BCS Certificates in VeriSM Foundation, Essentials and Plus

Transcription

1 BCS Certificates in VeriSM Foundation, Essentials and Plus Combined Syllabus Version 1.5 January 2018 This qualification is not regulated by the following United Kingdom Regulators - Ofqual, Qualification in Wales, CCEA or SQA Page 1 of 18

2 BCS Certificates in VeriSM Introduction... 4 Objectives... 5 Specific Learning Objectives of VeriSM Foundation range certificates 5 Target Audience... 5 Course Format and Duration... 6 Eligibility for the Examination... 6 Format of the Examinations... 7 Additional time... 7 For candidates requiring reasonable adjustments 7 For candidates whose language is not the language of the examination 7 Guidelines for Accredited Training Providers... 8 Use of Calculators... 8 Combined Certificates Syllabus The Service Organization 9 2. Service Culture People and Organisational Structure The VeriSM Model Progressive Practices Innovative Technologies Getting Started with VeriSM 12 Levels of Knowledge / SFIA Levels Trainer Criteria Classroom Sizes Question Weighting Format of Examination Recommended Reading List List of Basic Concepts Page 2 of 18

3 Change History Any changes made to the syllabus shall be clearly documented with a change history log. This shall include the latest version number, date of the amendment and changes made. The purpose is to identify quickly what changes have been made. Version Number Version January 2018 Version December 2017 Versions 1.0 & December 2017 Changes Made Final Version - Released Minor edits to layout and Toc of Initial (Draft) version Initial (Draft) Version for external release Page 3 of 18

4 Introduction BCS VeriSM Foundation, including Essentials and Plus VeriSM describes a new service management approach from the organizational level, looking at the end to end view rather than focusing on a single department. Based around the VeriSM model, it shows organizations how they can adopt a range of management practices in a flexible way to deliver the right product or service at the right time to their consumers. VeriSM allows a tailored approach depending upon the type of business you are in, the size of your organization, your business priorities, your organizational culture, and even the nature of the individual project or service you are working on. Rather than focusing on one prescriptive way of working, it helps organizations to respond to their consumers and deliver value with integrated service management practices. VeriSM shows you how to fit your current, effective ways of working into an overall organizational context and flexibly adopt different management practices to meet different service management situations. The VeriSM Foundation, VeriSM Essentials and VeriSM Plus certificates are part of the VeriSM certification program. The VeriSM Foundation level can be offered in its entirety, but it has also been split up into two component parts which can be offered separately as well: VeriSM Essentials and VeriSM Plus. The VeriSM Essentials focuses on the basic service management principles where VeriSM Plus focuses on the more progressive practices and how these relate to service management in general. The VeriSM Foundation range of certifications builds the fundamental skills and knowledge enabling individuals to participate in a service organization and to deliver value to the consumer. Page 4 of 18

5 Objectives VeriSM is a service management approach that helps service providers to create a flexible operating model to meet desired business outcomes. It describes how an organization can define its service management principles and then use organizational capabilities, emerging technologies and a combination of management practices to deliver value. Specific Learning Objectives of VeriSM Foundation range certificates The Service Organization Service culture People and organizational structure The VeriSM model Progressive practices Innovative technologies Getting started. Target Audience All professionals and organizations involved in delivering value to customers through the development, delivery, operation and/or promotion of services. VeriSM Foundation, Essentials and Plus are useful to professionals at the very start of their service management career and also to experienced professionals who need access to a simple service management approach. The certifications are essential for anyone who works with products and services and will be of particular interest to: Graduates and undergraduates who will be joining organizations and who need to understand the principles of service management. Everyone within a service organization, in particular: o Managers who want to understand how to leverage evolving management practices; o Service owners and service managers who need to bring their skills up to date and understand how service management has changed; o Executives who are accountable for effective service delivery; o IT professionals - who need to understand the impact of evolving management practices and new technologies on their role. Page 5 of 18

