Certified Analytics Professional (CAP®)
Certification Program
TDWI
Presented by
Jeff Devon, CAP
March 6, 2014
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Agenda
• Background
• Benefits of CAP® certification
• Details of Becoming Certified
• Maintaining the certification
• Questions
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Who is INFORMS?
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Institute for Operations Research and Management Science
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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.
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10,700 members - mix of academic (80%) and practitioner (20%)
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Highly educated (51% earned PhD, 96% earned or pursuing MS or higher)
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Global (79% North America, 10% Europe, 7% Asia)
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Partner with CORS (www.cors.ca)
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INFORMS and Analytics
• Analytics is the scientific process
of transforming data into insight for
making better decisions.
• Analytics-Related Initiatives
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Analytics Certification
Continuing Education Courses
Research
Analytics Maturity Model
Engagement with Industry, Government, and
Academia
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CAP® Program Goals
To fill a certification gap in an important and growing field
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Advance the use of analytics by qualified professionals
Ensure quality of profession
Identify individuals with appropriate breadth of knowledge
Ensure continued competency
Be software and vendor neutral
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Who is a CAP?
How could this grocery store improve average wait time?
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The “Shape” of Analytics Certification
• Initial certification will assess across the breadth of knowledge needed in
analytics (i.e. the “top crossbar of the T”)
• Evaluation of more detailed knowledge can be done later in “add-on”
certifications, pending the successful development and deployment of CAP.
• Want to ensure that CAP does include some level of depth across the broad
range of tasks performed and knowledge required by analytics professionals
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Benefits of Certification
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Advances career potential by setting you apart
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Personal satisfaction---key career milestone
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Demonstrates continuing prof. development and commitment to the field
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Boosts salary potential
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Shows competence in the principles and practice of analytics
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Proves your organization follows industry-standard analytics practice
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5 E’s: Components of CAP® Certification
• Education:
• Experience:
• Exam:
Degree Area
Experience
MS/MA or higher
Related Area
3 years
BS/BA
Related Area
5 years
BS/BA
Non-Related Area
7 years
Tests skills and knowledge in the 7 domains of the Job Task Analysis
• Effectiveness:
• Ethics:
Degree Level
Soft skills validated by current or former employer / client
Must agree to a Code of Ethics
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Analytics Certification Board
• Semi-independent governing body; assumed responsible for
development of the certification program in July 2013.
• Members include:
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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
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Job Task Analysis
Developed by people who are:
• Highly regarded in their field
• Diverse in geography, sector,
organization type, and
application area
Domain
Task
• Representative of descriptive,
predictive, and prescriptive
segments
Knowledge
Domains of Analytics Practice
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Business Problem Framing
Analytics Problem Framing
Data
Methodology (Approach) Selection
Model Building
Deployment
Model Lifecycle Management
(15%)
(17%)
(22%)
(15%)
(16%)
(9%)
(6%)
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Exam Format
• 100 multiple choice test questions (examples on
website & in Candidate Handbook)
• Only 1 correct response
• 3 Hours to complete
• Paper and pencil format (for now; ComputerBased Testing begins in 2014)
• 4 function calculator provided
• Delivered in proctored environment
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How to Prepare
• Candidate Handbook
– Review the sample questions -- familiarize yourself with the exam
question format
• Includes rationale for correct and incorrect answers
– Review and use the list of key references
• Continuing Education classes
– List can be found on website
• (Draft) Study Guide
– On website for review/comment
– Complete Study Guide due soon
ALL are available online at:
http://www.informs.org/Certification/
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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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Questions?
Web: www.INFORMS.org/certification
Certification Manager: Louise Wehrle
Email: certification@INFORMS.org
Phone: 443-757-3500
Presenter: Jeff Devon
Email: jdevon@torontohydro.com
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