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IEEE Computer SocietySoftware Professional Certifications

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IEEE Computer Society• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers:

– 370,000 members, including more than 80,000 students, in over 160 countries.

– Publishes 30% of the world’s technical literature within its scope of interest.

• The Computer Society is the largest of IEEE’s 39 technical societies:– Nearly 90,000 members– Founded in 1946, the world’s oldest and largest

association of computer professionals.

The Computer Society's vision is to be… “the leading provider of technical information and services personalized for

members of the world’s computing communities.”

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So What is a Software Engineer?

• Is it simply coding?

Hmmm ... Not very specific!

How can I determine if someone is

competent to do this?

Computer systems software engineers primarily write, modify, test, and develop software to meet the needs of a particular customer. They develop software systems for control and automation in manufacturing, business, and other areas.

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A Certified Software Development Professional:

• Possesses fundamental knowledge and understanding of computing principles and concepts and their application to the definition, design, construction, and testing of software.

• Is able to provide appropriate design with technical and economic tradeoffs of modules, subsystems, and systems in accordance with standards of practice, specifications, and principles of behavior of software as required to perform the functions as stated in the software requirements.

• Has met the IEEE CS CSDP education, experience, and examination requirements.

http://www.computer.org/certification

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IEEE Computer Society CSDP• Reflects an

engineering viewpoint of professionalism.– Anticipates career

progression similar to engineers.

– Designed for baccalaureate plus four years of experience.

• Certification based on:– education, – experience,– examination, – code of ethics, and – continuing education.

• Developed to be fair, reliable and valid.

First public exam in April 2002. To date, about 600 certifications.

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Requirements for CSDP Certification

• Education– Undergraduate degree or equivalent

• Experience– 9,000 hours of experience (teaching, research, or

practice) in 6 of the 11 software engineering knowledge areas listed in the brochure

• Proof of Professionalism– Review and acknowledge the Software

Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice

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Examination for CSDP Certification

• Four-hour written examination• Multiple-choice questions selected from a pool

of questions across each of the knowledge areas

• Total of 180 questions– 150 are graded

– 30 are being validated for future exams

• Closed book, calculators provided• Computer-based test

– Result provided almost immediately

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Approximate Distribution of Questions

Business4% Reqmts

14%

Design23%

Construction11%

Testing16%

Maintenance4%

CM4%

Mgmt11%

Process 3%

Tools/Methods3%

Quality7%

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2008 Test Schedule and Fees

• Annual Testing Windows– 15 January– 11 July

• Application deadline: 27 June

– 18 August – 12 December– Application deadline 01 December

• Member $450, Non-member $550• Test is administered at Prometric testing

centers in hundreds of cities on 6 continents.

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Preparation for the Examination

• Depends on level of expertise in areas covered by Body of Knowledge

• Focus on areas needing the most review• Study from the suggested reference material:

– On-line course– Sample questions– Resource guide– SWEBOK Guide– Instructor-led courses (including on-site courses for groups)– ...

• Unless your background covers most of the Body of Knowledge, you might want to consider three months of 2-4 hours a week for study

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Re-certification• Every 3 years• Requires 30 re-certification credits

– 3 credits/year for employment in SW engineering

– 2 credits/semester hour for graduate courses

– 5-10 credits for publishing a paper in the field

– 0.3 credits/hour for preparing/giving a presentation

– 3-5 credits for some forms of service to a professional society (NOT just for membership in a professional society)

– Also self-study, writing questions for CSDP exam, etc.

• Fee: Currently $150 member / $250 non-members• No re-exam required if you re-certify within 3 years

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Why Become Certified?

• Mark of Excellence: demonstrates the certified individual has the knowledge to ensure that recognized principles and practices of software engineering are being used.

• Competition in the Marketplace: companies and organizations need a work force proficient in principles and practices of software engineering that can work across borders.

• Recognition: Customer confidence based on your evidence of qualifications and suitability for the task or project.

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Why Become Certified? (continued)

• Investment: certification is an investment in your career and the future of your employer

• Continuous improvement: to remain certified requires you to continue your education and involvement in software engineering-related work and activities.

Your skills remain current and your flexibility to work on a variety of projects or

for a variety of companies improves.

Your skills remain current and your flexibility to work on a variety of projects or

for a variety of companies improves.

