Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 1 INCOSE Certification Overview For more information visit: © 2008 International Council on Systems Engineering

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 2 INCOSE Copyright Notice Copyright (c) 2008 by INCOSE, subject to the following restrictions: –Author Use. Authors have full rights to use their contributions in a totally unfettered way. Abstraction is permitted with credit to the source. –INCOSE Use. Permission to reproduce and use this document or parts thereof by members of INCOSE and to prepare derivative works from this document for INCOSE use is granted, with attribution to INCOSE and the original author(s) where practical, provided this copyright notice is included with all reproductions and derivative works. –External Use. This document may be shared or distributed to non-INCOSE third parties. Requests for permission to reproduce this document in whole are granted, provided it is not altered in any way. Requests for permission to prepare derivative works of this document for external and/or commercial use will be denied unless covered by other formal agreements with INCOSE. Copying, scanning, retyping, or any other form of reproduction of the content of whole pages or source documents is prohibited except as approved by the INCOSE Central Office, 2150 N.107th St., Suite 205, Seattle, WA –Electronic Version Use. Any electronic version of this document is to be used for personal use only and is not to be placed on a non-INCOSE sponsored server for general use. Any additional use of these materials must have written approval from INCOSE Central. –Permissions. INCOSE has granted permission to member companies of the INCOSE Corporate Advisory Board to post and use this document internally, subject to the external use restriction. –Technical Data. This data was prepared by INCOSE for information only. It is has been released by INCOSE Technical Data. It is subject to change without notice and may not be referred to as an INCOSE Technical Product. Send comments to This briefing was created from information from various INCOSE sources as indicated in the Notes section of this slide.

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 3 Topics What is certification and why is it important? What are the requirements for certification? What is the process for certification? What is planned for the future? Where can I find more information?

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 4 Topics What is certification and why is it important? What are the requirements for certification? What is the process for certification? What is planned for the future? Where can I find more information?

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 5 What Is Certification? Certification is an occupational designation –Provides confirmation of an individual's qualifications (specific knowledge and/or skill level) in a specified profession or occupational specialty Certification is a formal process –Issued by an organization Certification is voluntary –It is neither a barrier nor a gate to entering a job –However, it may be used as a qualifier in placement INCOSE Certifies professionals in the discipline of Systems Engineering

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 6 Why is Certification Important? Formally recognizes your Systems Engineering capabilities Distinguishes you from others within your professional field Can provide a competitive advantage in your career Provides a portable Systems Engineering designation that is recognized across industry Furthers your professional development as a systems engineer INCOSE Certification sets you and your organization apart! To you…

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 7 Why is Certification Important? Formally recognizes the Systems Engineering capabilities of your people Can provide a competitive discriminator for your proposals Can be used as part of the hiring process Provides an independent internal and external assessment Helps advance the state of the art and practice of Systems Engineering INCOSE Certification sets you and your organization apart! To your organization…

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 8 Topics What is certification and why is it important? What are the requirements for certification? What is the process for certification? What is planned for the future? Where can I find more information?

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 9 What are the requirements for Certification? Certification has three key components –Systems Engineering Experience & Experience Confirmation –Education –Knowledge Certification is open to all people, it is not restricted to members of INCOSE INCOSE Certification is much more than just “book knowledge” – substantiated Systems Engineering experience is required

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 10 Certification Experience Requirements Systems Engineering Experience –5 years minimum in multiple Systems Engineering disciplines Experience Confirmation –Recommendations from at least 3 colleagues / peers / managers –Must cover the period documented by applicant –The references must also be knowledgeable in Systems Engineering

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 11 Systems Engineering Disciplines Recognized for Experience Requirements Engineering Risk and Opportunity Management Baseline Control Technical Planning Technical Effort Assessment Design Development Qualification, Verification, and Validation Process Definition Tool Support Training System Integration Quality Assurance Specialty Engineering Other Successful candidates must have balanced experience across multiple disciplines

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 12 Certification Education Requirements Education –Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in technical field Additional Experience Can be Substituted  5 more years of engineering experience for non- technical Bachelor’s (total 10 years)  10 more years of engineering experience if no Bachelor’s degree (total 15 years)

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 13 Certification Knowledge Requirements Exam Basis –INCOSE SE Handbook Version 3.1 –Note: SE Handbook Version 2A can be used through June 2008 –Transition to exclusive use of SE Handbook 3.1 as of July 2008 Exam is –2 hours in length –120 questions –Administered electronically at world-wide Prometric locations - Pass/Fail results provided immediately upon exam completion Candidates are eligible for two re-tests within one year of application submittal The INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook is the basis for the Certification exam

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 14 Representative Exam Questions Which three of the following are methods to express functional behavior? (Choose three)  Network Tree (NT)  Behavior Diagram (BD)  Allocated Requirement Diagram (ARD)  Functional Flow Block Diagram (FFBD)  Integrated Definition for Functional Modeling (IDEF) Diagram Which are three justifications for Configuration Management? (Choose three)  facilitates communication  forces change evaluations  prevents requirements changes  controls requirements changes  encourages requirements changes Note: These questions ARE NOT from the INCOSE Certification Exam. The format and content are similar (based on SEH v2A). They were created by CSM and Prometric and are used with permission.

