CKA Requirements at Different Capability Levels

The ladder contains four capability levels, but the Mastery level is not describable in advance (by definition), so we typically refer to our Ladder as a 10x3 matrix of 10 CKAs and 3 capability levels for a total of 30 unique capability areas. Within each capability area of the capability level/CKA matrix there is a set of specific activities, such as reading, classes, and work experience, which must be completed to meet that capability area's requirements. In total, the Professional Development Ladder is comprised of nearly 1,000 specific requirements at this time.

The Engineering Management CKA provides a good example of the extent of the requirements for the Introductory, Competency, and Leadership capability levels. Table 16-4 shows the reading and work experience necessary to achieve Introductory capability in Engineering Management.

As Table 16-5 illustrates, significantly more effort is required to achieve Competency capability in the Engineering Management area.

Moving from Competency to Leadership in a CKA is not as pre-determined as moving from Introductory to Competency. Detailed requirements are defined jointly between the employee, the employee's mentor, and the employee's manager. At the Leadership level, in addition to reading, classes, and work experience, the employee may also be required to obtain recognized industry certifications and to participate at the industry level by teaching classes, giving conference presentations, and so on.

Table 16-4. Introductory level requirements in Engineering Management

TYPE OF ACTIVITY

REQUIREMENTS

Reading

The following materials must be read analytically:[1]

  • "They Write the Right Stuff," Charles Fishman[2]

  • Software Project Survival Guide, Steve McConnell[3]

  • "Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professionalism," ACM/IEEE-CS[4]

The following materials must be read inspectionally:

  • 201 Principles of Software Development, Alan Davis[5]

  • Software Engineering, Part 1 + Chapters 22 & 23, Ian Sommerville[6]

  • Software Engineering: A Practitioner's Approach, Chapter 4, Roger Pressman[7]

Work Experience

  • Review a project plan

  • Learn an estimation technique

  • Plan and track personal activities

Classes

None

Certifications

None

Industry Participation

None

Table 16-5. Competency level requirements in Engineering Management

TYPE OF ACTIVITY

REQUIREMENTS

Reading

The following materials must be read analytically:

  • "No Silver Bullets Essence and Accidents of Software Engineering," Fred Brooks[8]

  • "Programmer Performance and the Effects of the Workplace," DeMarco and Lister[9]

  • "Manager's Handbook for Software Development," NASA Goddard Space Flight Center[10]

  • Rapid Development, Steve McConnell[11]

The following materials must be read inspectionally:

  • "Software's Chronic Crisis," Wayt Gibbs[12]

  • "Recommended Approach to Software Development," NASA Goddard Space Flight Center[13]

Work Experience

  • Participate as a reviewer for a project's management artifacts

  • Participate in the creation of a project charter

  • Participate in the creation of a project plan

  • Participate in the creation of a project estimate; become proficient with individual bottom-up estimation techniques; lead an estimation activity

  • Become proficient with individual status reporting techniques; create a weekly status report

  • Become proficient with work planning (including work breakdown structures, estimation, and earned value management)

Classes

  • Software Project Survival Guide (2 days)

  • Rapid Development (2 days)

  • Software Estimation (2 days)

Certifications

None

Industry Participation

None

Table 16-6 details the kinds of activities and level of effort required for this transition.

Table 16-6. Example of Leadership level requirements in Engineering Management

TYPE OF ACTIVITY

REQUIREMENTS

Reading

Reading is customized at the Leadership level. The focus area and selection of specific books and articles are worked out with the mentor and outlined in the Professional Development Plan. A rough target of about 1,000 pages is required to move from Competency to Leadership in each CKA.

Work Experience

  • Lead planning, estimation, and tracking activities for a significant project; create a project charter with business case; create a project plan for a large and a small project; create a work plan for a significant project; proficient with lifecycle selection, customization, and planning; proficient with formal risk management techniques; proficient with formal issue management techniques; lead issue management for a significant project; proficient with historical data collection techniques.

  • Proficient in-group estimation techniques (e.g., wide-band Delphi), analogy estimation techniques, and parametric estimation techniques; create a top-down project estimate at project inception.

  • Create a business (or milestone) schedule for a significant project; create a detailed schedule for a milestone; proficient with critical-path and critical-chain scheduling techniques (Gantt and PERT); proficient with project status reporting techniques.

  • Participate in consulting/coaching work in engineering management.

Classes

  • Effective Software Project Management (3 days)

  • Risk Management (2 days)

  • Project Outsourcing (2 days)

Certifications

  • Obtain IEEE Computer Society's Certified Software Development Professional certification.[14]

  • Obtain PMI's Project Management Professional certification.[15]

Industry Participation

At the Leadership level, employees are expected to contribute significantly within Construx and potentially to the industry at large. Examples of the industry participation expected at this level include:

  • Create evening, weekend, or college course in this area; teach an evening, weekend, or college class.

  • Teach a Construx seminar or university course.

  • Participate in an industry committee, panel, group, standards board, etc.

  • Present at a conference.

  • Publish an article in major or peer-reviewed publication.

  • Publish an article in a second-tier publication.

  • Review a book manuscript.

  • Review articles for IEEE Software or similar publication.

  • Actively mentor and coach other Construx employees in the leadership area.



Professional Software Development(c) Shorter Schedules, Higher Quality Products, More Successful Projects, [... ]reers
Professional Software Development(c) Shorter Schedules, Higher Quality Products, More Successful Projects, [... ]reers
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2005
Pages: 164

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