Introduction
ICMCI is committed to respecting variations in member institutes’
detailed arrangements for Accredited Consulting Practice (ACP)
schemes, dependent on individual national standards, history, culture
and approach.
However, in order to assure a minimum common understanding across all
members of ICMCI, and to assure consistency in the award of CMC (and
thus providing a firm basis for reciprocal recognition of both ACPs
and individual CMCs), each national ACP scheme must conform to
this ICMCI Standard if it is to be formally recognised within
ICMCI. If an Institute has an ACP Scheme in place, it is assessed
against this ACP Standard as part of the ICMCI periodic country
assessments to establish conformity with the ICMCI CMC Standard.
This Standard is applicable to management consultancy
organisations which wish to become ACPs - as distinct from the
CMC Standard, which is applicable to individual
management consultants who wish to demonstrate their qualifications.
The relationship between the two standards is as follows: the ACP
Standard is designed to assure that a management consultancy
organisation has the professional processes, the standards, and the
commitment in place, in order to develop and propose CMC candidates
who can be confidently accepted with minimum scrutiny as meeting the
standards of the national Institute.
The ICMCI ACP Standard defines a set of core, minimum requirements.
Beyond these, national institutes are at liberty to develop the ACP
scheme to suit their own markets (for example, involving ACPs in
various ways in Institute activities). “Best practice” guidance is
available from ICMCI, and updated as shared experience grows, in order
to help national institutes to do so.
Related to this Standard are the following ICMCI documents:
* Appendix C Istanbul Resolutions 1 March 2004: “Taking forward the
accredited practice initiative”
* Appendix D Istanbul Resolutions 1 March 2004: “Guidelines for the
eligibility of consultancies as accredited practices”
* ACP Guidance Models 17 September 2004, presented at the Vancouver
Working Meeting
The ICMCI ACP Standard
The Standard comprises ten mandatory features or “Requirements”. All
of these have to be satisfactorily met in order for a national ACP
scheme to comply with the standard.
1. The Organisation is confirmed as being a valid ACP Candidate
Institutes assure that candidate ACPs are identifiable organisations
or management units undertaking a management consultancy role and
providing management consulting services. Reference is Appendix D of
the Istanbul Resolutions 1 March 2004: “Guidelines for the eligibility
of consultancies as accredited practices”.
2. Its Professional Processes are assessed to assure they are
appropriate for developing consultants to the CMC Standard
The professional recruitment, training, development, supervision,
review and quality assurance processes of candidate ACPs for their
consultant staff are thoroughly assessed upon application to become an
ACP, in accordance with a written institute standard, in order to
assure that they are suitable in nature and quality for developing
consultants to ICMCI CMC standard. Reference is the Guidance Model
“ACP Statement of Equivalence – Professional Development”.
3. Its Professional Standards are assessed to assure they are at
least equivalent to the CMC Standard
The professional standards of the candidate ACPs for their management
consultants, and the processes for assessment of their consultant
staff against them, are thoroughly assessed upon application to become
an ACP, in accordance with a written institute standard, in order to
assure that they are of at least the equivalent level and rigour as
the ICMCI CMC standard. Reference is the Guidance Model “ACP Statement
of Equivalence – Professional Certification”.
(NOTE If a candidate ACP is already recognised as an ACP in another
ICMCI member country, the institute should take due note of this fact,
liaising with the other institute and limiting the scope of its audit
correspondingly. Reference is the protocol for international
recognition in Appendix C of the Istanbul Resolutions 1 March 2004:
“Taking forward the accredited practice initiative”).
4. The Institute Assessors are suitably trained/qualified, briefed
and quality assured
Institute assessors undertaking the above assessments on behalf of
national institutes are suitably trained and/or qualified, are briefed
in their role, and are quality assured.
5. ACPs are formally accredited by the Institute, for a maximum of
3 years
ACP candidate organisations who pass this assessment scrutiny are
formally recognised, for a maximum period of three years, as
accredited by the national institute in respect of their professional
training and development and professional standards, under the title
of Accredited Consulting Practice (or the national equivalent name).
