Certified Software Management Engineer developed by Certificore for software management professionals who wants to certify their skills
Target Group/Audience
This qualification is the advanced of the software management certification scheme is aimed at anyone working within an organization (internally or externally) who may require to have and demonstrate a solid knowledge and understanding of the software management and its application. The certification can also cater for candidates seeking personal certification, also in regards to their knowledge and understanding of the requirements and the content of the best practice.
This qualification will provide the advanced level of knowledge to its holders and will certify that they have a solid understanding of the standard and its content. Note that this qualification provides the advanced level of knowledge for:
- Software Management Teams
- Software Development Teams
- IT Operation Teams
Learning Objectives
Candidates will be introduced to the principles and core elements of the software management, and more specifically:
- Software Management Fundamentals
- Software Package Evaluation
- Software Licences and Contracts Management
- Software Implementation
- Software Asset Management
- Software Maintenance Management
Examination
CSWME Certification Exam is designed to validate a candidate’s knowledge of the contents and requirements of the software management and will allow for further development along the software management certification path. The CSWME exam focuses on the following two (2) categories in the cognitive domain of Bloom’s taxonomy:
a. Knowledge
b. Comprehension
Entry Criteria/Training Requirements
No specific entry criteria exist for candidates of the CSWME examination. However, it is strongly recommended that candidates have at least a basic knowledge of software management concepts and terminology and have undergone some formal training on the subject with a proposed duration of 16 or 24 hours. A detailed breakdown of these training hours, per topic area is provided in the syllabus section.
Assessment Approach
The assessment approach used for the CSWME certification focuses on the two basic categories of Knowledge and Comprehension. Knowledge is defined as recalling previously learned material, from facts to theories and represents the lowest level of learning outcomes in the cognitive domain. Such learning outcomes are turned in assessment objectives that include knowing and recalling such as:
1. Common and/or basic terms, definitions, concepts and principles of software management
2. Specific software management requirements and facts
3. Software management methods and tools
| Delivery | Paper based |
| Type | 40 Multiple choice questions
Single answer, one of four possible answers Each question is awarded one (1) mark |
| Duration | 1 hour (60 minutes) For non-native speakers or candidates with a disability, an additional 15 minutes of extra time is allowed. |
| Pass Mark | 65% (26/40) |
| Invigilator / Proctor | Yes . Physical or Web proctoring |
| Open Book | Yes |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Certification validity | N/A |
Comprehension is the lowest level of understanding and entails the ability to grasp the meaning of the material taught, including some sort of interpretation, translation or estimation during the process. Such learning outcomes and in turn assessment objectives go beyond simply recalling information and may include:
* Understanding facts, concepts and principles
* Interpreting material (i.e. charts, graphs, text)
* Justifying a Process, procedure and assessment method
The assessment incorporates the above learning outcomes as it uses assessment objectives that cater for the above cognitive domain categories.
Examination Format
The tests are derived from a regularly updated question test bank (QTB) based on the test specification detailed below. Questions are used interchangeably among test sets. The overall difficulty level of each test is the same with any other test. A candidate is never assigned the same test in the case of multiple examination attempts.
Detailed Syllabus
The syllabus contains references to the Software Management domain and is structured into sections relating to major subject headings and numbered with a single digit section number.
The recommended training hours, per Syllabus Category are also provided in this table.
At the end of the training session, allow 30 minutes for the candidates to familiarize themselves with the exam process and the sample questions.
An additional hour could be provided for the sample test and/or answering the sample test for better preparation of the exam.
Syllabus details for CSWME Certification and Training :
| CATEGORY | REF | KNOWLEDGE SET | |
| CSWME 1.1 Software Management Fundamentals | CSWME-1.1.1 | Software Management Essential Terms | |
| CSWME-1.1.2 | Software Management Essential Principles | ||
| CSWME-1.1.3 | Software Management Discipline Core Concepts | ||
| CSWME-1.1.4 | Software Management Engineer Value Proposal and Carrier | ||
| Proposed Training Time: 120 minutes
|
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| CSWME-1.2 Software Package Evaluation | CSWME-1.2.1 | Requirements : Real Value Expectations vs Fantasy World of Users. | |
| CSWME-1.2.2 | Package or Custom Development | ||
| CSWME-1.2.3 | Market Research Tools | ||
| CSWME-1.2.4 | Articulating RFI | ||
| CSWME-1.2.5 | Preparing RFP | ||
