At a Glance
The profession’s biggest question is getting a direct answer this week — and it’s nuanced. Fresh practitioner pieces argue that while AI is already automating 30–40% of typical BA deliverables, the judgment layer — problem definition, stakeholder alignment, and governance — remains firmly human territory. IIBA is actively discussing agentic AI and the future of the profession via its weekly video roundup, with Jared Gorai spotlighting conversations between Angela Wick and Susan Moore. Two major European BA events are live: BA & Beyond 26 wraps its six-city tour this week — with South Africa’s Oupa Laka and Mark Bruins on the confirmed programme — and the 7th European Business Analysis Day is running virtually. And from Brussels, the EU AI Act is landing on BA desks in regulated industries as a new class of requirement-translation challenge.
💬 Social Media Roundup
What the BA community has been talking about this week — actual posts and conversations from LinkedIn and Instagram, not just articles.
🎤 Conferences
Happening Now
BA & Beyond 26 Live — May 18–28, 2026 | ba-beyond.eu
The flagship European BA conference is in its final stretch this week, running across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Hungary simultaneously. Themes centre on AI & Business Analysis, Business Architecture, and Strategic BA — with the overarching frame of whether BAs survive or shapeshift in the current technology climate. The conference hashtag #BABeyond26 is active on LinkedIn. Featured speakers include Roger Burlton, Filip Hendrickx, and Howard Podeswa.
🇿🇦 South African Speakers
Oupa Laka 🇿🇦 · Senior BA & Consultant, AKILI
Oupa presents two sessions across the BA & Beyond 26 tour: “From Fog to Focus: How Business Analysts Create Clarity When Things Feel Messy” (26 May, Utrecht, Netherlands) and “The Analyst as Story Weaver: Why Requirements Fail When Stories Conflict” (28 May, Budapest, Hungary). Both sessions focus on practical BA judgment in complex environments.
Mark Bruins 🇿🇦 · Founder, BA Masterminds
Cape Town-based Mark Bruins led the half-day workshop “The BA Career Accelerator: A Proven Blueprint to Double Your Value in 90 Days” (18 May, Mechelen, Belgium) and joined the closing panel “15 Years of Business Analysis / Looking Back to Move Forward”. The workshop draws directly from his BA Masterminds mentoring framework.
7th European Business Analysis Day Live — May 27–29, 2026 | ba-day.com
A fully virtual event running this week, the European BA Day brings 40+ international speakers over three days across four pillars: Core Skills, Career & Leadership, Techniques, and AI in Business Analysis. Keynote speaker Jamie Champagne leads the programme, joined by Adrian Reed (Principal Consultant) and IIBA’s Community Engagement Manager Susan Moore.
🇿🇦 South African Speaker
Nokuthula Mchunu 🇿🇦 · Business Analyst & Project Manager, HisGroup-IT
Midrand-based Nokuthula presents “Asking Better Questions: A Core Business Analysis Skill That Is Often Underrated” on Friday 29 May at 10:00–10:30 in the Core Skills track. Her session explores how asking the right questions prevents project failures caused by unchallenged assumptions.
Coming Up
Project Summit · Business Analyst World — Washington DC
📅 June 15–17, 2026 · 📍 Westin Arlington Gateway, Washington DC · 🔗 Register / Learn more
The established North American BA conference circuit continues with the Washington DC edition, bringing together business analysts, project managers, and industry leaders for keynotes, symposium sessions, and workshops. PDUs and CDUs available. Approximately 17 speakers on the programme — full list on the conference website.
Business Analysis Conference Europe 2026 (18th Annual)
📅 September 21–23, 2026 · 📍 London (Convene 133 Houndsditch + etc.venues Fenchurch St) · 🔗 Register / Learn more
The UK’s largest annual BA conference returns for its 18th edition, expecting 550+ analysts across two conference days and a workshop day. Tracks span AI & Emerging Technology, BA Careers & Leadership, Strategy & Business Architecture, and Stakeholder Collaboration. Early bird registration is open.
Featured speakers: Caroline Criado Perez (Invisible Women), Prof. Eddie Obeng, Michael Noonan (Microsoft), Ben Clinch, and 80+ additional experts. Learn more about our weekly BA digest for ongoing conference coverage.
📅 IIBA & Community Events
Upcoming IIBA webinars and community sessions. Times shown in your local timezone. Full IIBA events calendar →
MAY
Ready, Set, Certify: Preparing for the Agile Analysis Certifications
12:00 PM EDT · IIBA · Online (Open to non-members)
Preparation guidance for IIBA’s agile analysis certification exams — what to study, how the exams are structured, and how to earn 1 CDU for attending live.
JUN
Own the Room: Building Confidence That Lasts
12:00 PM EDT · IIBA · Online (Open to non-members)
Professional development session on sustained confidence — presenting, facilitating, and leading in high-stakes BA environments. 1 CDU for live attendance.
JUN
AI Governance Adoption: What Must Exist Before AI Scales
5:00 PM EDT · IIBA · Online (Member webinar)
A practical framework for AI governance before AI systems scale — directly relevant for BAs in regulated or high-risk environments. 1 CDU.
JUN
Mastering Data Visualizations for Stakeholder Influence
5:00 PM EDT · IIBA · Online (Member webinar)
Using data visualisation techniques to strengthen stakeholder communication — translating complex findings into visuals that drive decisions. 1 CDU.
📰 Worth Reading This Week
Freshly published pieces from across the BA community — from practitioner insights to methodology deep-dives.
If You Think AI Can Replace Business Analysts, You Don’t Understand What BAs Actually Do
Angela Wick draws a direct line between AI’s “production layer” — what it can automate — and the “judgment layer” it cannot reach. “The BA’s job is sometimes to push back and insist on clarity before momentum builds,” she writes, reframing AI adoption not as a threat but as permission to spend more time on the work that actually matters.
If your leadership is asking “can AI replace our BAs?”, this is the piece that gives you the language to answer with precision — not defensiveness.
By Angela Wick
How AI Can Help with Business Analysis
“AI will not replace the Business Analyst role, but it can become a powerful companion” — then backs it up with concrete territory: accelerating domain learning, drafting and reviewing requirements, generating early UI mockups. The emphasis lands squarely on AI improving speed and structure, not replacing stakeholder alignment and judgment.
A practical entry point for BAs who want to adopt AI tools without losing analytical rigour — the authors map exactly which tasks benefit most from AI assistance versus where human judgment remains non-negotiable.
By Devesh Rajadhyax & Swati Pitre
What the EU AI Act Really Means for Regulated Industries
High-risk AI systems under the EU AI Act require “strong oversight, documentation, risk controls, monitoring, and accountability” — and business analysts are positioned to translate those compliance obligations into actionable requirements. A detailed practitioner’s lens on what this means operationally across healthcare, finance, and critical infrastructure.
If you’re in a regulated sector, the EU AI Act is already creating a new category of BA requirement work. This is the clearest practitioner-level explanation of what that means for your backlog.
By Iryna Sizikova
The conference
BA Summit 2026
South Africa’s premier business analysis conference — coming in 2026. Register your interest today.