6 Course Format and Duration Candidates can study for this certificate in two ways: by attending an accredited training course provided by Accredited Training Provider or by self-study. For VeriSM Foundation An accredited training course will require a minimum of 14 hours of study run over a minimum of 2 full days. For VeriSM Essentials For VeriSM Plus An accredited training course will require a minimum of 7 hours of study run over a minimum of 1 full day. An accredited training course will require a minimum of 7 hours of study run over a minimum of 1 full day. This number of hours does not include homework, the exam session and lunch breaks. Eligibility for the Examination VeriSM Foundation A good prior knowledge of Service Management is desirable. Completion of VeriSM Foundation training to support the VeriSM Foundation exam is strongly recommended. Alternatively, new sector entrants wishing to gain the VeriSM Foundation level may wish to consider successful completion of the VeriSM Essentials exam + successful completion of the VeriSM Plus exam. Note: This pathway has full equivalency to VeriSM Foundation VeriSM Essentials A prior knowledge of Service Management is not required. Completion of VeriSM Essentials training to support the VeriSM Essentials exam is strongly recommended. VeriSM Plus A prior knowledge of Service Management is required, which will have been gained through successful completion of a certificate in an existing Service Management framework. Completion of VeriSM Plus training to support successful completion of the VeriSM Plus exam is also recommended. Page 6 of 18

7 Format of the Examinations All exams are multiple choice questions, closed book VeriSM Foundation Number of questions: 40 Pass mark: 65% (26 out of 40) Time allotted for examination: 60 minutes VeriSM Essentials Number of questions: 20 Pass mark: 65% (13 out of 20) Time allotted for examination: 30 minutes VeriSM Plus Number of questions: 20 Pass mark: 65% (13 out of 20) Time allotted for examination: 30 minutes The examinations will be based on the syllabus in this document. Examination questions will be drawn from all topics in the syllabus, and coverage of any given topic can be expected to be in proportion to the amount of time allocated to that topic in the syllabus. Additional time For candidates requiring reasonable adjustments Please refer to the reasonable adjustments policy for detailed information on how and when to apply. For candidates whose language is not the language of the examination If the examination is taken in a language that is not the candidate s native/official language, candidates are entitled to: 25% extra time Page 7 of 18

8 Use their own paper language dictionary (whose purpose is translation between the examination language and another national language) during the examination Electronic versions of dictionaries will not be allowed into the examination room. Guidelines for Accredited Training Providers Each major subject heading in this syllabus is assigned an allocated % of time. The purpose of this is two-fold: first, to give both guidance on the relative proportion of time to be allocated to each section of an accredited course and an approximate minimum time for the teaching of each section; second, to guide the proportion of questions in the exam. Accredited Training Providers may spend more time than is indicated and candidates may spend more time again in reading and research. Courses do not have to follow the same order as the syllabus. Courses may be run as a single module or broken down into two or three smaller modules. This syllabus is structured into sections relating to major subject headings and numbered with a single digit section number. Each section is allocated a minimum contact time for presentation. Accredited Training Providers may include additional exercises where they believe these add value to the training course. The recommended number of contact hours for these training courses varies between 14 (fourteen) and 7 (seven), including group assignments, exam preparation and short breaks. This number of hours does not include additional candidate time, for example, spent on homework, logistics for exam preparation and lunch breaks. Indication of candidate study effort VeriSM Foundation VeriSM Essentials VeriSM Plus Use of Calculators 40 hours, depending on existing knowledge 20 hours, depending on existing knowledge 20 hours, depending on existing knowledge No calculators or mobile technology are acceptable. Page 8 of 18

