INSTITUTE FOR THE CERTIFICATION OF COMPUTING PROFESSIONALS (ICCP) EDUCATION FOUNDATION (EF)

The Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals Education Foundation (ICCP EF) has initiated an effort to bring together leading IT industry organizations in a cooperative alliance (hereafter the Alliance) for the purpose of developing an Information Technology Common Body of Knowledge (IT CBOK). With broad industry support and input, we (the Board of Directors of the ICCP Education Foundation) believe that the results will be significant and widely accepted both inside and outside of the industry. Attached is the Preliminary Project Plan, indicating that some tasks have already completed, others are in progress, and others will have to wait for funding or in-kind contributions of tools and information.

The Plan is for the international alliance members to staff and fund the project to compile an IT CBOK that is based upon currently existing IT-related Bodies of Knowledge (BOKs) and model curriculums for information technology related topics including such topics as hardware, software, communication/networking, systems analysis, design, and engineering, systems testing, configuration management, project management, and quality management, among others. It is our plan and hope that these would be contributed to the IT CBOK Alliance by professional and trade organizations worldwide on/in electronic form.

The ICCP EF has identified and contacted many organizations which have published Information Technology-related bodies of knowledge documents or curriculums, however, the list is by no means exhaustive (see Table 2), we invite you to suggest those organizations’ which you feel should be included in this study. For more information about the ICCP EF, please Click on the Brochure and browse. The brochure describes the ICCP Education Foundation, some of its activities, and their is also one describing the ICCP, our "sister" organization.

It is expected that the work will be accomplished by an international IT CBOK team/Task Force, consisting of representatives from professional and trade organizations worldwide, working from their respective geographical locations using the Internet, faxes, and conference calls. for all meetings, work submittal, revisions, and reviews. A limited number of face-to-face meetings and video conference calls, perhaps one or two over a two year period are anticipated.

Participation and contributions are needed in many forms, such as:

1. Participation and funding, as necessary, for one representative to be a member of the IT CBOK Alliance Team/Task Force;
2. Contribution of any Body of Knowledge or model curriculum under the control/copyright of the contributing organization;
3. Donation of a World Wide Web site/server and administration of same and a list server;
4. Automated/Internet-enabled tools, such as search engines, a data warehouse or Data Base Management System (DBMS), and groupware for authoring and reviewing documents.
5. Funds (grants or donations)
6. Later in the process, pre-qualified reviewers will be required for each section and specialty area of the draft CBOK.

INVITATION FOR PARTICIPATION

COMPILATION OF A COMMON BODY OF KNOWLEDGE (CBOK) FOR

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) PROFESSIONALS

I. INTRODUCTION

The ICCP Education Foundation (ICCP-EF) is seeking to establish an Alliance of Professional Organizations and Industry Leaders to compile an Information Technology Common Body Of Knowledge (IT CBOK) in the practice area of "Information Systems/Technology." This effort will be known as the IT CBOK Project. The mission of the IT CBOK Project is to compile, develop, and publish a document outlining the "core" areas of knowledge that all Information Systems Professionals should possess. The resulting IT CBOK will be compiled from many sources of existing IT-related Bodies of Knowledge (BOKs). The compilation and development of the IT CBOK will include mapping of specific, selected Items from relevant IT-related BOKs/CBOKs from organizations around the world, based on analysis against criteria to be established, followed by subsequent "genericizing" of the resultant items for inclusion in the IT CBOK.

II. PLAN

Due to the widespread interest and continued need for a Common Body of Knowledge (CBOK) for professionals in the Information Systems/Technology industry, an alliance of several education foundations, professional societies, leading companies from industry and other IS related organizations should be formed as the IT CBOK Alliance to jointly manage the IT CBOK project. It is hoped that as many professional organizations as possible, representing all sectors of the industry, will choose to join the IT CBOK Alliance. It is particularly hoped that those organizations which have developed a relevant Body of Knowledge report or Model Curriculum will choose to participate in the Alliance. The IT CBOK Alliance will cooperate to provide the resources and expertise essential to ensure the success of the project. Each IT CBOK Alliance organization will be invited to nominate a Representative. The IT CBOK Alliance Representatives collectively will form the IT CBOK Task Force. It is anticipated that the work will be accomplished by the IT CBOK Task Force members working from their respective geographical locations using the Internet, E-Mail, faxes, conference calls and, possibly, video conference calls, for all meetings, revisions, and reviews.

III. DESIRED OUTCOMES

The development of an IT CBOK can be an important foundation for the growth of the Information Systems profession. With such a definition, potential employers will have a starting point for evaluating candidate qualifications, and legislators wishing to develop programs to promote the common good and protect the public will have a point of reference for their deliberations. IT CBOK information is necessary to develop and create appropriate certifying examinations for our industry. For example, the ICCP Certification Council needs such information in order to offer up-to-date certification examinations as computer/information technology changes. Another possible outcome of an IT CBOK might be the development of a program for the certification/accreditation of educational curriculums and training programs, both public and private.

