CIP Spotlight: Baba Majekodunmi on the Combined Power of the CIP and PMP

As part of our Certified Information Professional Spotlight series, I chatted with Baba Majekodunmi, Business Analyst for Payment Products & Service at Pentagon Federal Credit Union, for his story on becoming a CIP.

Jesse: Hi Baba, I’m excited to chat with you today and learn more about why you decided to become a Certified Information Professional. We’ll get to that in a moment though, can you start by giving us a little background on Pentagon Federal Credit Union and your role there?

Baba: PenFed is a Virginia-based federal credit union with 50 locations in eleven states and at military bases in Guam, Japan, Portugal, and Puerto Rico. I am a business analyst for our payment products and services (credit cards, debit cards, ATM, Wires, and ACH) and provide analytics on things like operations, P&L, and fraud.

Jesse: What does the CIP represent to you?

Baba: The CIP represents my commitment to the Information Management Industry and its best practices.

The vast majority of the information I need to perform my job as a business analyst resides within a legacy unstructured repository. I got so acquainted with the repository that I became the lead end-user in the enterprise and a strong advocate for change because it simply does not meet current business requirements. To add substance and greater weight to my arguments, I was confident that getting certified would help me in leading change in our enterprise.

Jesse: You have your PMP and the CIP. That’s a real one-two punch. Can you talk a little bit about what made you decide to get both certifications?

Baba: With the PMP, my goal was to become a key stakeholder in our information management strategy and to help lead projects to replace our legacy ECM environment with a better-aligned program of systems.

I was reading a blog on Big Men on Content titled “Own Your ECM Career,” which mentioned AIIM’s certification. CIP was perfect for me because it complements the PMP and makes it easier to justify my inclusion and position in these types of projects.

Jesse: Have you seen the positive effects of becoming a CIP on your career that you had hoped?

Baba: So far, things are going well. I’m recognized as a key stakeholder and feel more confident to ask critical questions about strategy and provide guidance based on best practices.

I engage with business leaders and management educating them on business processes and how I meet their business needs with my knowledge of our information assets, and I also work with our teammates in IT on how to ensure systems are meeting business requirements.

Jesse: Do you have any tips for passing the CIP exam for the folks who are just starting to prepare?

Baba: I recommend reading through the Study Guide three times. Do a cursory read through the first time. Take notes the second time through. Take the practice test online multiple times and read through the Study Guide one last time to cover areas of weakness.

Jesse: That’s an excellent approach! Thank you for the chat, Baba.