Contents
		Introduction  The benefits of quality  Who's paying?  Hard to measure  Case study

Executive summary: looking past certifications
That potential supplier or employee may seem to have the entire alphabet after their name, but that doesn't always guarantee they'll deliver top quality in your specific environment. Here are a few things to remember when playing the certifications game:

Technical certifications abound. It used to be that Microsoft, Sun, Novell, Cisco, and other leading IT vendors' certifications dominated the market, but independent bodies have complicated the game with a bevy of alternative certifications. Make sure you know what the certification actually represents, what areas of knowledge it involves, and whether it requires ongoing recertification to ensure skills stay current.

Quality is a culture, not a piece of paper. Certification to quality standards confirms that an organization has passed audits, but it doesn't guarantee high quality in the long term, particularly for new types of engagements. That's only possible if the company's mindset has changed to embrace quality; all will say it has, but your own intuition will be invaluable in judging just how true this is.

Many of the best aren't certified. Most certification audits require a massive effort in improving, documenting, explaining, and demonstrating quality processes to audits. For many companies, particularly smaller ones, the sheer cost in manpower and resources means certification isn't worth it--but they may still be an excellent choice of provider.

Proprietary certifications count, too. Many companies have developed their own development methodologies for addressing areas such as quality and consistency. Just because they don't bear an outside stamp of approval doesn't mean they don't work well; judge companies based on proven deliverables.

Everyone can learn from certification. Even if you're not ready to pursue formal certification, it can't hurt to have managers read through the documentation surrounding CMMI, Six Sigma, or other standards. The ideas contained therein may well stimulate innovative ideas within any company.

Staff development can backfire. Deciding how much to invest in staff certification is always difficult: underinvest, and they'll be underqualified and possibly disgruntled. Give them too many skills, and their market value increases. Given the potential benefits from upskilling, however, it's best to err on that side and focus on building HR and other policies that will make them want to stay.

Certification can't hurt your chances. Indeed, it could well become necessary as both private-sector and government organizations come to expect increasingly higher standards from suppliers. Demonstrate a commitment to quality, even if not to the letter of the standards, and you'll be able to pursue certification down the track should you have to.

Any certification can be good certification. Regardless of where it's from, most certifications confirm that a company or individual cares enough about the service they're offering to go the hard yards. That alone may be enough to justify hiring them, since they've shown they are willing and able to learn.

Benefit from their investment. Ultimately, certifications like CMM result in improved development efficiency, better project predictability, and a better return on your investment. Use this to your advantage: project predictability is invaluable, even if it means paying a bit more.

Smaller companies matter too. Most high-level certifications are aimed at the big end of town, but smaller companies may benefit even more from the direction and efficiencies they provide. Offerings like SEA's SoftwareMark package high-end discipline in an SME-friendly offering; in other environments, larger businesses may want to guide key SME suppliers through certification.