The Certified Software Process Engineer (CSPE) certification aims at developing professionals, who can be a part of the process improvement team and can support Quality Head/ Process Improvement team to develop software process, track and implement process improvement suggestions, analyze and solve quality problems. The CSPE certification can be taken by fresh graduates and individuals with work experience, aspiring to develop skills and knowledge in quality tools and processes and join an organization's process improvement initiative.

Since the mid 1980s, more and more software organizations have started using models and standards to support and improve their software engineering activities. Most of the process improvement programs have achieved positive results. However, a lot many have died a silent death for lack of experienced professionals participating in these process improvement initiatives. CSPE certification is a step in the direction to help bridge the gap between the demand and supply of qualified software process improvement professionals.

CSPE certification demonstrates that the certified individual has the knowledge to:

• Understand software development lifecycles
• Understand what is software process, software process improvement and how to implement it in an organization
• Develop and implement software development and maintenance processes and methods
• Understand the basic concepts related to software quality
• Understand and use software review and testing techniques
• Understand basics of software project management, team organization and project scheduling concepts
• Understand the importance of measurement in software project management
• Define basic metrics for software projects

• Software professionals with 0 to 2 years of experience who want to be a part of Process Improvement Team/ SEPG (Software Engineering Process Group) members
• Fresh graduates who intend to join quality domain as Process Improvement Team/ SEPG member
• Professionals from non-IT domain with an intend to switch to software domain

• Education: Graduate or equivalent
• Waiver: If a person has more than 2 years of experience in the software field the education requirement can be waived

• EdistaLearning Modules
• SE 100 Series: Software Engineering Process Approach
• SE 101: An Introduction to Software Engineering
• SE 102: Software Process Models
• SE 103: Common Process Framework
• SE 104: Software Process Improvement
• SE 105: Advanced Software Process Model
• SE 201: Basic Concepts of Software Project Management
• SE 202: Software Project Measurement and Metrics
• SE 301: Basic Concepts of Software Quality
• SE 303: Formal Technical Reviews
• SE 501: An Introduction to Software Testing

• Books and White Papers
• Humphrey, W.S., Managing the Software Process, Reading M A
• Pressman, R.S., Software Engineering – A Practitioner’s Approach, Fifth edition, McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 2001
• Grady, R. B., Successful Software Process Improvement, Prentice Hall, 1997
• ISO 9001:2000, Quality management systems – Requirements, International Organization for Standardization
• Schulmeyer, C. G., Zero Defect Software, McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 1990, p. 33
• Cavano, J.P. and J. A. McCall, A Framework for the Measurement of Software Quality, Proc. ACM Software Quality Assurance Workshop, November, 1978, pp. 133-139

• Websites
• www.rspa.com/spi: A list of resources for understanding software process models and the tasks involved
• www.sei.cmu.edu: Process improvement model - CMMI
• www.swebok.org: Guide to the Software Body of Knowledge
• www.ieee.org: Information on international standards and guidelines related to software from IEEE
• www.iso.org: Process improvement model - ISO
• www.softwaremetrics.com
• www.spmn.com
• www.stickyminds.com

Note : These references are offered for informational purposes only. There are many more valuable references that may not have been listed here.

• Exam duration: 2 hours
  (40 min Objective, 60 min Subjective, 20 min Case study = 120 minutes)
• Question paper consists of following sections:
• Section 1 Objective: 40% weightage (40 questions)
• Section 2 Subjective: 45% weightage (12 questions)
• Section 3 Case Study: 15% weightage (1 question, 2 options would be provided to chose from)
• Passing percentage
• For each of the 3 sections: 60%
• Overall percentage in certification exam: 70%

You are now ready to register for the certification program by using any one of the following options:

• Option 1: To prepare and then take the certification exam, register for the elearning course by clicking here.
• Option 2: If you don't need any preparation and are ready to take the certification exam, fill the registration form by clicking here.
• Option 3: If you need the certification for group of people, e.g. certification at organization level, and would like to be contacted by our client servicing team click here.

If you want to learn more about the certification procedure, please read the FAQ section.