Your Chapter Newsletter - June 2025     Visit Us at: calgary.iiba.org 

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President's Message 
 
From Insight to Impact: How Business Analysts Can Leverage AI
 
As Business Analysts, we are no strangers to transformation—it's what we drive every day. Now, as Artificial Intelligence (AI) takes centre stage in our industry, the opportunity is ours to harness it as a powerful assistant, thought partner, and catalyst for better project outcomes.
 
AI tools are becoming increasingly capable of reviewing and critiquing user stories, refining requirements, and suggesting improvements to our project deliverables. Imagine an intelligent assistant highlighting gaps in acceptance criteria, checking for consistency across documentation, or identifying ambiguous language before your stakeholders ever lay eyes on the draft.
 
When we bring our ingenuity, critical thinking, and domain knowledge to the input, we enable AI to return valuable insights—not as a replacement, but as a quality enhancer.
 
But the application of AI goes far beyond requirement validation. We're seeing tangible benefits in:
  • Product Ownership: Analyzing user feedback at scale to prioritize feature sets more effectively.
  • Cybersecurity: Identifying potential vulnerabilities through behavioral pattern analysis.
  • Data Analysis and Reporting: Automating trend identification, generating narrative summaries, and enhancing visualization outputs.
AI is not about outsourcing thinking. It’s about amplifying our expertise, so we can focus more on stakeholder collaboration, strategic alignment, and decision-making.
Save the Date – PDD 2025: The Evolving Analyst
 
Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 20, 2025, for our flagship event—Professional Development Day (PDD) hosted by IIBA® Calgary Chapter.
 
Our theme this year: “The Evolving Analyst: Leveraging AI and Collaborative Excellence in Project Success.”
 
This full-day experience will feature:
  • Industry-leading speakers exploring real-world applications of AI and evolving best practices
  • Expert panel discussions on the future of business analysis
  • Engaging networking sessions with peers and thought leaders
Whether you're a seasoned CBAP or just stepping into your first project, this event is designed to elevate your skills and expand your professional toolkit.
Thank you for being a valued member of the IIBA® Calgary Chapter. Your curiosity, collaboration, and commitment are what keep our community thriving.
 
If you have thoughts on how you're using AI, want to get involved in the Chapter, or just want to share your experience—I want to hear from you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly at president@calgary.iiba.org. Together, let’s keep learning, growing, and leading the way forward.
 
Warm regards,
Reg Cracknell
President, IIBA® Calgary Chapter
 
 
Upcoming Event Links
Join IIBA Calgary at the 4th Annual Brookfield Walk/Run: Supporting the Calgary Food Bank!
Jun. 22, 2025
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. UTC-06:00
 
View entire list
 
 

Open Volunteer Positions - Apply!

We have several positions open and would love for you to join us. Email us at volunteer@calgary.iiba.org with your details and the position you are interested in. 
 
Available roles: 

  • Event Coordinator

    • Create chapter events form as required
    • Send calendar invite to all registered participants, for chapter events
    • Send post event message to all participants as required
    • Work closely with Event Marketing to complete and coordinate all event tasks
    • Contribute to specials assignments related to event venue selection, visitation, assessment, and pricing
 
  • Event Outreach
    • Help Director of events to facilitate event logistics
    • Interview, screen, and coordinate communications with potential event speakers
    • Research and interface with event venue
 

Thank you for your interest and support.

 
 
Once, a business analyst was tasked with improving the efficiency of a company's coffee machine usage. After weeks of detailed analysis, surveys, and data collection, they presented their findings to the team.
 
The solution? A meticulously crafted flowchart detailing the optimal coffee-making process, complete with decision points like "Is the coffee pot empty?" and "Do you need milk?"
 
The team couldn't help but laugh at the overly complex diagram for such a simple task. But, to everyone's surprise, the flowchart actually improved coffee machine efficiency and reduced waiting times!
 
Sometimes, even the most detailed analysis can have unexpected benefits. 
 
Do you have any funny stories or experiences you'd like to share?
 

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Calling all BAs! If you have new ideas or content that you would like to contribute to our monthly newsletter, please email communications@calgary.iiba.org. Whether you're interested in making regular contributions or have a one-off article to share, we want to hear from you!
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