CITP application overview

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CITP application overview
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Welcome to our CITP overview

• CITP status is the benchmark of IT excellence.
• Being a Chartered IT Professional shows the
  business world that you are an expert in your
  field, with breadth of knowledge spanning the IT
  industry.

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What does professionalism look like?

• Member of a professional body
• Signed up to a code of conduct
• Committed to continuous professional development
• Qualified
• Demonstrates trusted competence

Chartered status is a great way to demonstrate
the quality of our consultants. Andrew Reid,
Microsoft Consulting Services Director
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What is CITP status?

• Chartered IT Professionals add business value
  through use of technology
• They have breadth of knowledge across the whole
  of IT and competence in their own specialism
• CITPs understand the business they are working in
• CITP status tells an employer something about the
  holder that they cannot easily find out for
  themselves.
• The CITP standard is aspirational and demanding
  to achieve.
• The assessment process is rigorous with periodic
  revalidation (Certificate of Current Competence).

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Are you ready for CITP?

• AutonomyWorks under broad direction. Work is
  often self-initiated. Is fully accountable for
  meeting allocated technical and / or project /
  supervisory objectives. Establishes milestones
  and has a significant role in the delegation of
  responsibilities.
• InfluenceInfluences organisation, customers,
  suppliers, partners and peers on the contribution
  of own specialism. Builds appropriate and
  effective business relationships. Makes decisions
  which impact the success of assigned projects
  i.e. results, deadlines and budget. Has
  significant influence over the allocation and
  management of resources appropriate to given
  assignments.
• ComplexityPerforms an extensive range and
  variety of complex technical and / or
  professional work activities. Undertakes work
  which requires the application of fundamental
  principles in a wide and often unpredictable
  range of contexts. Understands the relationship
  between own specialism and wider customer /
  organisational requirements.
• Business skillsAdvises on the available
  standards, methods, tools and applications
  relevant to own specialism and can make
  appropriate choices from alternatives. Analyses,
  designs, plans, executes and evaluates work to
  time, cost and quality targets. Assesses and
  evaluates risk. Communicates effectively, both
  formally and informally. Demonstrates leadership.
  Facilitates collaboration between stakeholders
  who have diverse objectives.
• Understands the relevance of own area of
  responsibility / specialism to the employing
  organisation. Takes customer requirements into
  account when making proposals. Takes initiative
  to keep skills up to date. Mentors colleagues.
  Maintains an awareness of developments in the
  industry. Analyses requirements and advises on
  scope and options for continuous operational
  improvement. Demonstrates creativity and
  innovation in applying solutions for the benefit
  of the customer / stakeholder. Takes account of
  relevant legislation.

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Before you start

• Have an idea of the SFIA category that you would
  like to select as your area of specialism for
  stage 2 of the assessment process presentation
  and interview. You dont necessarily need to work
  on a presentation prior to applying, but some
  like to get a head start on it.
• Have a chat with your potential supporter(s) to
  make sure theyre happy to fulfil that role (and
  in a timely fashion) theyll be contacted by
  BCS and will need to verify your experience
  before you can proceed.

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Supporters for your application

• Why do we need supporters?
• Our assessors will look for some independent
  validation that you are working at the required
  level to achieve CITP status.
• This adds more rigour to the assessment and helps
  the assessor judge your suitability.
• You may need more than one supporter for your
  application.
• A supporter can be your employer, a client, or a
  colleague (same or higher level).
• They must be sufficiently familiar with your work
  to have a reliable opinion of your competence and
  be able to provide specific work-related
  examples.

