A Skill Assessment Process for Information Systems Professionals

Abstract

There exists a general complacency among employers of information systems personnel. Due to the growth of the industry and a lack of supply there is a shortage of entry-level workers. Because of rapid changes in technology the skills of those currently working in the profession can quickly become obsolete. A lack of training initiative contributes to both unproductive personnel and inappropriate information systems. What is necessary is a consistently reliable human resource practice, which takes into consideration the unique requirements of the information systems profession. Thus, based upon research conducted regarding identifying the qualities of ‘excellent’ systems analysts, a method is outlined, which may assist in the resolution of the above situation. This chapter describes how the research method may be applied to implement the concepts underlying the Software Engineering Institute’s (SEI) People — Capability Maturity Model (P-CMM). The SEI sponsored P-CMM is a personnel management framework for the information systems industry, the purpose of which is to enhance the capability of organizations to manage information systems personnel in order to improve their software development capability. The P-CMM framework provides a description of a continuous improvement process for organizations to adopt in the management of their information systems personnel. P-CMM represents an effective assessment framework, but does not offer implementation guidance. Employing the RepGrid, as proposed in this chapter, will ground the application of the P-CMM framework within the organization and provide an implementation method. This approach represents an innovative mixture of methodologies, both the P-CMM framework for assessment and the RepGrid technique for implementation, for conducting applied research and organizational intervention. The method described here represents an effective way to identify and develop the necessary capability within organizations to address skill shortage and obsolescence.Keywordsinformation systems personnelskills obsolescenceRepGridP-CMM