2026 Summit
2026Programme
Pre-conference workshops and two full conference days — every session from the 2026 Business Analysis Summit, 16–18 November 2026.
Business analysis extends far beyond documenting requirements.
Business analysts are expected to bring diverse stakeholders together, navigate competing perspectives, influence decisions and guide teams towards meaningful business outcomes—often without having formal authority.
In today’s Agile environment, Business Analysts and Product Owners play a pivotal role in driving value beyond traditional requirements gathering. This practical workshop explores the end-to-end Agile delivery lifecycle, demonstrating how BAs contribute to requirements management, backlog refinement, development, testing, and successful product delivery.
Gain the structure and confidence to approach business analysis with clarity.
Business analysis can feel broad when you first encounter it. There are roles, techniques, stakeholders, processes, requirements, business cases and change activities — and it is not always obvious how they fit together in real work.
Usually Business Analysts are viewed as resources, from both a project and a business perspective. This is because for many years BAs focused on delivery as opposed to the value each delivery yielded.
This half-day workshop will explore why most business analysts are excellent requirements-takers but struggle to show strategic value. This workshop diagnoses why: BAs often lack a shared model of value and change.
The Business Analysis Summit 2026 opens with a formal welcome from Chrisanne Kirstein, President of IIBA South Africa, alongside the conference's 2026 track chairs.
This keynote explores how purposeful collaboration can inspire agile thinking, ignite curiosity and spark a deeper sense of purpose. Through simple creative strategies, Conn shows how teams can strengthen connection, unlock co-creation and become happier, healthier and harder to kill.
Successful change is not driven by system requirements alone. It happens when stakeholders’ end-to-end perspectives are understood, messages are communicated in ways that resonate with them, and diverse voices are aligned around a shared outcome.
Turning strategy into reality has always been the Business Analyst's job, and AI is now rewiring the entire value chain that makes that happen — so it is time the profession got rewired too. The usual questions ask how AI can improve business analysis, and how business analysis can shape AI adoption.
Modern Business Analysts are expected to understand strategy, influence stakeholders, support transformation and shape organisational change. Yet despite increasingly capable business analysis practices, organisations continue to experience disappointing project outcomes, unrealised benefits and transformation fatigue.
The most impactful leaders don’t always have “Head of” or “Executive” in their job titles. Every day, Business Analysts influence million-rand decisions, align competing stakeholders, navigate conflict and create clarity in complexity often without formal authority.
Business analysts are surrounded by data, requirements and insights, yet many struggle to turn that analysis into real decisions and meaningful change. This session reframes storytelling not as a soft skill, but as a practical technique for clarifying problems, aligning stakeholders and influencing outcomes.
AI can accelerate research, question generation, synthesis and requirements review, but it cannot own business context or stakeholder decisions. This practitioner-led session introduces a Human-AI Discovery Loop that helps Business Analysts frame the problem, prepare trusted evidence, use AI to explore and challenge, engage stakeholders and validate every output.
Business Analysts are often asked to define requirements for problems that have not yet been fully understood. Yet many failed projects are not caused by poor requirements — they are the result of hidden interactions between people, processes, technology, policies and organisational structures.
In a world shaped by AI, rapid change and increasing business complexity, technical knowledge alone is no longer enough.
Organisations need Business Analysts who can influence strategy, enable transformation and deliver measurable business value.
Technical competence gets Business Analysts onto projects, but influence, credibility and authority determine whether they become trusted advisors or simply requirements writers. This session explores the qualities that consistently distinguish highly sought-after Business Analysts from everyone else.
A case study in how AI helped Steve Randles and his team complete a highly technical tender in a very short space of time, with a high-quality proposal as the outcome.
Every business change initiative is shaped by stories — about what the problem is, who is responsible, and what success should look like — and when these stories conflict, even well-defined requirements fail to deliver meaningful outcomes.
TBC
About the Speaker
Riaz Moonda brings extensive experience across private and public sectors, including the motor industry and financial sector. He is recognised for his ability to navigate complex environments, foster strong working relationships, and deliver results.
Most Business Analysts measure their value by their deliverables — requirements documents, process maps, projects delivered — but deliverables disappear. People don't.
This session asks whether it is possible to quantitatively measure how good a process model really is, using a model quality framework applied across three categories: semantic, syntactic and pragmatic, with values assigned against each area.