| CSWME-1.2.6 | SW Quality Evaluation Criterias | ||
| CSWME-1.2.7 | SW Design and Reliability Evaluation Criterias | ||
| CSWME-1.2.8 | Security Evaluation Criterias | ||
| CSWME-1.2.9 | Vendor Evaluation Criterias | ||
| CSWME-1.2.10 | Vendor / Partner Support Evaluation Criterias | ||
| CSWME-1.2.11 | Product and Vendor Foresight | ||
| CSWME-1.2.12 | Reqirements Foresight | ||
| CSWME-1.3.9 | SW Knowledge Base, Documentation Quality | ||
| CSWME-1.3.10 | SW Integration Capabilities | ||
| CSWME-1.3.11 | SW Internal Reporting Capabilities | ||
| CSWME-1.3.12 | SW Partner and Local Consultants Quality | ||
| Proposed Training Time: 240 minutes
|
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| CSWME-1.3 Software Licences and Contracts Management | CSWME-1.3.1 | SW License Types: OnPrem, SaaS, Hosted, Perpetual, Subscription | |
| CSWME-1.3.2 | Criterias for SW License Contracts | ||
| CSWME-1.3.3 | Criterias for SW Support Conditions | ||
| CSWME-1.3.4 | Professional Services : Implementation and Consultancy | ||
| CSWME-1.3.5 | Updates, Upgrades and Maintenance | ||
| CSWME-1.3.6 | Service Level Agreement and Support Conditions | ||
| CSWME-1.3.7 | Escrow | ||
| CSWME-1.3.8 | Training Quality and Content | ||
| CSWME-1.3.9 | Signing Contract with Vendor or Reseller : Who is in charge in conflicts? Vendor can be responsible for anything. Game of Law with Vendors. | ||
| Proposed Training Time: 120 minutes
|
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| CSWME-1.4 Software Implementation | CSWME-1.4.1 | Roadmap Selection : Fast Best Practice Guide or Slow Tailor Made Project | |
| CSWME-1.4.2 | Team Building for Implementation | ||
| CSWME-1.4.3 | Selecting Senior Consultants (not Junior and Cheap Newbies) | ||
| CSWME-1.4.4 | Organizational Readiness for New Processess and New Recording Systems | ||
| CSWME-1.4.5 | Installation (Prod and Test) | ||
| CSWME-1.4.6 | Early Training for Admins (Train the team before they start misconfigurations) | ||
| CSWME-1.4.7 | Early Training for Key Users (Train the team before they start misconfigurations) | ||
| CSWME-1.4.8 | Configuration & Customization (Black Hole or Necessity) | ||
| CSWME-1.4.9 | SW Knowledge Base, Documentation, Configrution Maps, Troubleshooitng Documentation Gathering | ||
| CSWME-1.4.10 | Reports Designs and Dashboards | ||
| CSWME-1.4.11 | Interfaces and Integration | ||
| CSWME-1.4.12 | Test of New System | ||
| CSWME-1.4.13 | Transition to New System (Big bang or Phased) | ||
| CSWME-1.4.14 | Advanced Training of Administrators | ||
| CSWME-1.4.15 | Advanced Training of Users | ||
| CSWME-1.4.16 | Handover : To Operation or to Application Management? Who will be the owner of the new SW? | ||
| CSWME-1.4.17 | Postimplementation Early Life Support | ||
| Proposed Training Time: 240 minutes
|
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| CSWME-1.5 Software Asset Management | CSWME-1.5.1 | Software Inventory System | |
| CSWME-1.5.2 | Discovery of Licences | ||
| CSWME-1.5.3 | Metering and Usage Monitoring | ||
| CSWME-1.5.4 | Reconciliation and Optimization of Licences | ||
| CSWME-1.5.5 | Definitive Software Library and Inventory Baselining | ||
| CSWME-1.5.6 | SAM Tools : License Audit , Metering and Monitoring | ||
| CSWME-1.5.7 | SAM Tools Implementation | ||
| CSWME-1.5.8 | SAM Tools Lab Session | ||
| Proposed Training Time: 120 minutes
|
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| CSWME-1.6 Software Maintenance Management | CSWME-1.6.1 | Software Maintenance Process and Evoluiton Engineering | |
| CSWME-1.6.2 | Change Control and Configuration Management | ||
| CSWME-1.6.3 | Event Management, APM and Software Monitoring | ||
| CSWME-1.6.4 | Log Management and Error Root Cause Hunting | ||
| CSWME-1.6.5 | Change Management and Release Management while fixing, updating or upgrading. | ||
| CSWME-1.6.6 | Application Vulnerability Analysis | ||
| CSWME-1.6.7 | Code Security Analysis , Static and Dynamic Code Analysis | ||
| Proposed Training Time: 120 minutes
|
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Test Specification :
The examination will consist of six (6) sections with the following structure:
| CATEGORY | DESCRIPTION | EXAM (%) |
| 1 | CSWME-1.1 Introduction, Terms and Definitions | 5.0% |
| 2 | CSWME-1.2 Software Package Evaluation | 20.0% |
| 3 | CSWME-1.3 Software Licences and Contracts Management | 20.0% |
| 4 | CSWME-1.4 Software Implementation | 20.0% |
| 5 | CSWME-1.5 Software Asset Management | 20.0% |
| 6 | CSWME-1.6 Software Maintenance Management | 15.0% |
| TOTAL | 100 % |
Recommended Reading for Certification Exam Preperation
- A Guide to Software Package Evaluation & Selection: The R2ISC Method by Hollander, Nathan
- Why New Systems Fail: An Insider’s Guide to Successful IT Projects 1st Edition by Phil Simon
- Successful Packaged Software Implementation 1st Edition by Christine B. Tayntor
- Software Asset Management: Understanding and Implementing an optimal solution Paperback by Mr Prafull Verma, Mr Kalyan Kumar
- The Tech Contracts Handbook: Software Licenses and Technology Services Agreements for Lawyers and Businesspeople by David W. Tollen
- Maximize Your Investment: 10 Key Strategies for Effective Packaged Software Implementations by Beaubouef,Grady Brett
- Software Maintenance: Concepts and Practice 2nd Edition by Penny Grubb, Armstrong A Takang
- Software Maintenance Management: Evaluation and Continuous Improvement 1st Editio by Alain April, Alain Abran