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Related Resource: SEVocab• Systems and software engineering vocabulary• http://www.computer.org/sevocab/• Publicly available website • Provides access to 4100 authoritative definitions of

systems and software engineering terms• Definitions may be reprinted (with attribution).• Currency of database will be maintained by a vocabulary

standards project coordinated between IEEE and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7.

• Sources:– IEEE standards– ISO/IEC standards– PMBOK® Guide, Third edition– Other sources

New

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Plans for SWEBOK Guide• The next version of the SWEBOK Guide will

have a broadened scope that covers:– SE 2004 curriculum– Certifications

• New Knowledge Areas:– Mathematical Foundations– Computing Foundations– Engineering Foundations– Engineering Economy Foundations– Professional Practice

• Some additions and realignment of material in the existing ten knowledge areas

New

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Plans for Entry-Level Certification

• Certified Software Development Associate (CSDA)

• Suitable for:– New graduates from software engineering

programs– Others who wish to enter the software

engineering profession

• Cost and other details are not yet determined.

• Goal for availability is 1Q2008.

New

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Plans for CSDP

• Creation of the CSDA may commend minor re-positioning of CSDP.

• According to accepted testing methodology, the CSDP is due for a “refresh”.

New

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Who to Contact For Information

Glenn Johnson

CSDP Certification and Education Voice: 703-637-4432

E-mail address: g.johnson@computer.org

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11 Knowledge Areas for CSDP• Software Requirements• Software Design• Software Construction• Software Testing• Software Maintenance• Software Configuration

Management• Software Engineering

Management• Software Engineering Process• Software Tools and Methods• Software Quality• Business Practices &

Engineering Economics

Same as SWEBOK

+

(The next refresh of the CSDP will achieve complete alignment of SWEBOK Guide and CSDP.)

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CSDP Examination Topics (1 of 4)Business Practices and Engineering

Economics (3-4%)• Economics

• Ethics

• Professional Practice

• Standards

Software Requirements (13-15%)• Requirements engineering process

• Requirements elicitation

• Requirements analysis

• SW requirements specification

• Requirements validation

• Requirements management

Software Design (22-24%)

• SW design concepts

• SW architecture

• SW design quality analysis and evaluation

• SW design notations and documentation

• SW design strategies and methods

• Human factors in SW design

• SW and system safety

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CSDP Examination Topics (2 of 4)

Software Construction (10-12%)• Construction planning

• Code design

• Data design and management

• Error processing

• Source code organization

• Code documentation

• Construction QA

• System integration and deployment

• Code tuning

• Construction tools

Software Testing (15-17%)• Types of tests

• Test levels

• Testing strategies

• Test design

• Test coverage of code

• Test coverage of specifications

• Test execution

• Test documentation

• Test management

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CSDP Examination Topics (3 of 4)Software Maintenance (3-5%)• SW maintainability

• SW maintenance process

• SW maintenance measurement

• SW maintenance planning

• SW maintenance management

• SW maintenance documentation

Software Engineering Management(10-12%)

• Measurement

• Organization management and coordination

• Initiation and scope definition

• Planning

• Software acquisition

• Enactment

• Risk management

• Review and evaluation

• Project closeout

• Post-closure activities

Software Configuration Mgmt (3-4%)• Management of SCM process

• SW configuration identification

• SW configuration control

• SW configuration status accounting

• SW configuration auditing

• SW release management and delivery

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CSDP Examination Topics (4 of 4)

Software Engineering Process (2-4%)• Process infrastructure

• Process measurement

• Process definition

• Qualitative process analysis

• Process implementation and change

Software Quality (6-8%)• SW quality concepts

• Planning for SQA and V&V

• Methods for SQA and V&V

• Measurement applied to SQA and V&V

Software Engineering Tools and Methods (2-4%)

• Management tools and methods

• Development tools and methods

• Maintenance tools and methods

• Support tools and methods

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Distance learning course

• Provides 10 modules of content for a total of 16 hours of learning

• Four months of 24x7 access

• Developed with KnowledgeNet/NETg

• Recently updated to provide more comprehensive preparation

http://computer.org/certification/distancelearning

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Books and Other Materials

• Much study material is listed on the certification web site.

• In addition, a new book provides sample examination questions and answers:– IEEE Computer Society Real-World Software

Engineering Problems: A Self-Study Guide for Today's Software Professional (Practitioners), available at the CS Online store at http://www.computer.org