Certification: Is the Value Proposition Shifting

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Certification Is the Value Proposition Shifting?

• Judith Hale, Ph.D., CPT
• ibstpi Fellow
• Hale Associates
• ISPI Dir. Of Certification
• 9s211 Graceland Street
• Downers Grove, IL 60516
• 630-427-1304
• haleassoci_at_aol.com
• Judy_at_ispi.org
• www.HaleAssociates.com.

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Traditional Value

• How has certification traditionally added value
  to
• Professional associations?
• Credentialing agencies?
• Education providers?
• Testing agencies?
• Certificants?

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Shifting Sands

• How do you see the landscape of credentialing
  changing?
• How is that affecting the traditional value
  proposition?

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Drivers for a New Value Proposition

• Old Players
• Professional assns
• Accreditation groups
• Testing groups
• Want to maintain control
• Want to distinguish certifications from
  certificates
• Test at the knowledge/skill level
• Drive for the adoption of accreditation standards

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Drivers for a New Value Proposition

• New Players -
• Academic institutions
• Vendors
• Corporations
• Want to make credentials global universal
  standards
• Have to prove economic value
• Use certification to reduce FTEs and long term
  costs

• Measure higher level skills at the performance
  proficiency level (fluency)
• Certify
• Employees
• Suppliers
• After market partners
• Customers
• Concept of high risk has changed

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Drivers for a New ValueProposition Art Isaacs
Products systems
Increasing Complexity
Simple Stand alone
Systems New Materials
Miniaturization Computerization
Workers contractors
Increasing Diversity
Skilled
Unskilled
Technical Specialization
Mixed skills
Multi skilled
Government supplier customer
Increasing Interface
Directive
Collaborative
Quality approach
Increasing Quality
1930 Craftsman
1940-1950 Inspection
1960 Quality control
1970-1980 Quality assurance
1990-200 Total quality
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Demand Measurement of Higher Level Skills

• Ill-structured problems
• Multiple ways to define the goal
• Multiple paths for achieving the goal
• Accomplishment done over a period of time
• Context of application is unique to the venue
• Multi-cultural relationship management
• Employees
• Customers
• Vendors/suppliers/after market partners
• Regulators

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Economic Drivers for a New Value Proposition

• Amount of money spent on training across the
  supply chain
• Influx of venture capital
• Introduction of new more complex products
• Introduction of new jobs new skills

• Investment in technology advancements
• Increasing regulation
• Dispersed workforce
• Reduction in the cost of electronic testing
  training

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Market Effect

• Increasing number of groups offering credentials
• Professional societies Seek accreditation
• Academic institutions Seek endorsements
• Vendors Seek endorsements
• Corporations Seek economic return
• Employees
• Suppliers
• After market partners
• Customers

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Market Effect

• Pressures from the credentialing profession
• Push to distinguish certifications from
  certificates
• Push to accredit certifications and certificates
• Push to use psychometric services
• Push to use online testing

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Certification v Certificate

• Certificates
• Purpose is learning/development
• Assessed against learning objectives
• Assessment is based on a course of study
• Scope unique to curricula
• One time
• Oversight not required
• May not require recertification
• No mark is given

• Certifications
• Purpose is assessment
• Assessed against pre-determined standards
• Assessment is independent of course of study
• Scope defined by a JTA/CA
• Time limited
• Autonomous Governing Body
• Requires recertification
• Bestows a credential or mark

NOCA
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Market Effect

• Professional Societies want their credentials
• Accredited
• Drive membership
• Drive participation in their educational programs

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Market Effect

• Academic institutions want their credentials
• Recognized by professional associations
• Larger piece of the monies spent on professional
  development
• Competing with vendors and professional societies
• Drive participation in their traditional degree
  programs

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Market Effect

• Vendors Corporations want their credentials
• Approved or accredited
• Non-traditional groups to accredit them
• Visible economic return

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Market Effect

• Sell complex product mix
• Sell systems
• Suite of products
• Products integrate with products from other firms
• Are high risk
• Government scrutiny
• Long term liability
• Litigious environment
• Product professional liability

• High tech high reliability firms
• Electronics
• Telephony
• Bio-tech
• Hazardous materials
• Financial analytics
• Nuclear
• Aerospace
• Defense

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Why

• Brand protection
• Changing market rules
• High variance in workforce capability
• Need to rapidly deploy competent teams
• ISO registration

• Shrinking margins
• Low cost competitors
• Eroding customer confidence
• Eroding Stakeholder/ investor confidence
• Cost of sales

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Best Practices

• Use self-assessments
• Require management attestations
• Defensible
• Based on job-analysis
• See certification as a vehicle not a solution

• Performance-based
• Correlate with KPIs
• Low cost administration
• Incorporate tests in training
• Fair

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Pressure to Show Results
Needs Assessment
Identify Demands Opportunities
Cause Job Task Analysis
Identify Certification Requirements
Develop Certification Elements
Set Solution Measures
Set the Baseline
Implement Certification
Measure the change
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Pressure to Show Results
Needs Assessment
Customers Question Capability
Cause Analysis
Lack of Skills Knowledge Variance in Curricula
Job Task Analysis
Set Program Measures
Identify Requirements Set Standards
Develop Curriculum Tests
Set the Baselines Pre-tests
CSAT, Parts, Warranty
Train Test Certify
Measure the Change
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Summary

• The value proposition is being changed by
• New players
• New success measures
• Globalization
• Increasing access to open source lower cost
  technology

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Debrief Reflection

• Given what you have heard this morning, what new
  ideas have emerged for you?
• List the specific takeaways and or actions you
  will consider because of this mornings program?

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Where to Learn More

• Performance-Based Certification Hale, Judith,
  Pfeiffer (2003).
• Item writing workbook tools for writing
  multiple-choice, matching, fill-in, and short
  answer questions, and performance checklists
  Haleassoci_at_aol.com.
• Standards for Educational and Psychological
  Testing American Educational Research Assn,
  American Psychological Assn, National Council on
  Measurement in Education, Washington, DC (1999).
• The Business of Certification, Lenora and Joan
  Knapp, ASAE, Washington, DC (2002).

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Where to Learn More

• Standards for Certificates NOCA, (2009)
• ISO/IEC Standard 17024-2003(E), Conformity
  assessment General requirements for bodies
  operating certification of persons, www.ansi.org
  (2007)