Developing Global Professional Standards Shanker Gopalkrishnan, CMC, FIMC Chair, Global Professional Standards Committee, ICMCI IMCI National Convention, March 2006

Definitions  Professional Management Consultant  Is a management consultant who views management consulting as a profession, who strives for self- improvement in the process of both management and management consulting and who subscribes to the code of ethics of a professional body of management.  Certified Management Consultant  Is a professional management consultant who meets relevant requirements of character, qualifications, experience, competence and independence established by the professional body issuing certification.

The CMC mark is Competency Based   Personal qualities required of a Certified Management Consultant   objectivity, impartiality and independence   knowledge of management organisation and techniques   consulting competencies   practical experience   technical expertise   Supported by the ICMCI Competency Framework, which is based on the Common Body Of Knowledge (CBK)

A cting C ommunicating T hinking (Like a consultant) THE COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK MANAGEMENT PRACTICE MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FUNCTIONAL/ TECHNICAL INDUSTRY P E S T L E PRACTICE MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT Ethics And/or Not Mandatory For CMC Specialist Competencies

Assessing Competency   Requires a formal & objective assessment   Professional record   Assignment study   Presentation & interview   Client references   Formal assessment   Carried out by accredited assessors   Based on externally validated international standards (quality assurance)

Common ICMCI Competency Standards The objectives are to   Crate the concept of “Universe” and “CMC core” The universe will be common competencies that a consultant needs to possess   Create a set of core competency unit standards which are accepted by each country and are essential for certification   Create an integrated international framework for certification   Facilitate continuing professional development - CPD   Align consulting education and training to the competency framework and CBK

Common Standards aim to   Bring together the variety of standards already in existence   Provide a structure to which new competencies can be added   Ensure that all existing and new national standards meet the accepted quality requirements

Standards Generation   ICMCI generate unit standards   Update and review unit standards   Recommend “core unit” competency standards to member countries   Countries may add “country specific units” to reflect local needs   Qualifications are at the discretion of the member countries

Quality Assurance – Assessment Process   Common framework to evaluate assessment process   Statement of equivalence, examination of documents   Visits by assessors   In depth examination, including sample interviews of CMCs   Review and process amendments   Approval by Membership Quality Assurance Committee   Certificate of assessment   Triennial assessments

Quality Assurance – Training   Ensure quality of learning programs   Provide moderation and accreditation of assessors   Accredit training providers Note : ICMCI’s framework for training is in progress – many IMCs have framed their own systems

The process…. CBK Knowledge Competency Framework Competency units Quality Assurance Assessment Criteria Assessment Process Assessors Guidelines Certification process Training Training providers Verification process ICMCI Assessors

Global Professional Standards Committee

Process of building standards   Why do we need a professional standard ?   Who wants it ?   Who will use it ?   Who will provide the service ?   Is the service amenable to standardisation ?   Can we benchmark against other professional standards ?   What should be the components ?   Who will be the authority to grant the standard ?   Who assess the authority ?   What are the safeguards ?   Who will hold the IPR ?

PSC : Tasks & Implementation StrategyMission, Objectives, Structure DocumentationWebsite, protocol CMC standardCMC competency model framework, syllabus, reference reading list CBKUpdate – framework & content ACPLarge practices MQACStandardisation of assessment procedures ISOStandards alignment Education & TrainingEffective practices

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