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly capable of generating requirements, reports, user stories and business insights, many Business Analysts are questioning where they add value.The answer lies not in competing with AI, but in evolving beyond traditional analysis activities.
AI is accelerating the parts of Business Analysis that were once time‑consuming: first‑draft process maps, BRD shells, tidy user stories, and workshop summaries. What it cannot accelerate is judgment. As African enterprises adopt AI and begin experimenting with agentic systems, the BA’s role shifts from documenting requirements to shaping decisions, governing autonomy, and ensuring outcomes align with business reality.
AI can accelerate research, question generation, synthesis and requirements review, but it cannot own business context or stakeholder decisions. This practitioner-led session introduces a Human-AI Discovery Loop that helps Business Analysts frame the problem, prepare trusted evidence, use AI to explore and challenge, engage stakeholders and validate every output.
In a world shaped by AI, rapid change and increasing business complexity, technical knowledge alone is no longer enough.
Organisations need Business Analysts who can influence strategy, enable transformation and deliver measurable business value.
A case study in how AI helped Steve Randles and his team complete a highly technical tender in a very short space of time, with a high-quality proposal as the outcome.
Successful change is not driven by system requirements alone. It happens when stakeholders’ end-to-end perspectives are understood, messages are communicated in ways that resonate with them, and diverse voices are aligned around a shared outcome.
Modern Business Analysts are expected to understand strategy, influence stakeholders, support transformation and shape organisational change. Yet despite increasingly capable business analysis practices, organisations continue to experience disappointing project outcomes, unrealised benefits and transformation fatigue.
TBC
About the Speaker
Riaz Moonda brings extensive experience across private and public sectors, including the motor industry and financial sector. He is recognised for his ability to navigate complex environments, foster strong working relationships, and deliver results.
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly capable of generating requirements, reports, user stories and business insights, many Business Analysts are questioning where they add value.The answer lies not in competing with AI, but in evolving beyond traditional analysis activities.
The most impactful leaders don’t always have “Head of” or “Executive” in their job titles. Every day, Business Analysts influence million-rand decisions, align competing stakeholders, navigate conflict and create clarity in complexity often without formal authority.
Technical competence gets Business Analysts onto projects, but influence, credibility and authority determine whether they become trusted advisors or simply requirements writers. This session explores the qualities that consistently distinguish highly sought-after Business Analysts from everyone else.
Every business change initiative is shaped by stories — about what the problem is, who is responsible, and what success should look like — and when these stories conflict, even well-defined requirements fail to deliver meaningful outcomes.
Most Business Analysts measure their value by their deliverables — requirements documents, process maps, projects delivered — but deliverables disappear. People don't.
Turning strategy into reality has always been the Business Analyst's job, and AI is now rewiring the entire value chain that makes that happen — so it is time the profession got rewired too. The usual questions ask how AI can improve business analysis, and how business analysis can shape AI adoption.
Business analysts are surrounded by data, requirements and insights, yet many struggle to turn that analysis into real decisions and meaningful change. This session reframes storytelling not as a soft skill, but as a practical technique for clarifying problems, aligning stakeholders and influencing outcomes.
Business Analysts are often asked to define requirements for problems that have not yet been fully understood. Yet many failed projects are not caused by poor requirements — they are the result of hidden interactions between people, processes, technology, policies and organisational structures.
This session asks whether it is possible to quantitatively measure how good a process model really is, using a model quality framework applied across three categories: semantic, syntactic and pragmatic, with values assigned against each area.
Whether attendees feel stuck in a rut or simply want to take stock, there is much to learn and develop from making time to reflect. This keynote discusses common BA career choices and challenges, and shares simple yet powerful techniques to help achieve career clarity.
This session reflects on Maele Masibi’s journey as a Business Analyst, shaped by early experiences working with a CEO focused on meaningful business impact. At the time, the value of his work was not always obvious to him: he simply focused on what the CEO was trying to achieve and aligned his analysis efforts to those outcomes.
Business analysts are more than the documents they produce. Yet many spend their days writing BRDs, FRDs and user stories, with little time left for the thinking only a human does.
For many organisations, the past few years marked their first real encounter with AI, and Ann Mistiaen and Nikolaas De Graeve’s organisation was no exception. As Business Analysts, they recognised a familiar role: agent of change, and helped to facilitate their company’s AI transformation.