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 15 Representative Exam Questions Which three of the following are methods to express functional behavior? (Choose three)  Network Tree (NT)  Behavior Diagram (BD)  Allocated Requirement Diagram (ARD)  Functional Flow Block Diagram (FFBD)  Integrated Definition for Functional Modeling (IDEF) Diagram Which are three justifications for Configuration Management? (Choose three)  facilitates communication  forces change evaluations  prevents requirements changes  controls requirements changes  encourages requirements changes Note: These questions ARE NOT from the INCOSE Certification Exam. The format and content are similar (based on SEH v2A). They were created by CSM and Prometric and are used with permission.

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 16 Certification Renewal Requirements Certification is Valid for 3 Years Recertification requires –120 Professional Development Units (PDUs) –Renewal application –Continuing education log submittal –Must be submitted before current certification period ends INCOSE Certified professionals have an ongoing growth and learning obligation

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 17 Education ActivityCredit 1 College or unit semester hour45 PDU 1 College or unit quarter hour 30 PDU 1 Continuing Education Unit (CEU)10 PDU 1 Professional Development Hour (PDH)1 PDU 1 hour of teaching of professional development coursework. Teaching credit is awarded for teaching a course/seminar for the first time only. Not applicable to full-time faculty. 2 PDU Authoring published papers, articles or books in any area relevant to practice 10 PDU 1 hour of participation in professional and technical society working groups/management 1 PDU Patents 10 PDU 1 hour of professional development in coursework, seminars, or professional or technical presentation made at meetings, conventions, conferences, or exam preparation 1 PDU PDUs for Certification Renewal

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 18 Topics What is certification and why is it important? What are the requirements for certification? What is the process for certification? What is planned for the future? Where can I find more information?

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 19 Certification Process Diagram INCOSE SE Handbook Version 3.1 Study Notify Applicant Two weeks $ Submit Completed Application And Fee INCOSE Application Center INCOSE Evaluation Four to six weeks Applicant has up to one year to pass the test (three tries 3 months apart). Test is scheduled directly with Prometric. Application Development 1. Verifiable Education 2. Verifiable Experience 3. Applicant’s Advocates (three references knowledgeable about SE) Applicant’s own pace Timeline Pass 3 year Certification Notify Applicant Pay test fee Schedule & Take Exam (Prometric Test Center) Applicant’s own pace

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 20 There is no one answer. Much depends on the applicant. Time Applicant Downloads information from INCOSE web page Collects information Fills out and submits forms via Pays fee on-line A. ?????? INCOSE Receives application & fee Checks completeness of submittal Notifies applicant by that application was received and is complete or has missing material B. < 2 weeks References submit recommendations via to INCOSE. Applicant submits missing material. C. Averaging 50 days INCOSE sends CSEP certificate via postal mail to applicant F. < 2 weeks Applicant Schedules exam with test organization Takes exam at test site Receives results immediately Schedules another exam if needed E. Averaging 62 days INCOSE Receives recommendations from references and missing information Evaluates education and experience Notifies applicant of evaluation results. If minimum requirements are met, authorizes exam D. Averaging 21 days Time for Steps B-F: Shortest is 37 days, Average is 147 days How Long Will It Take to Get Certified?

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 21 Topics What is certification and why is it important? What are the requirements for certification? What is the process for certification? What is planned for the future? Where can I find more information?

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 22 Future Directions for Certification Foundation Level ESEPExpert Systems Engineering Professional CSEP-AcqCSEP w/ US DoD Acquisition CSEPCertified Systems Engineering Professional ASEPAssociate Systems Engineering Professional Entry Level Discipline Extensions Senior Level

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 23 CSEP-Acq ASEP requirements plus Tech Degree 5 yrs SE experience or Non-Tech Degree additional 5 yrs experience or No Degree additional 10 yrs experience Experience References Education Knowledge Certification Candidates ASEP CSEP ESEP CSEP Exam Tech Degree 15 yrs SE experience20 yrs SE experience Tech Degree Significant Experience Demonstrated Accomplishments References Education INCOSE Member Multi-Level Certification Concept* Education Knowledge No Exam Oral Presentation/Interviews CSEP requirements plus DAG Chap 4 Exam * Note: ESEP criteria to be refined

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 24 Certifications by Company

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 25 CSED by Location CT, DE, DC, GA, NY, OK, Austr, Finland, India, Sweden each have 1

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 26 7 Certifications Outside of USA  Australia  Belgium  Canada  India  Norway (2)  Republic of Korea

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 27 Topics What is certification and why is it important? What are the requirements for certification? What is the process for certification? What is planned for the future? Where can I find more information?

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 28 INCOSE Certification web site at Where Do I Find More Information?

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 29 INCOSE Certification Advisory Group (CAG) Dr. Kevin Forsberg, CSEP (CAG Chair) Eileen Arnold, CSEP Karl Geist, CSEP Ken Kepchar, CSEP Mike Krueger, CSEP Dr. Bill Mackey, CSEP Dr. John Muehlbauer, CSEP Dan Surber, CSEP Bob Turk, CSEP The INCOSE Certification Advisory Group is responsible for the certification policies & procedures and the examination content.

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 30 Recent Accomplishments  Full Processing & User-Friendly Forms  192 CSEPs  Group Discounts Offered

Certification Overview Subject to the restrictions on Copyright Page 31 Any Questions? Additional Contacts: Certification Office: incose.org Dave Walden, CSEP Certification Program Manager: