Certified Business Process Professional (CBPP) Practice Exam

The Certified Business Process Professional (CBPP) certification signifies expertise in identifying, analyzing, and improving business processes. This valuable credential, offered by the American Society for Quality (ASQ), empowers individuals to drive operational excellence, enhance efficiency, and contribute significantly to organizational success.

Who should consider the CBPP Exam?

This certification caters to a diverse group of professionals seeking to:

• Advance their careers in process management: Business analysts, operations managers, quality professionals, and continuous improvement specialists can demonstrate their expertise and gain a competitive edge.
• Lead process improvement initiatives: Equip yourselves with the knowledge and tools to identify inefficiencies, streamline workflows, and implement effective improvement strategies.
• Collaborate effectively across departments: Enhance communication and collaboration with stakeholders to drive process optimization across the organization.
• Prepare for further specialization: The CBPP certification lays the groundwork for pursuing advanced credentials in quality management and process improvement methodologies.

Responsibilities of a CBPP Professional:

• Mapping and analyzing business processes: Identifying key processes, their inputs and outputs, and performance metrics.
• Identifying areas for improvement: Utilizing various analysis techniques to pinpoint inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and opportunities for optimization.
• Developing and implementing improvement plans: Collaborating with stakeholders to design and implement solutions that address identified issues.
• Measuring and evaluating results: Tracking performance metrics and assessing the impact of implemented improvements.
• Communicating effectively: Clearly communicating process improvement initiatives to stakeholders and obtaining buy-in for change.

Eligibility Requirement

• 4 years minimum Business Process Experience
• 6 months' credit for an Advanced Degree & Approved Industry Certifications e.g. PMI; IIBA

Exam Details 

• Format: 150 multiple-choice questions
• Time Limit: 3 hours
• Cost: $495 for ASQ members, $595 for non-members
• Passing Score: 70%
• Exam Dates: Offered year-round through approved testing providers

Course Structure

The Certified Business Process Professional (CBPP®) exam covers the following topics - 

Domain 1- Business Process Management

(7 Questions)

1.1  Understanding Business Process Principles 

• Ability to define the definition of Business Process Management,  why organizations implement BPM, how they apply the philosophy and the goal for BPM projects
• Determining the drivers and the impact on the organization

1.2  Understanding BPM Lifecycle 

• Determining the phases of BPM implementation, the methodology and the projects that would impact the goals of the organization
• Comprehending the BPM lifecycle and the different activities at each phase 

1. 3 Understanding BPM Professionals

• Understanding the principles of change with the shift from an organizational and hierarchical focus changing to a process-based focus
• Determining the roles required for moving to a process-centric organization

Domain 2 - Describe Process Analysis

 (15 Questions)

2.1 Understanding Process Analysis

• Determining the term process analysis 
• Evaluating how processes cross various functional areas and the challenges that result for process improvement efforts. 
• Determining the various methods to collect information

2.2 Understanding Process Analysis  - Techniques 

• Determining and define model types and components
• Determining how processes cross various functional areas and the challenges that result for process improvement efforts. 
• Determining the benefits of capturing process documentation

2.3 Understanding Process Analysis  - Approaches 

• Determining the role of the process analyst for capturing  process documentation 
• Determine the use of varied levels of detail used to capture process activities and procedures
• Determine the various methods to collect information

Domain 3 - Understanding Process Modeling

 (16 Questions)

3.1 Explaining Process Modeling Notations 

• Comprehending the origin and the types of business process modeling
• Differentiating between the Value Stream, Activity Based Costing methods and other approaches used to model business process information
• Assessing the types of process models
• Determining the common standards of process modelling
• Evaluating the key components of effective symbols charts and functions

3.2 Explain - The uses of Process Models 

• Understanding Business Process models are used to identify process activities; address the various ways process models can facilitate process change
• Integrating the role and the added value of modeling
• Evaluating how data collected from process analysis is used to propose changes to the process; incorporate other tools for process simulation and optimisation