This presentation maps out what antifragility means for the profession of the modern business analyst. Antifragility is not the same as robustness or resilience: it goes a significant step further.
Business analysts often ask ‘did we deliver within scope, budget and time?’ instead of ‘did we solve the real customer problem with the right solution?’ This session makes the case that BAs must move beyond passive requirements gathering and adopt entrepreneurial thinking as a core capability.
Answers have never been easier to generate, thank you, AI. Good questions, thoughtful conversations and sound judgement are a different matter.
The accelerating pace of digital transformation, amplified by artificial intelligence, demands new forms of leadership that transcend traditional hierarchies. Business Analysts exemplify this shift as ‘title-less leaders’ — professionals who influence, align and drive organisational change without formal authority.
AI is rapidly becoming embedded in how organisations work, make decisions and create value—transforming the way we innovate and operate. But with this opportunity comes responsibility: without an ethical approach, AI can introduce significant risks and unintended consequences.
Early in her career, a senior manager left Nojood Classen with an important word: to be able to lead others, you need to lead yourself. Through mentorship programmes, project leadership and life itself, she has continued to arrive at new realisations about leadership, with and without the title.
Large-scale transformation rarely happens in ideal conditions. It happens while the business continues to operate, production stability must be protected, regulatory obligations remain, and priorities continue to shift.
The age of AI offers business analysis a defining opportunity: to help organisations turn technological potential into real value. As AI and automation accelerate work across organisations, accurate processes matter more than ever.
Leadership in analysis and product work rarely comes with formal authority, yet the success of any initiative depends on someone stepping up to align stakeholders, challenge assumptions and keep teams focused on outcomes. Drawing on 25 years across business analysis and product management, this session explores what practical leadership looks like without org-chart power.
This panel discussion will close off the Business Analysis Summit 2026, facilitated by Itu Matshediso, highlighting key themes and discussion points from across the conference.
Business analysts are more than the documents they produce. Yet many spend their days writing BRDs, FRDs and user stories, with little time left for the thinking only a human does.
This presentation maps out what antifragility means for the profession of the modern business analyst. Antifragility is not the same as robustness or resilience: it goes a significant step further.
AI is rapidly becoming embedded in how organisations work, make decisions and create value—transforming the way we innovate and operate. But with this opportunity comes responsibility: without an ethical approach, AI can introduce significant risks and unintended consequences.
This session reflects on Maele Masibi’s journey as a Business Analyst, shaped by early experiences working with a CEO focused on meaningful business impact. At the time, the value of his work was not always obvious to him: he simply focused on what the CEO was trying to achieve and aligned his analysis efforts to those outcomes.
Business analysts often ask ‘did we deliver within scope, budget and time?’ instead of ‘did we solve the real customer problem with the right solution?’ This session makes the case that BAs must move beyond passive requirements gathering and adopt entrepreneurial thinking as a core capability.
The age of AI offers business analysis a defining opportunity: to help organisations turn technological potential into real value. As AI and automation accelerate work across organisations, accurate processes matter more than ever.
Answers have never been easier to generate, thank you, AI. Good questions, thoughtful conversations and sound judgement are a different matter.
Early in her career, a senior manager left Nojood Classen with an important word: to be able to lead others, you need to lead yourself. Through mentorship programmes, project leadership and life itself, she has continued to arrive at new realisations about leadership, with and without the title.
Leadership in analysis and product work rarely comes with formal authority, yet the success of any initiative depends on someone stepping up to align stakeholders, challenge assumptions and keep teams focused on outcomes. Drawing on 25 years across business analysis and product management, this session explores what practical leadership looks like without org-chart power.
For many organisations, the past few years marked their first real encounter with AI, and Ann Mistiaen and Nikolaas De Graeve’s organisation was no exception. As Business Analysts, they recognised a familiar role: agent of change, and helped to facilitate their company’s AI transformation.
The accelerating pace of digital transformation, amplified by artificial intelligence, demands new forms of leadership that transcend traditional hierarchies. Business Analysts exemplify this shift as ‘title-less leaders’ — professionals who influence, align and drive organisational change without formal authority.
Large-scale transformation rarely happens in ideal conditions. It happens while the business continues to operate, production stability must be protected, regulatory obligations remain, and priorities continue to shift.