ALN Successfully Launches ISO 55000 Professional Certification
Individuals can now be certified as effective and knowledgeable participants in ISO 55000 projects.
Washington, D.C. – August 6, 2018 – The Asset Leadership Network has successfully initiated a professional certification program for the ISO 55000 management system standards. It is the only certification in the marketplace for individuals and organizations focused on the specifics of the ISO 55000/1/2 asset management standards.
The A55K Certification validates that individuals can effectively and knowledgeably participate in an ISO 55000 implementation team.
The Andrew James Advisory Group, an ALN member, is the first organization to have their training materials and instructional approach accredited by the Asset Leadership Network Professional Certification Committee.
The Andrew James Advisory Group and the Asset Leadership Network have recently completed a successful initial training and certification course, leading to the first individuals being certified with the A55K designation. Students in the course included federal executives, municipal asset management staff, consultants and association members.
The course and certification test focused on the fundamental principles of the ISO 55000/1/2 standards – assets are anything that provide value for an organization; top management needs to be involved in the establishment of a management system; resources need to be allocated to avoid creating unfunded mandates; continual improvement of the system needs to be considered from the start; the standards provide a guideline for a management system, not a prescriptive set of rules; and each organization will establish its own unique response when implementing the standards.
David Clark, Washington, D.C. Government, Asset Manager in the Chief Financial Office, launched the course, which included 5 from his staff. “We don’t want to miss out on anything obvious,” Clark said indicating the comprehensive nature of ISO 55000/1/2, which lists multiple “shall statements” in a structured outline of asset management principles and processes.
Clark described his team’s 2 year journey to relate all DC assets to a single data base. That endeavor, which is more than 95 percent complete, helped the D.C. Government obtain an improved bond rating in 2018. Successful adherence to ISO 55000 could be used to further improve D.C.’s ability to reduce debt, increase performance and improve customer satisfaction in 2019.
The course was held at a DC Government training facility location in the recently developed Navy Yard area of the District.
Marlene Millemaci, Chair of Asset Leadership Network Professional Certification Committee, said, “The course went very well and our test resulted in a wide range of results, indicating there is proper level of difficulty. However, we will be refining and expanding the test. An independent testing agency will provide randomly selected questions from a long list of questions so no two people will get the exact same test.” Millemaci and her committee did not see the course work before making the test. The committee monitored the course to assure class work was addressing the selection of test questions.
Millemaci, who is an asset management Specialist Master at Deloitte, said, “The Andrew James Advisory Group provided a thorough review of the standards and were on target to emphasis concepts and principles without requiring memorization of the standards sections and clause numbers. Getting people to understand the dramatic implications of this simple system is the key to successful implementation of ISO 55000.”
Millemaci added that the planned interactive sessions between students and instructors resulted in unscripted benefits that were as valuable as guided instruction through the standards. “Even though the lessons learned from the unscripted discussions were not on the test, they will prove valuable in actually implementing the system.”
Michael Hardy, 4tell Solutions Director of Government Solutions, attended the course and said, “My understanding of the ISO standard and its application to the real world were accelerated beyond anything I could have achieved on my own in so short a time.” He made further comments on a LinkedIn post at: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6427851638504976384/
Richard Uytdewilligen, President of the Andrew James Advisory Group, said (something like), “It was a pleasure working with the Asset Leadership Network to launch a new professional certification. Asset Management is increasingly understood as a critical element for any organization. The ISO 55000/1/2 standards are providing dramatic benefits to almost everyone who uses them. Helping individuals and teams become conversant in the salient points of the standards so they can work together in new and effective ways is an honor. We look forward to evolving the A55K Professional Certification with the ALN and its member organizations.”
Richard Uytdewilligen, President of the Andrew James Advisory Group, said, “It was a pleasure working with the Asset Leadership Network to launch a new professional certification. Asset Management is increasingly understood as a critical element for any organization. We believe that by facilitating group discussions, leveraging focused technology and building in learning experiences, such as data governance and industry sector ISO 55000 accelerators, the students spend more time learning and less time memorizing numbers you can look up at any time.”
Utydewilligen added, “ This approach aids the professional s in not only preparing for the ALN exam, but allowing them to contribute to any ISO 55000 implementation from Day 1. This education can be used if they are the leader of a project or individual contributors to projects in any industry.”
End
The Asset Leadership Network is a 501c 6 trade association dedicated assisting organizations achieve dramatic benefits with the ISO 55000 management system for asset management. The founders were U.S. delegates to ISO 55000 and ALN volunteers continue refine the standard. The Asset Leadership Network, its member organizations and individual volunteers provide information and assistance in gaining dramatic benefits from the use of ISO 55000. See more at: www.AssetLeadership.net
The Andrew James Advisory Group provides training and consulting services for organizations focused upon the application and use of ISO 55000. AJ Advisory Group has considerable experience in developing integrated management systems that support the strategic aims of organizations. We enable organizations to establish excellent management systems, to improve their existing business processes and to design new, lean processes for start-up operations and diversifying entities. See more at www.andrewjamesadvisory.com
The following are select images of the students, instructors, facilitators and testers related to the first Asset Leadership Network A55K Professional Certification Course. The Asset Leadership Network reviewed and certified material from the Andrew James Advisory Group. The Andrew James Advisory Group presented the material without seeing the test. The Asset Leadership Network administered the test. The 4-day course was presented at a facility owned by the Washington, D.C. Government, which had 5 members in the 10-person class.