Domain 4 - Explain Process Design &Transformation

 (18 Questions)

4.1 Understanding Process Design

• Determining the impact of the logical and physical aspects on the process design
• Determining the reasons for process design and opportunities for transformation
• Determining how the gaps in the current state are leveraged for business process information
• Determining common process analysis elements required for effective process design considerations
• Determining the elements considered to design an effective process flow

4.2 Critical Success Factors for Process Transformation  

• Determining and identify the critical success factors required to identify process activities and facilitate process change
• Determining the role process owners, executive sponsors and analysts provide for successful process transformation 
• Determining how process methodologies and frameworks help guide the process analysis required for process transformation
• Determining how data collected from process analysis is used to propose changes to the process; incorporate other tools for process simulation and optimization

Domain 5 - Explain Process Performance Management

 (14 Questions)

5.1 Effective Process Measures 

• Determining the role and objectives of measurements and metrics in the Process Performance Management   
• Determining fundamental metrics dimensions and characteristics of effective metrics 
• Determining the concept of "value-added" versus "non-value added" measurement approaches  

5.2 Importance and benefits of process performance management 

• Determining the benefits of cross-functional process improvement efforts versus isolated functional area improvements
• Determining the reasons for  continuous process monitoring and control 
• Determining the role of business intelligence in decision support for process owners and managers

Domain 6 - Explain Process Improvement Methodologies

6.1  Understanding Alignment of business process and enterprise performance 

• Determining the methodologies used to assess process performance and to support continuous improvement
• Determining the difference between the key approaches to process improvement methods; explain the key differences in the tools used by each
• Determining the difference between functional and cross-functional (enterprise level)  metrics   

6.2  Understanding Modeling and simulation 

• Describing the difference between Process Measuring and Modeling and Simulation
• Understanding the process of Modeling and Simulation and describe its objectives and benefits  

6.3 Understanding Decision support for process owners and managers 

• Learning common decision support frameworks and their benefits 
• Determining the reasons for planning for monitoring and controlling of business processes 

Domain 7 - Understanding Process Organization & Change Management

7.1  Explaining Process Orientation   

• Differentiating between the horizontal focus of the organization versus the traditional vertical focus
• Learning the definition of a process-centric enterprise and the impact it can have on management’s accountability for performance 

7.2  Explain the characteristics of the process culture  

• Determining the features of an enterprise process culture are and how they support the process-centric strategies 

7.3 Explain Process Management and Governance Roles 

• Determining the role of the process owner 
•  Determining how the process owner’s responsibilities differ from those of the functional manager. 
• Determininge and differentiate the different roles of the process owner, the project manager, the process analyst and the process governance team to accomplish their main responsibility 

7.4 Explain Organizational Change Management   

• Determining how process integration will impact to the traditional organizational structure and management roles
• Determining the change management issues encountered in implementing process changes and role definition.

Domain 8 - Enterprise Process Management (EPM)

8.1 Explain Enterprise Process Governance  

• Learning concepts of Enterprise Process Management to express strategy in terms of cross-functional activity
• Determining the main factors that impact cross-functional enterprise decision making  
• Determining the reasons and objectives of Enterprise Process  Governance 
• Determining the benefits of EPM and the importance of business knowledge, roles and responsibilities, goals and priorities 
• Determining the aspects of the Customer-Centric Measurement Framework 
• Illustrating activities of process assessment 

8.2 Explaining Process Frameworks 

• Learn to use and benefits of different frameworks to achieve the benefits  of establishing common definitions and standardized processes 
• Determining major elements of an Enterprise Framework Model

Domain 9 - Explain Business Process Management Systems (BPMS)

9.1  Learning BPM System Architecture

• Understanding the BPM Architecture

9.2  Learn BPM System Components

• Distinguishing between the enterprise and the impact it can have on performance 

9.3  Learn Business Process Rules