Proper Resource Alignment to Roles

Often, I hear “The definition of insanity is repeating the same mistakes over and over again and expecting different results,” but this is not true and why someone would say something that is not true escapes me.  On the other hand, “perseveration” is “the repetition or continuation of a response in the absence of an ongoing occasion or rationale for that behavior or emotion”, basically not a well thought out plan and one that continues even after it is recognized as not being viable or necessary.

I am always amazed at the relevant certification and experience equated to a requirement in the IT world. I was reviewing govt contracting requirements this week and again the thorn that keeps pricking my bottom side is the fact that a person can have 20+ years IT experience, literally dozens of certifications that are IT related, Masters and above degree in IT, meet all contract requirements and then still not be relevant because they do not have some certification that at best represents an entry level equivalency. I have been at this for a while, and I swear there is some sort of manipulation by certification organizations to keep their certs relevant. Oh, then not only have certification X, but a person now must again take the once in a lifetime test and do the certification “X” CE (Continuing education) version of the test and keep paying for those CE to keep their certification active, so that a person can meet compliance with certifications that may or may not be relevant to their job position.

Now, do I personally like certifications? Sure, I do, when they are properly utilized in developing a well-rounded individual or team, but to determine a person’s ability to do work and control their access and permissions based on a commercial cert that may or may not have anything to do with their position, to this day, boggles my mind. I know people that are gurus on vendor specific equipment yet can be blown out of the water by someone with certs and would get hired over the more skilled individual, all in the name of compliance. What sense does that make? I know people that have been fired for not having a specific entry level security test, and they come from both the GS and contractor worlds. Base need on capability or training, don’t base it on a certificate that has no more meaning to the position then meeting compliance.

And then in the infinite wisdom of someone, that probably is not IT anyways, not only do you have to have this certification you then need to sit through hours of security training on a multi-million dollar piece of software that looks like something a 10 year old designed, all to learn how to check emails and not tell a stranger your password over the phone, would that not be covered in the security certification? or was it designed based on the fact that the security certification did not cover AB and C and now you have an excuse to spend millions of dollars on a web designed training program that could have been completed by programming interns for thousands of dollars.

Why would compliance requirements be set for professionals that are working on programs of record be so adhered to yet the program itself has no such requirement?  Certification requirements should be part of a developing strategy of efficiency, training, and performance of requirement (also known as Quality, the meeting of the customers’ requirements)

I will use one program of record as an example for this “DCGS-A”, which according to one article is a  $4,000,000,000.00 dollar program.  The reason for this selection is because it’s all over the news and the job postings are plenty.  All information for this was gained by a simple commercial Internet search and I am in no way an expert on either DCGS-A or Programming nor implying success or failure of this project.

Again, everything I am discussing is off a simple search of the Internet. So just to put it into even a deeper perspective let’s see how many similar programs come up on the Internet with a keyword search from that article containing the keywords (howmany+DoD+systems+Intelligence+programs) The search will produce results that say there are over 600+ programs for this system.  That’s 600 programs that will require properly trained and educated personnel to maintain.

There are many examples where a developer is needed on this DCGS-A program. The original job posting stated that candidates must have “knowledge and experience in the utilization of operating systems and database management systems.” However, the information here is too basic and needs to be corrected. Operating system knowledge is not sufficient to qualify for this position, so additional relevant training should be added to the description.

As with any development effort, a developer will be required. The government’s DCGS-A program has many components that necessitate expertise in several areas, including operating systems and database management systems. Senior developers will be required to develop several subsystems, while junior developers will be tasked with updating existing code base and database management.

Yet, a tier one analyst, not even someone that has to code or do any design, must have a CISSP and a bunch of other certs. I do not make this stuff up…it’s right there. Someone working on a mission critical multibillion-dollar project can get the job with a handshake (metaphorically), yet a help desk “ANALYST” must have many advanced certifications and four years’ experience. Realistically the analyst should need maybe Network+, Security+ and some other training in whatever systems they will be working, for example Oracle, Cisco, or Microsoft, with maybe a two-year degree or relevant experience requirement.

Does the capability equate to requirement, should be the question? I say require the right certifications, training and experience for the position and ensure the right personnel are put into the right positions, not just to fill seat, but properly developed skill sets that match the requirement.  This must start with the people writing and awarding the requirement and requires planning, thought and understanding of what is required, both program and skill set requirements.

If this is not done thoughtfully then we just end up with more perseveration and wasted effort and money.