9 Combined Certificates Syllabus For each top-level area of the syllabus a percentage is shown in the Weighting table below and K levels are as identified above, being K1 or K2 for all sections. The percentage is the exam coverage of that area, and the K level identifies the maximum level of knowledge that may be examined for that area. For each Learning Objective, there is a comment [ Tested in..], with a suffix F for Foundation, E for Essentials and Pl for Plus, to denote which section of the syllabus applies to each VeriSM Foundation level certificate 1. The Service Organization 1.1 Organisational context Define key elements of an organization [ Tested in F, E ] Define how to optimise organisational interactions [ Tested in F, E ] 1.2 Organisational governance Define the elements of organizational governance (evaluate, direct, monitor) [ Tested in F, E ] Explain how governance flows through an organization [ Tested in F, E ] 1.3 Digital transformation Define the impact of new technology on organizations [ Tested in F, E, Pl ] Describe the impact of digital transformation on service management [ Tested in F, E, Pl ] Page 9 of 18

10 2. Service Culture 2.1 The service culture Define a service culture [ Tested in F, E ] Explain the elements of a service culture [ Tested in F, E ] 3. People and Organisational Structure 3.1 Organisation structure Define the differences between a leader and a manager [ Tested in F, E, Pl ] Explain the competencies of the service management professional [ Tested in F, E, Pl ] List the elements of a well-functioning team [ Tested in F, E, Pl ] 3.2 Service management challenges Explain methods to overcome team challenges (silos, virtual teams) [ Tested in F, E ] Explain the challenges of managing consumers [ Tested in F, E ] Describe the elements of communication [ Tested in F, E ] Explain organisational change principles [ Tested in F, E ] Page 10 of 18

11 4. The VeriSM Model 4.1 The VeriSM model Define the elements of the VeriSM model [ Tested in F, E, Pl ] Explain how VeriSM re-defines service management [ Tested in F, E, Pl ] Explain how VeriSM uses the management mesh to create and stabilize services [ Tested in F, E, Pl] Explain the elements within each of the four stages of the VeriSM model [ Tested in F, E, Pl] Define Produce Provide Respond 4.2 Adapting the VeriSM model Define the process of selecting and integrating management practices. [ Tested in F, Pl ] Explain the characteristics of successful operating models [ Tested in F, Pl ] 5. Progressive Practices 5.1 Progressive practices Indicate the success factors for adopting progressive management practices [ Tested in F, Pl ] Clarify the key concepts and when to apply Agile, DevOps, SIAM, Lean as a management practice [ Tested in F, Pl ] Page 11 of 18

12 6. Innovative Technologies 6.1 Impact of Technology Summarize the implications of technology on service management [ Tested in F, Pl ] Explain the benefits of cloud, virtualization, and automation [ Tested in F, Pl ] Explain the impact of big data, internet of things, mobile computing, bring your own device on service management [ Tested in F, Pl ] Describe serverless computing, artificial intelligence, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Machine Learning, and containerization [ Tested in F, Pl ] 7. Getting Started with VeriSM 7.1 Getting started Identify how to get started [ Tested in F, Pl ] Describe how to move from reactive to proactive operations [ Tested in F, Pl ] Page 12 of 18

13 Levels of Knowledge / SFIA Levels These courses will provide candidates with the levels of difficulty / knowledge skill highlighted within the following table, enabling them to develop the skills to operate at the levels of responsibility indicated. The levels of knowledge and SFIA levels are explained in on the website The levels of knowledge above will enable candidates to develop the following levels of skill to be able to operate at the following levels of responsibility (as defined within the SFIA framework) within their workplace: Level Levels of Knowledge Levels of Skill and Responsibility (SFIA) K7 Set strategy, inspire and mobilise K6 Evaluate Initiate and influence K5 Synthesise Ensure and advise K4 Analyse Enable K3 Apply Apply K2 Understand Assist K1 Remember Follow Trainer Criteria Criteria Hold the BCS Foundation Certificate in VeriSM Have 10 days training experience or have a train the trainer qualification Have a minimum of 3 years practical experience in the subject area Classroom Sizes Trainer to candidate ratio (maximum) 1:15 Invigilator to Candidate Ratio During Exam (maximum) 1:25 Page 13 of 18

