Certified Analytics Professional (CAP®)

Program

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Presenter

Month, Day Year

What is Certification?

Credentialing - official recognition of a process of meeting a set of defined standards, generally via education, training, experience, and testing.

• Licenses - mandatory credentials granted by government to regulate practice of a profession.

• Certifications - voluntary credentials granted in industry attesting to attainment of knowledge/skills, often required or preferred by employers.

Source: Department of Labor / Department of Defense Study on Coordination of Job Training Standards with Certification Standards, September 2005

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• Institute for Operations Research and Management Science; founded in 1952

• Mission: lead in the development, dissemination and implementation of knowledge, basic and applied research and technologies in operations research, the management sciences, and related methods of improving operational processes, decision-making, and management.

• 11,000 members (50% academic, 30% practitioner, 20% student)

• Highly educated (51% earned PhD, 96% earned or pursuing MS or higher)

• Global (79% North America, 10% Europe, 7% Asia) 3

Who is INFORMS?

•Definition: Analytics is the scientific process of transforming data into insight for making better decisions.•Analytics-Related Initiatives

– Analytics Certification– Continuing Education Courses– Analytics Maturity Model– Engagement with Industry, Government, and Academia

“Analytics doesn’t take anything away from Operations Research (OR). Outside our community, OR seen as a toolkit but Analytics seen as a process.”

-Anne Robinson, Verizon President of INFORMS 4

INFORMS and Analytics

• Advance the use of analytics by introducing standards of quality

• Identify individuals with appropriate breadth of knowledge

• Encourage continued competency• Be software and vendor neutral• Be available to all who are eligible• Be eligible for accreditation (ISO/IEC 17024

& NCCA standard)5

Certified Analytics Professional (CAP®) Program Goals

- Scott Nestler, CAP, US Army (Chair)- Polly Mitchell-Guthrie, SAS (Vice Chair)- Tom Davenport, Babson College- Bill Franks, Teradata- Jeanne Harris, Accenture- Terry Harrison, CAP, Penn State University- Lisa Kart, CAP, Gartner- Kathy Kilmer, Disney- Don Kleinmuntz, Kleinmuntz Associates- Jack Levis, UPS- Paul Messinger, CAP, University of Alberta- Jonathan Owen, General Motors- Melissa Moore, INFORMS Exec. Director

Analytics Certification Board

•Semi-independent governing body; assumed responsibility for development of the certification program in July 2013.

•Members include:

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The idea of “T-shaped skills” has been promoted since at least the early 1990s. The “T” represents breadth of skills, across the top, with depth in one area represented by the vertical bar. T-shaped professionals can more easily work in interdisciplinary teams than those with less breadth and can be more effective than those without depth.

- Analyzing the Analyzers, an O’Reilly Strata publication,

2013

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The “Shape” of Analytics Certification

Domain

Task

Knowledge

Job Task Analysis

Developed by people who are:

•Highly regarded in their field

•Diverse in geography, sector, organization type, and application area

•Representative of descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive segments

5 E’s: Components of CAP® Certification

• Education:

• Experience:

• Exam: Tests skills and knowledge in the 7 domains of the Job Task Analysis

• Effectiveness: Soft skills confirmed by employer or client

• Ethics: Must agree to a Code of Ethics

See: www.INFORMS.org/Certification 9

Degree Level Degree Area Experience

MS/MA or higher

Related Area 3 years

BS/BA Related Area 5 years

BS/BA Non-Related Area 7 years

Exam Format

• 100 multiple choice test questions – Sample questions on website in Candidate Handbook &

CAP Study Guide

• Only 1 correct response• 3 Hours to complete• Paper and pencil format at specific sites• Computer-Based Testing began May 2014

– Tests administered globally at 700+ sites

• 4 function calculator provided• Delivered in proctored environment

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Maintaining the CAP® Designation

• Certification requires that knowledge be kept current

• Recertification every 3 years • Based on earning at least 30

PDUs • 1 Professional Development

Unit (PDU) = 1 hour of activity • PDUs can be maintained

online at INFORMS

PDU Category PDUs Allowed

Education/Training programs

1 PDU/hour of activity: must earn 8

Self-directed learning

1 PDU/hour of activity:maximum of 10

Creating new analytics knowledge

1 PDU/hour of activity:maximum of 10

Volunteer service 1 PDU/hour of activity:maximum of 10

Analytics professional work experience

5 PDUs/year of employment

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Contact Info

Web: www.informs.org/certification

Email: certification@informs.org

Phone: 443-757-3500

Certification Manager: Louise Wehrle

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