DQS Certification™ Certified Manager of Software Quality (CMSQ) is a widely recognized certification in the software industry now. As a CMSQ certified professional, demonstrating the skills and capabilities necessary to manage the software quality assurance function with an objective assessment of their top management skills and hence will be able to play a huge role in building the organizations.
Approach to CMSQ
- Have the experience (described under the Real World Experience section) to demonstrate mastery of the skills identified in the current Software QA CBOK.
- Be prepared to submit documentation that supports your real-world experience in the software quality field (described under the Real World Experience section)
- The approach to CMSQ is simple-make sure you understand all the topics given in the CMMI® Model CBOK very clearly. First decide when you are going to write the exam.
- Get a copy of the CBOK as soon as possible, if you are not having it.
- Also try to correlate the quality principles/concepts which you are studying to what you are doing/have to do in your current and future roles as a QA Professional.
If these steps are followed, it should not be a problem in getting CMSQ certified.
For more details see FAQ
Curriculum for CMSQ
This certification requires candidates to demonstrate skills in the following Category:
Real World Experience section
Once the Certification Candidacy Application has been submitted and the candidate has been accepted into the CMSQ program, they must demonstrate that they have developed real solutions to challenges in their IT organizations. This must be done for three (3) categories selected from the ten (10) categories listed below:
- Metrics Analysis Techniques
- Organization innovation and deployment
- Process and project improvements
- Risk management
- CAR and DAR practices
- Planning and monitoring techniques
- Product and process integration
- Supplier agreement management
- Validation and verification process
- Estimation technique (Cost, Schedule and effort)
The documentation for each of the three categories must be submitted to the DQS Certification™ India division and must include the following:
Problem – What was the problem?
- Provide a statement of the problem explaining in detail how the problem was affecting your organization
- Define any terms used
- Include any organizational standards that would be followed to develop the solution
- Include the metrics relevant to the problem prior to your deployment of the solution
Approach – What was the proposed solution?
- Describe input, process, output (DO process)
- Describe QC process (CHECK process)
- How is success measured?
- How does this approach align to business objectives?
- Include interim deliverables:
- Requirements documentation
- Detailed plans or design documents
- Include any action plan that was used
- Status reports
- If you did any research into possible solutions, provide a list of the research material and/or methods you used to research possible solutions
Development – How was the solution developed?
- What process did you follow to develop the solution?
- If the costs of the development of the solution were tracked, include the cost breakdown
- What quality control mechanisms were in place during the development of the solution to insure the solution was tested against the requirements.
- Include a copy of documentation of the process solution
Deployment – How was the solution deployed?
- Include documentation describing the transitional process from the current process to the new solution
- What type of training (on the new process/solution delivered to personnel who would be using the new solution) was provided
- What type of monitoring was performed to assure the new solution was used correctly
Results – What were the results of the implementation of the solution?
- Describe the improvements realized as a result of the new process/solution
- Provide any metrics that compare pre-implementation with post implementation
- Include any ROI post-implementation documents
Aacceptance criteria checklist used by the evaluation team includes all the items listed above. If a candidate decides that one of these items is not applicable for their experience documentation, an explanation of why that item is not applicable must be included with the submitted documentation. If the documentation in a category or categories is found to be insufficient to meet the acceptance criteria, a candidate will be given feedback on the deficiencies and allowed one opportunity to resubmit corrected documentation through DQS Certification™ India appeal commity.
Applying for Candidacy
Eligibility Prerequisites
To qualify for candidacy, each applicant must meet one of four prerequisites:
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college-level institution plus a minimum of four years experience in the Software Quality Assurance field, or
- An associate degree plus a minimum of six years of experience in the Software Quality Assurance field, or
- Eight years of experience in the Software Quality Assurance field.
Depending upon a compliance sample selected according to program criteria, the applicant may be required to provide detailed education and/or employment documentation supporting the prerequisite option selected on the application. If selected for verification, the applicant must supply the documentation to the program. Applicants who fail to provide the requested documentation will not be allowed to sit for the exam or, if the exam has been taken and passed, may be subject to de-certification.
Filing the Initial Application
A completed Certification Candidacy Application must be submitted through the member area for any particular certification. This application is intended to be used by working professionals who feel they are prepared to sit for, and pass, the required examination for the certification designation for which they are requesting candidacy.
The initial application fee is as follows:
- $ 250.00 (includes PDF version of CBOK)
All fee paid in USD (see Payment Policy) Fees in this program are non refundable and nontransferable
Applicants already holding a certification from Software Certifications must submit a new application when deciding to pursue an additional certification. For example, an applicant already holding a CMSQ certification must complete the application process again if pursuing the CSPM certification.
Filing a Retake Application
Candidates who have taken their initial examination within 12 months of their acceptance, but did not pass, are eligible to retake the examination up to two more times, as long as your application has not expired. This can be done through the Member’s Area through Log in. Each exam retake requires a $ 100.00 (USD) sitting fee. (see Payment Policy)
Examination Procedure
- The Exam will be conducting through DQS Certification™ India center and candidate can able to appear on any days.
- Walk-in exam procedure for Objective & Subjective papers on the same day.
- The exam consists of two papers, one objective paper (45 minutes) and one subjective paper (75 minutes). Duration is 2 hours and to pass you need overall average of 75% on the exam
- You will need to read CMMI® model outside CBOK to clear subjective questions.
On-going Candidacy
It is critical that candidates keep their Program records up to date. Many candidates change their residence or job situations during their certification candidacy. If any such changes occur, it is the candidate’s responsibility to change their Certification Candidacy Application information in the Member’s Area.
Once a new application is accepted and approved, the Candidacy begins the date the application fee was processed. The candidate then has 12 months from the date the application fee was processed to take their initial exam. If after the 12-month period the candidate has yet to take the initial exam their candidacy will expire. The candidate must then reapply for candidacy and pay the current application fee to begin the process again.
If the initial exam is taken inside that 12-month period, a second or third sitting, if required, must be completed within 24 months from the date the original application fee was processed. After the 24-month period has elapsed their candidacy will expire. The candidate must then reapply for candidacy and pay the current application fee to begin the process again.