: you want hands-on experience and real-world relevance
• You are curious about a new kind of study session
• You enjoy learning through storytelling, collaboration, and gameplay, not just reading and slides.

What to expect:

• Immersive, in-person experience blending gameplay, roleplay, and collaborative analysis
• Interactive, fast-paced, and discussion-driven
• Deeper exploration of BABOK® concepts across multiple knowledge areas and real-life scenarios
• Designed to supplement your current study methods and deepen your understanding through experience
• A safe, energising space to experiment, learn, and connect with fellow analysts through hands-on activities.

How this session is different:

• We replace traditional CBAP® exam prep with hands-on experiences that complement your current study plan and deepens your BABOK® understanding through practice
• We replace page-by-page BABOK® walkthroughs with immersive challenges that bring concepts to life in realistic contexts
• We replace passive listening with full participation: expect discussion, collaboration, and on-your-feet thinking.

Session structure

ACT I - The suspects

• Game play: participants are introduced to six colourful suspects, each representing a common project stakeholder persona (Product Owner, Developer, Tester, SME, Governance, BA). In teams, players analyse their assigned persona to uncover goals, frustrations, perspectives, and hidden agendas. Through structured discussion and teamwork, they demonstrate how these personas clash, collaborate, and influence project outcomes.
• Targeted development: players discover how stakeholder biases, assumptions, and miscommunication can derail a project. Learn how empathy and structured elicitation methods help clarify intent and build trust.

ACT II - The Curious Case of the Conflicting Requirements

• Game play: teams create a requirements catalogue across functional and non-functional needs. They watch conflicting stakeholder testimonies via video and must assess which requirements are valid, missing, or contradictory. Teams debate options, weigh trade-offs, and make critical decisions under pressure-mirroring real-world complexity in defining scope.
• Targeted development: players sharpen their ability to analyse ambiguous business situations and extract strategic insights from messy data. They practise questioning assumptions, identifying root causes, and validating whether the solution genuinely addresses the business problem, essential skills for defining or correcting project direction.

ACT III - The Process of Elimination

• Game play: the murder of Richard the PM must be solved. Teams analyse stakeholder movements and process flows to determine where the murder happened and who committed it. Players must distinguish between tacit vs explicit information, piecing together clues from swimlanes and project documentation to uncover the truth. The winning team is the one who follows the process trail most accurately.
• Targeted development: players practise interpreting incomplete information, identifying patterns, and mapping complex scenarios visually. These skills develop critical thinking and strategic foresight-essential for understanding stakeholder behaviour, anticipating risks, and shaping outcome-oriented recommendations.