The IIBA Agile Extension describes three horizons of BA work. Not phases — horizons. The difference matters.
- Strategy Horizon: Why are we building this at all? What's the business opportunity? The BA's job here is exploratory — understanding context, defining the problem space, and shaping the solution space before any delivery begins.
- Initiative Horizon: What are we going to build, and in what order? Roadmap, prioritization, defining the scope of a release.
- Delivery Horizon: Working within the team, sprint by sprint. Elaborating stories, writing acceptance criteria, adjusting as feedback comes in.
The Agile Extension puts it clearly:
"The goal of applying an agile mindset is to maximize the outcome (value delivered) with minimum output."
That's the whole point of the horizons framework. Too many teams skip straight to Delivery — and end up building the right feature for the wrong problem. Too much time at Strategy, and nothing ships.
The BA role looks genuinely different at each horizon. At Strategy, you're running workshops and building impact maps. At Delivery, you're in refinement sessions writing acceptance criteria. Both are analysis. Neither replaces the other.
For AAC candidates: the horizons are the backbone of the exam. Most scenario questions test whether you can identify which horizon you're operating in and what the appropriate analysis activity is.
Exam tip: Horizons are not sequential. Work at all three can happen simultaneously. The exam tests focus, not timing.