14 Question Weighting Syllabus Area Exam specification Weight Foundation Weight Essentials 1. The Service Organization 1.1 Organizational context 2.5% 5% Weight Plus 1.2 Organizational governance 2.5% 5% 1.3 Digital transformation 5% 5% 5% 2. Service culture 2.1 Service culture 5% 10% 3. People and organizational structure 3.1 Organization structure 10% 10% 15% 3.2 Service Management challenges 10% 15% 4. The VeriSM model 4.1 The VeriSM model 25% 50% 15% 4.2 Adapting the VeriSM model 7.5% 15% 5. Progressive practices 5.1 Progressive practices 20% 30% 6. Innovative technologies 6.1 Impact of technology 10% 15% 7. Getting started 7.1 Getting started 2.5% 5% Total 100% 100% 100% Page 14 of 18

15 Format of Examination Type Duration Pre-requisites Supervised Open Book Pass Mark Calculators Learning Hours Delivery 40 Multiple Choice Questions - VeriSM Foundation 20 Multiple Choice Questions - VeriSM Essentials and Plus 60 minutes - VeriSM Foundation 30 minutes - VeriSM Essentials and Plus An additional 25% (15 or 7.5 minutes respectively) will be allowed for candidates sitting the examination in a language that is not their native /mother tongue Accredited training is strongly recommended, but is not a pre-requisite Yes No 26/40 (65%) - VeriSM Foundation 13/20 (65%) - VeriSM Essentials and Plus Calculators cannot be used during this examination 14 Hours - VeriSM Foundation 7 Hours- VeriSM Essentials and Plus Paper based or computer based examinations Page 15 of 18

16 Recommended Reading List Exam Literature A. Claire Agutter, Rob England, Suzanne D. Van Hove, Randy Steinberg VeriSM - A service management approach for the digital age Van Haren Publishing: December 2017 (first edition) ISBN-13: (hard copy - printed book) ISBN-13: (ebook) Literature reference Exam Exam Literature Literature references requirement specification A Chapter 1, A A Chapters 3, A Chapter A Chapter A Chapter A Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, A Chapters 11, A Chapters 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, A Chapter A Chapter 26 Page 16 of 18

17 List of Basic Concepts This list contains the terms and abbreviations with which candidates should be familiar. Please note that knowledge of these terms alone does not suffice for the exam; the candidate must understand the concepts and be able to provide examples Agile service management A-shaped professional Asset Behavior Best practice Business model Business relationship management Business service management Capability Change Change fatigue Competence, -ies Consumer Consumer experience Continuous delivery Continuous deployment Continuous integration Contract management Critical thinking Culture Customer Customer experience (CX) Customer relationship management Cybersecurity Data protection DevOps Digital disruption Digital native Digital optimisation Organizational capability Outcome Output PESTEL Policy Principle Problem Procedure Process Product Profession Provider Quality Reflective practice Relationship management Request Retrospective Role Service Service culture Service integration and management (SIAM) Service management Service management operating model Service provider Shadow behavior Shadow IT Silo Skills inventory Solution Page 17 of 18

18 Digital service Digital transformation Enterprise service management Expectation management Explicit knowledge Financial management Implicit knowledge Incident Information Security I-shaped professional Issue Knowledge Management Lifelong learning Management Management practices Mission Network effect Operant behavior Operation model Operational planning Organization Organizational behavior management (OBM) Source event Stakeholder Stand-up meeting Strategic planning Supplier management SWOT Tacit knowledge Tactical planning Target operating model Team Technical debt Tribalism T-shaped professional User User experience (UX) Value Value proposition Values VeriSM VeriSM Model including: - Governance - Service Management Principles - Management mesh - Define - Produce - Provide Respond Virtual team Vision Page 18 of 18