The national institute maintains a register of its recognised ACPs;
and notifies each new ACP to ICMCI, which maintains an international
register of recognised ACPs.
The national institute formally re-assesses each ACP after a maximum
of 3 years, covering the same areas and to the same standard as the
original assessment. Reconfirmation of ACP status is subject to such
an assessment.
6. ACPs are empowered to propose CMC Candidates to the Institute
ACPs are empowered to identify and propose suitable management
consultants from their practice for award of CMC by their national
institute, via a route different from that for direct CMC candidates.
Moreover, ACPs are expected to do so in all possible cases, and to
inform and encourage their consultants to wish to become CMCs.
However, ONLY the national Institute (provided it is a full member of
ICMCI) has the authority actually to award the CMC designation.
7. CMC Candidates from ACPs are subject to lesser scrutiny by the
Institute
Institutes subject CMC candidates from ACPs to significantly lesser
scrutiny than direct CMC candidates, by virtue of the fact that ACPs
have demonstrated the equivalence of their professional standards and
processes to those required for CMC. This lesser scrutiny may (at the
institute’s discretion) range from zero scrutiny (for most individual
candidates), to a defined sub-set of the normal scrutiny (e.g. ethics
examination) for all candidates. The principle is that the total
scrutiny of candidates by a combination of the ACP and the institute
must amount to the equivalent of that under the institute’s CMC
standard. Institutes may also at their discretion require CMC
candidates from ACPs to undergo some mandatory elements of
preparation.
(NOTE Even if applying zero scrutiny, an institute must as a
minimum receive a written notification from the ACP nominating (or
confirming) the candidate(s), and formally stating that the candidates
have met the requirements for CMC as agreed between the institute and
the ACP. It is also recommended best practice that institutes should
require a summary of the candidate’s CV and assessment details for its
records. On receiving the candidate’s nomination, the institute must
check that the ACP is a currently recognised ACP; and decide whether
it wishes to apply scrutiny on this occasion to the candidate(s) as in
Requirement 8 below).
8. The Institute nevertheless reserves the right to fully
scrutinise any CMC Candidate from an ACP
National institutes nevertheless reserve the right to fully scrutinise
the details of any individual CMC application from an ACP, (and if not
satisfied can require the candidate to go through the full scrutiny
process, as for direct CMC candidates). National institutes should
exercise this right of scrutiny sometimes for quality control.
9. CMCs from ACPs are individual members of the Institute, on the
same basis as direct CMCs
CMC candidates from ACPs, once approved by the institute, become
individual members of the institute, on the same basis and with the
same responsibilities as direct entry CMCs. This means (for example)
that they should meet the institute’s CPD requirements; are subject to
the institute Code of Conduct and disciplinary procedures; and may
retain their CMC status after leaving the ACP, subject to the
institute’s normal requirements.
10. The Institute has the right to withdraw ACP status at any time
A national institute can at its discretion, withdraw ACP status from
any of its ACPs at any time, subject to simultaneously advising ICMCI
of this action. Withdrawal of ACP status should be treated as the
final sanction, applied only after an ACP has been warned of problems,
and given every reasonable opportunity to rectify them. Reasons for
that could be any major failure to continue to observe the
requirements for ACP status, such as:
- professional development to CMC level is no longer adequate
- standards are no longer equivalent to the CMC standard
- proposed individual CMC candidates are not well qualified
1. Version presented to ICMCI Working Meeting
Vancouver 2004.10.03, edited Peter Thomas
2. Version adapted by Euro Hub Meeting Copenhagen 2005.05.13, edited
Peter Thomas
3. Version presented to ICMCI Congress Beijing 2005.09.21, edited
Peter Thomas
4. Version 1.0 approved by ICMCI Congress Beijing 2005.09.22, edited
by Peter Thomas
5. Version 1.1. approved by ExCom 2006.01.24 (small alteration in
article 8) |
