CMSQ - Certified Manager of Software Quality

Overview

The Certified Manager of Software Quality (CMSQ) certification establishes a worldwide standard for the assessment of software quality professional’s capabilities and competencies that are working at or soon will be work at the software quality assurance management level.  Acquiring the designation of Certified Manager of Software Quality (CMSQ) indicates a level of professional competence in both the principles and practices of software quality assurance and the skills and capabilities necessary to manage the quality assurance function. CMSQ certification provides IT upper management a necessary tool to predict the likelihood of success of individuals applying for management level positions.  The CMSQ certification provides the IT professional with an objective assessment of their management skills.

Prerequisites

A Certification Candidacy Application must be completed on-line for entrance into the manager’s certification program.

To qualify for candidacy, individuals must:

• Currently hold an active CSQA Certification.
• Currently be working in the field covered by the certification designation.
• Have the experience (described below under the Real-World Experience heading) to demonstrate mastery of the skills identified in the current CSQA Common Body of Knowledge.
• Be prepared to submit documentation that supports your real-world experience in the software quality field (described below under the Real-World Experience heading).
• Be prepared to take the required manager’s level examination.
• Meet one of the following three prerequisites:

1.      Hold a bachelor's (4 year) degree from an accredited college-level institution plus a minimum of four years of experience in the software quality assurance field, or

2.      Hold an associate (2 year) degree from an accredited college-level institution plus a minimum of six years of experience in the software quality assurance field, or

3.      Eight years of experience in the software quality assurance field.

Application Process

The application process requires the applicant to provide details supporting one of the above three prerequisites. All information provided is subject to further verification if selected for audit according to Software Certifications audit sampling plan.

A Certification of Candidacy Application fee of $600 (USD) must be submitted with the on-line form.  Fees in this program are nonrefundable and nontransferable.   Do not apply unless you feel confident that your work activities and experiences have prepared you to submit the required “real-world” experience documentation and to sit for the examination.  To submit your application for CMSQ, click on Advanced Certification Application.

Once the application has been accepted, the candidate must submit their Real-World Experience Documentation as mentioned below.  After this has been accepted, the candidate must pass the CMSQ examination (see Examination section below).

Real-World Experience Documentation

Once the Certification Candidacy Application has been submitted and the candidate has been accepted into the CMSQ program, they must demonstrate that they have developed real solutions to challenges in their IT organizations. This must be done for the following seven (7) categories:

1. Quality Planning
2. Assessments
3. Define, Deploy and Improve Work Processes
4. Measurement and Statistical Analysis
5. Security
6. Organizational Development (teams and management)
7. Communication (leadership and behavioral skills)

The documentation for each of the seven categories must be submitted online and must include the following:

• Approach – What was the problem; what was the proposed solution?
• Deployment – How was the solution developed and deployed?
• Results – What were the results of the implementation of the solution?

An “acceptance criteria checklist” is provided to each CMSQ candidate covering the documentation requirements for the approach, deployment and results.  This checklist ties specific skills defined in the Guide to the CSQA Common Body of Knowledge to the seven categories listed above.  If a candidate decides that one of the acceptance criteria checklist items is not applicable for their “experience” documentation, an explanation of why that item is not applicable must be included with the submitted documentation.  If the documentation in a category or categories is found to be insufficient to meet the acceptance criteria, a candidate will be given feedback on the deficiencies and allowed one opportunity to resubmit corrected documentation. 

Once the Real-World Documentation has been approved, the candidate must pass the written CMSQ examination. 

Examination

Candidates for certification must pass a four-part constructed response examination in order to obtain certification. Candidates who do not successfully pass the examination may retake the examination by submitting the retake application and paying all required fees.

Code of Ethics

The CMSQ candidate must continue to adhere to the Software Certifications Code of Ethics agreed to as part of the CSQA certification. Software Certifications includes processes and procedures for monitoring certificant adherence to these policies. Failure to adhere to the requirements of the Code is grounds for decertification of the individual by the Software Certifications Board.

Recertification

To maintain the CMSQ certification, it is a requirement that the certified manager continue to mature their technical and managerial competencies.  Certified managers must earn 30 CPE (continuing professional education) points in four categories every three years (120 CPE total in three years).  The recertification categories are:

• Management Skills (30 CPE / 3 years)
• Technical Skills  (30 CPE / 3 years)
• Professional Development Activities in the Industry (30 CPE / 3 years)
• Additional activities in selected categories (30 CPE / 3 years)

The CSQA certification remains active as long as the CMSQ certification is maintained.