Id recommend CITP status to all experienced IT
practitioners... Ensure your supporters are
aligned with what they need to do before they are
asked to support your application. Tim Clements
MBCS CITP, Head of IT Compliance and Process
Optimisation, Carlsberg Group
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What is required from your supporter(s)

• Supporters are asked to provide evidence of your
  experience in line with the required criteria you
  were asked to demonstrate in your application
• To do this, they will complete a supporter report
  form, which should be in their own words and be
  submitted with your application form
• This is not intended to be unduly onerous, but
  provides the independent validation which makes
  CITP status credible
• Please chose your supporters carefully, as there
  may be a need for us to approach them for more
  information (e.g. telephone discussion with one
  of our assessors)
• Supporter details will be kept by BCS as part of
  the applicant assessment record

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10-step application
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Your initial application

• Education and experience
• About you
• Current work experience and number of years in IT
• Qualifications if applicable
• Choose a specialism which best describes your
  main area of expertise (this can be changed later
  in the assessment process, in advance of your
  interview)
• Information security and management
• Strategy and architecture
• Portfolio, programme and project management
• Business change
• Solution development and implementation
• Service management
• Supply quality and resource management
• Learning and development
• Sales and marketing

I would recommend CITP status to others, its a
rigorous process and an achievement to be proud
of Davina Whitworth MBCS CITP, Corporate
Strategy Manager at Luton Borough Council
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Your initial application (continued)

• Your current CV and personal statement
• Current role
• Key responsibilities
• Time in role months and years
• Explanation of any gaps

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Preparing your personal statement

• Try to think of specific work examples for which
  youve been personally responsible, which show
  the following
• Autonomy how is your work set and what is the
  nature of your reporting relationship to the
  manager?
• Influence in your working environment, what is
  the extent of your influence or impact on others?
• Complexity of work what type of work activities
  does you perform?
• Business skills what level of influence or
  autonomy do you have regarding which methods,
  tools and applications you use? What degree of
  technical understanding do you have?

Credibility is essential for most security and
compliance roles and Chartered status enables my
employer to demonstrate that they have credible
leaders in this space. Glen Taylor FBCS CITP
Vice President Walt Disney Parks and Resorts,
Business Technology Infrastructure, Security and
Compliance
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Interview and presentation

• The interview allows you to demonstrate your
  experience, and the assessors to seek
  clarification and ask questions about your area
  of specialism
• The specialism youve chosen will be used to
  identify a lead assessor for your interview,
  however you can change your specialism prior to
  booking your interview if necessary

The interview was enjoyable and I felt I was
being given constructive assistance rather than a
grilling. Richard Atkinson MBCS CITP CIO at
Just Giving
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Interview and presentation (continued)

• The interview takes place with two assessors
  online using video conferencing software.
• As part of the interview you are required to do a
  short presentation. You will need to provide BCS
  with a copy of your presentation at least seven
  days prior to the date of your interview so it
  can be supplied to our assessors in good time.
• The presentation should be 10 minutes long and
  include examples from work for which you have
  been personally responsible for delivering.
  Please be mindful not to let your presentation
  over-run.
• The outcome of the assessment will be
  communicated to you by email within 10 working
  days of your interview. Your certificate pack
  will follow soon after. If unsuccessful, BCS will
  ensure you get feedback from the assessors.

The interview was actually quite enjoyable as
the two assessors seemed genuinely interested in
my answers and what Id worked on. Cath Downie
MBCS CITP Client Services Manager, Sopra Group
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Once youre CITP become a BCS assessor!

• Becoming a BCS chartered assessor is an
  opportunity for you to share your expertise,
  demonstrate your commitment to the profession and
  enhance your continuous professional development.
• By harnessing your knowledge and experience
  though our assessor programme, the Institute can
  continue to raise standards and support other IT
  professionals throughout their careers.
• Applications are welcomed from chartered BCS
  members and the role requires a minimum
  commitment of 2-4 hours per month.
• You will typically be an experienced people
  manager, practised at interviewing techniques,
  appraisals and recruitment. You will have
  well-developed communication, time-management and
  inter-personal skills.
• As a CITP with Certificate of Current Competence
  you can become a lead interviewer and carry out
  initial reviews of evidence
• Assessor logos recognise your status as an
  approved BCS assessor. Our assessors are invited
  to consultation sessions and workshops to discuss
  continuous improvements and share best practise
  methods.
• Find out more at bcs.org/assessor

There are two areas in which I greatly benefit
from my assessor role. The first is my skill in
interviewing people. The second is in the breadth
of IT projects that I am now exposed
to. Christopher Marsh MBCS CITP BCS Chartered
Assessor