Certification best practice

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Certification best practice
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Building sustainability

• XPG3

• UNIX 93
• UNIX 95

• UNIX03
• POSIX

• XPG4

• UNIX 98

Jun 1990
Oct 1993
Feb 1995
Jan 2003
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WAP
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About The Open Group
Brings the constituencies togetherin an open
process
San Francisco Boston, UK, Tokyo Regional
offices 50 staff
Operates the industryspremier certification
service
Enhances the operational efficiency of
consortia
Consortium Not-for-profit operations Established
gt20 years 200 member organizations
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What is certification? What does it mean?
A mark of trust, e.g. UL
Implies successful assessment
Assurance meets requirements
Increases probability that the whole
(system/solution) willoperate as expected
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Alternative approaches

• Risks
• out-of-date products
• time to market
• unsubstantiated claims
• lack of interoperability

Government assessment
Hi
Cost
Industry conformance process
Supplier self declaration
Low
Short
Long
Time
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Strategy issues
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Business Environment
How are all these constituencies brought
together? Who assures conformance? Who has the
infrastructure for certification and testing?
The customers Has known or unknown problems Has
purchasing power to buy solutions Buy preference
is for open solutions Buy preference is for
complete solutions
Standards Build standard specifications
Open Source Provides components
The Innovator Provides new solutions/approaches
to known or unknown problems
Test and Certify Test and certify product
compliance to specification
The Store Sells components, applications, services
Manufacturers Provides components that are
perceived as open
THE Open GROUP Brings the constituencies together
in an open process! Has a test and certification
program and infrastructure!
Application Providers Provides value add on top
of open components Desire single, or a managed
set of, platforms
Interest group Want to take a standard to
market Means they want to test and
certify Promote it
Operators Provides infrastructure for whole
solution Align with anything that demands more
use of infrastructure
What benefits are intended to accrue to each
party?
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Critical success factors

• Value proposition
• ROI of certification
• Brand management
• Marketing creating demand
• Deliver on the promise
• Protect against false claims
• Time, cost, quality
• Development
• Operations

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Creating a value proposition

• Engineering cost
• Competitive threats
• Differentiation

• Choice
• Now / future
• Integration
• Time, cost, quality

The vendors dilemma
Market share
Market growth
Customer pull
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Managing a brand
Protection


Identity

• Local, regional, national, global?
• Single or multiple classes?

• Individual?
• Shared?

Policing


Promotion

• Guidance
• Fair use
• Challenging false claims

• Brand values
• Certified products
• Procurement
• Procurement guidance

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Certification cost drivers
Accumulatedexperience
Accumulatedtechnology
Accumulatedtemplates
Cost Per Unit
Accumulatedprocess
Time
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Think global, act local

• Enable
• Web based certification
• Tests available
• anytime, anywhere
• Equivalent to buyers
• Fair for vendors

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Developing aCertification Program
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Content
Core Elements Specification Test Trademark
Core Documents Certification Policy Trademark
License Agreement Conformance Requirements Operati
ons Guides and Manuals Conformance Statement
Questionnaire
Core Processes Problem reporting and
interpretations Certification and testing
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Issues to recognize
Implements to the specification but
?
X
Ambiguous? Inconsistent? Incomplete?
a
Specification
?
Does not implement to the specification but
Bindings may be bug compatible
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Testing
Tests are requiredfor all products regardlessof
certification programs Share cost by vendors
Confidence
Conformance Testingand QA
Web
Assertions Testability
Development Maintenance Automation Harness
a
Secondary to specification
Specification
Improvements
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Trademark

• How do you know its certified?
• Trademark
• Public register
• Supplier Claim
• Licensing a trademark means trademark law can be
  used to prevent false claims (passing off)

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Content
Core Elements Specification Test Trademark
Core Documents Certification Policy Trademark
License Agreement Conformance Requirements Operati
ons Guides and Manuals Conformance Statement
Questionnaire
Core Processes Problem reporting and
interpretations Certification and testing
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Certification Policy
Obligations
Products
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Conformance documents
Conformance Requirements What a conforming
product must do to be certified
Conformance Requirements What a conforming
product must do to be certified
Conformance Statements Public statement How our
product meets conformance requirements
Vendors
Customers
Check vendor claims
Select appropriate tests
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Trademark License Agreement
Trademark License Agreement Adlim
nonsem dinsem adsem nimsum forum alumniri Adlim
nonsem dinsem adsem nimsum forum Adlim nonsem
dinsem a dsem nimsum forum alumni A dlim nonsem
dinsem adsem nimsum f orum alumni Signed
------------- Witness Date

A legally enforceable contract

• Provides a vendor guarantee of conformance
• The products conform
• They will always conform
• If they are found not to conform then they will
  be fixed at the vendors expense

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Operations guides and manuals
Applicants
Certification Authority
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Content
Core Elements Specification Test Trademark
Core Documents Certification Policy Trademark
License Agreement Conformance Requirements Operati
ons Guides and Manuals Conformance Statement
Questionnaire
Core Processes Problem reporting and
interpretations Certification and testing
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Problem reporting and interpretations process
Applicant
Industry Group
Certification Authority
Anonymous
Q
Consensus
Open
Access
Timely
A
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Certification and testing process
Applicant
Certification Authority
Documents Tests Guidance Problem reportingand
interpretations
Provide
Complete
Assess
Results
Submit
Audit
Test
Certificates
Issue
Register of certified products, people or
processes
Publish
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Summary

• Best practice certification requires that
• Strategy issues are thought through in advance
• Best practice certification is a holistic process
  
• Core elements
• Core documents
• Core processes
• Best practice certification can
• Create sustainability
• Overcome barriers to market success
• Create opportunities to share costs

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Thank you