Sympathies from afar for APMG

Ian Clayton — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:00:35 +0000

Skep

Although its interesting that APMG has had their UKAS blessing suspended it is perhaps more important that folks out there realize that outfits such as UKAS exist to ensure a MINIMUM quality level is achieved by certification schemes and to help establish a quality of product the consumer can rely on. It also shows a commitment by the organization issuing the certificate to the certificants - the customers.

We (Service Management Institute), decided in 2006 to seek the approval of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) here in the US for the Service Management Qualification Scheme (thats about as close as we can get to a UKAS I think). They were extremely helpful in guiding us in the right direction with regards to scope and content, and were effectively our partner in completing the 3-feet of paperwork required to just be accepted as a viable applicant. It is indeed a daunting mountain of bureaucracy to climb and one I feel one shareholders might question.

Once in the system its easier to add certifications and adjust day to day items, its not easy to wholesale replace policies and procedures. APMG's acquisition of ITIL and recent rumblings about updates to PRINCE are major changes. Perhaps these are the fundamental reasons for the lapse, or perhaps commercial pressures trump compliance - who knows - only APMG.

Anyway, my understanding of UKAS is that they share a common anchor point with other organizations who accredit personal certification schemes, such as ANSI, in referring to ISO 17024. This standard is rigorously intepreted and requires a regular mandatory audit/inspection. Unless you are working as a team with the accreditation body (UKAS/ANSI) throughout, (that includes pre-audit assessments and workshop attendance) you are vulnerable to failing an audit and typically enter a remedial period (probation) before suspension.

As I started out, the most important aspect of this news is that it reminds us all there IS A DIFFERENCE in the quality of certification schemes and the value to a professional of the paper on which a credential is printed. In every case, check if the scheme and credential, certificate, diploma, has been subject, or has subjected itself, to additional third-party scrutiny, preferably based upon ISO 17024 and is recognized at the national, and perhaps international level. A commitment to this, shows a commitment by the organization issuing the certificate, to the customer first, and then to commercial interests.

In thi scase we have discovered that a regulator exists to regulate the regulator!

The IT Skeptic - Comments for "APMG look set for some spectacular acrobatics over ITIL accreditation"

Sympathies from afar for APMG