December 18, 2001 - Acuent today attained full firm-level certification in PeopleSoft 8, reports Bob Dunn, Vice President, Enterprise Solutions and Chief Technology Officer at Acuent. "By achieving the goal and by achieving it ahead of schedule, it demonstrates how committed Acuent is to its PeopleSoft practice," Mr. Dunn says. It also shows customers that Acuent consultants are "fully trained, qualified and ready to face the challenges of fully implementing the advanced e-Business capabilities of PeopleSoft 8," he says.
PeopleSoft first introduced their new Business Partner Certification program in June of 2001. The company's first official vendor certification program, it involves comprehensive general knowledge and technical proficiency requirements.
The Partner Certification Program dictates that partners must achieve a certification level of 70 percent of their PeopleSoft practice by February, 2002. Acuent reached this goal in December, 2001.
The certification process requires each PeopleSoft consultant to pass two detailed exams that measure their general business knowledge and hands-on proficiency using the PeopleSoft 8 system. The first stage of the exam is technical, involving the use of PeopleTools. The second stage relates to consultants' individual areas of expertise. This may involve specialty areas such as human resources, finance, supply chain management, manufacturing and distribution.
To prepare for the exams, each Acuent consultant received in-depth study guides, along with the option to attend workshops created by the Acuent Education and Training Department. Because most Acuent consultants were working with customers at client sites, creating customized education and classes presented a unique challenge. "The fact that Acuent consultants qualified ahead of schedule is a real testament to their individual initiative and wide-ranging knowledge of the PeopleSoft environment," Wendy Sidebottom, Director of Education and Training at Acuent, observes.
Firm-level certification is just a first important step, Mr. Dunn explains. "Ultimately," he says, "we intend to exceed PeopleSoft's certification standard and continue training and testing so that all Acuent PeopleSoft consultants receive individual certification."
Certification represents a major benefit for our customers, Mr. Dunn notes. "It gives customers added confidence that the Acuent consultants who work on their business are qualified experts in both the PeopleSoft 8 system and business functional areas," he says.