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New Information Management Certification

By Atle Skjekkeland posted 05-01-2011 13:03

  

More than 20,000 professionals have attended the AIIM Certificate Programs covering various aspects of content, records and process management, and the certificate programs provide you with a thorough understanding of a specific topic. AIIM is now taking the bold step of introducing a new information management certification for IT and information professionals.

Objective

Information is an asset that can be used to change reality/innovate, add value, reduce risks, and improve efficiency, and the new certification will demonstrate to business and technology executives that information professionals know how to manage and leverage information as an asset in support of business objectives. The exam will cover governance, architecture, access/use, collaboration, and project execution and business alignment.

Value

AIIM took the initiative to develop this new certification after identifying a significant demand among our 65,000 community members as well as IT practitioners currently not connected to AIIM. 68% of our user members see value in such a certification for their organization, and this increases to 77% when we asked them about its value for them personally. We also tested the interest among IT managers, IT staff, consultants, and small business owners not connected to AIIM, and 38% of IT practitioners said that they would definitely or probably pursue a certification of this nature.

It is AIIM’s goal to meet the growing need for a well-defined body of knowledge for the discipline of information management. AIIM is committed to sharpening industry focus on this evolving profession, in order to further align the capabilities of information managers with the strategic goals of their organizations.  This certification has been designed to identify individuals with those critical capabilities, so they may be recognized by their organizations, clients, and colleagues.

Problems addressed

The new certification will help information professionals demonstrate their ability to solve an organization’s existing information-related problems, but also plan for the future. Information professionals contribute to the success of their organizations by:

  • Delivering relevant and dynamic information to staff and customers via websites, mobile or social media
  • Leveraging social networks to improve information sharing and identify relevant knowledge
  • Improving enterprise search and access to information across systems and platforms
  • Continuously analyzing information to identify new business opportunities and improvements
  • Ensuring appropriate information security and privacy to protect the organization and its staff
  • Managing information and records to meet regulatory compliance and e-discovery readiness
  • Streamlining and automating information intensive processes to improve efficiency and reduce costs

The information professional should also able to bridge the increasing gap between enterprise IT and business executives that currently exist in many organizations.  The information professional should be able to:

  • Effectively Communicate and Facilitate– The information professional has to articulate the vision, earn trust from others, influence people at different levels of the organization, and know how and when to compromise (Forrester Research, Inc., November 17, 2010)
  • Establish Consistent Project/Program Management– Coordinating people from diverse disciplines and synchronizing overlapping activities requires the establishment of consistent methodologies, governance, and standards (Forrester Research, Inc., November 17, 2010)
  • Research User Experience / User Customization–information professionals are increasingly delivering content to target audiences, while offering them unique experiences (Forrester Research, Inc., November 17, 2010)
  • Demonstrate Technical and Analytical skills– information professionals should understand how ECM, collaboration tools, social platforms, DBMS, and search systems intersect (Forrester Research, Inc., November 17, 2010)
  • Engage in IT Architecture/Technology Planning– information professionals should understand the broader technology context and road maps of the organization (Forrester Research, Inc., November 17, 2010)

Target Audience

The certification is targeted at anyone in an information management role who desires to demonstrate thought leadership and show evidence that their knowledge of the information management discipline is well-rounded. Information management is often cross-disciplinary and cross-functional, with application across many industries. Those who will likely derive the most benefit from the certification will be high-level non-managers through senior management, as well as consultants.

Next Step

The AIIM Board of Directors kicked off the project last year after several members indicated a need for such a certification. AIIM has contracted with Access Sciences and Prometric to help us develop this new certification according to ISO17024 and other relevant best practices.

We spent the first six months reviewing industry research and discussing the certification with the AIIM Education Advisory Groups and several industry experts. We also analyzed more than 1200 job postings to identify the scope of the certification. These were then used to create a survey to validate the goals of the exam, identify the types of individuals who find this certification of value, and help prioritize the topics the exam will address.  The survey was distributed to the AIIM Communities and to a sample of IT practitioners identified through MarketTools, Inc. (Zoomerang) in March 2011, and returned a statistically significant number of completed surveys with 1100 AIIM respondents and 350 IT practitioners (Zoomerang) respondents.

The survey was also used to identify Subject Matter Experts for a Job Analysis Workshop in May 2011, and an Item Writing Workshop in June 2011. The Standard Setting meetings will be in late June and early July 2011, with the Cut Score discussion and decision in mid July 2011.  The plan is to have the Test Parameter document reviewed and approved in late July, and review the exam in August before going live in September 2011.

Training companies

AIIM will rely on training companies to provide training for this new certification, and interested parties should send an email to askjekkeland@aiim.orgto receive a copy of the Job Analysis document as soon as this is available in early June 2011. AIIM will also offer a way to review training materials to ensure it covers the relevant tasks in the exam.

Contact details

  • Atle Skjekkeland, Vice President, AIIM
  • Direct: +1 240 491 7498
  • Email: askjekkeland@aiim.org
  • Twitter: @skjekkeland 


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