IV. DELIVERABLES

The deliverables from this project will be:

1. A report document in publishable format, both hardcopy and Internet.
1. A report in a computer file ASCII (DOS) Text format suitable for use with search engine software and for conversion and publication on the Internet.
1. Appropriate Press Releases for distribution to the media.

V. FUTURE ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES

Currently, many organizations that have IT-related certification programs/examination programs do not certify or provide accreditation of the Information Systems Curricula of colleges and universities. This is one example of an area where the IT CBOK results could be extended and applied. In order to preserve the integrity, value and relevance of the IT CBOK, the sponsoring organizations should establish periodic reviews for the purpose of updating the IT CBOK. The ICCP EF would be pleased to provide notifications and coordination of this on-going activity as a service to the industry, and would also participate in the reviews.

VI. BASIC OUTLINE OF TASKS

Table 1 is an outline of the anticipated tasks (T), deliverables (D), resource requirements and estimated task durations. It is expected that the IT CBOK research team will frequently review progress and results with an oversight board appointed and chaired by the ICCP-EF. This will include at least one review at the beginning and another review at the conclusion of each task, and a major review and sign-off of each deliverable.

It is anticipated that the basic approach to this IT CBOK project will involve compiling a summary of the work accomplished by others supplemented with updates and insights from the team members or other sources, including members of the Foundation Board. Table 2 shows a list of organizations which have published a related "Body of Knowledge" document, "Curriculum Guidelines" or other related material. This list is not exhaustive and should be augmented and reviewed as part of the process.

VII. BUDGET

The ICCP (including the Education Foundation) is a U.S. 501(c )(3) educational, charitable, non profit organization with limited resources derived from donations and grants from corporations, universities, and individuals who support IT professionalism and certification. While the Foundation is appealing to interested organizations to join the IT CBOK Alliance in order to provide broad industry input and expertise for the project, the Foundation is also seeking Alliance members who’s interest and commitment to the profession and access to resources would support completion of the project with minimal financial support from the Foundation. It is intended that Foundation resources will be used primarily to promote and publish the results of the project. A detailed budget for the project has not yet been finalized, and may depend on input from the IT CBOK Alliance.

VIII. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS:

The ICCP Education Foundation reserves all intellectual property rights to the results and deliverables from the IT CBOK project, with the understanding that recognition and authorship credit will be given to the IT CBOK Alliance and IT CBOK Team members. In addition to materials published by the ICCP, the IT CBOK Team members may desire to publish articles in respected professional and academic journals. Such articles must be submitted to the ICCP-EF for review and approval before submission for publication. The purpose of this review is not to limit or preclude IT CBOK Team members from publishing relevant results (quite the contrary - such publication is highly desired by the Foundation); however, it is important to note that the sale of some (or even much) of the results of the project may be a source of ICCP-EF revenue, and should be protected for that purpose. Please see the attachment further exploring safeguards for intellectual property and propriety (copyrighted, etc.) materials.

NOTE: Attached is a Data Rights Protection Resolution for protecting the data rights of those who contribute their BOKs.

IX. NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO PARTICIPATE

Organizations who desire to participate in the IT CBOK Alliance as Task Force members should send a letter requesting membership to:

ICCP Education Foundation

Cindy Blaese, Executive Administrator

2200 E. Devon Avenue, Suite 247

Des Plaines, IL 60018

Email: 74040.3722@compuserve.com

2049 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 102 Email: LTTaylor@juno.com

Linda T. Taylor, CCP, CQA

Chair, Pro Tem

ICCP EF IT CBOK Project

Table 2

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS WHICH HAVE IT-RELATED BOKs Preliminary IT CBOK Candidate List as of November 1997

• ACM - Association for Computing Machinery - Model Curriculum for Four Year Colleges & Accreditation Program
• AICPA - Management Advisory Services BOK - A Study of MAS Practice and Knowledge
• AITP - Association for Information Processing (formerly DPMA) - Model Curriculums - 2 Year and 4 Year
• AITP/DPMA - Professional Development Program (PDP) including the Industry Structure Model (ISM) of the BCS
• ASQC - Certified Software Quality BOK
• ACS - Australian Computer Society - IT Profession BOK
• BCS - British Computing Society - Professional Development Scheme (PDS) - Release 3
• CEPIS or European Community (EC) - EISS (European Information Systems Scheme)
• CIPS - Canadian Information Processing Society - Model Curriculum and ?Accreditation Program
• CNE - Certified Network Engineer Certification BOK
• ICCP - Certification Examinations with underlying BOKs
• IEEE-CS - Software Engineering as a Profession BOK - Status of this is unknown
• IFAC (International Federation of Accountants) - Information Technology Competencies in the Accounting Profession
• IIA (Institute for Internal Auditors) - A CBOK for the Practice of Internal Auditing of Systems
• ISACA (Formerly EDPAA) - CISA (Certified Information System Auditor) BOK
• Japanese Information Technology Profession BOK
• ISC^{2 -} CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security Professional Examination with Underlying BOK
• PMI - Project Management Institute - PMBOK - Project Management Body of Knowledge