ASIS International Completes Job Analysis Study For CPPs

Alexandria, VA -- ASIS International, the preeminent organization for security management professionals worldwide, announced today the results of its most recent Job Analysis Study, which was conducted among Certified Protection Professionals (CPPs) worldwide. It is intended to reexamine CPPs' major areas of responsibility, work-related tasks, and knowledge and skills. The job analysis, by firmly linking the certification exam to job requirements, provides the foundation that makes the exam valid and legally defensible.

ASIS has administered the CPP designation for more than 25 years and, every five years, it sends a detailed questionnaire to a random sample of CPPs about their backgrounds and the responsibilities of their security management positions. The analysis of the responses ensures that the CPP exam reflects the most important job-related activities, competency, and professional standards.

This new study finds that the basic components of a security manager's job have not changed in spite of the upheaval since 9/11. What has changed is:

• The security environment is reflected in new tasks and knowledge statements, which appear in almost every domain. For example, questions on new methods of identifying people on a "watch" list could appear under "Personnel Security," "Information Security," or even "Emergency Management."
• The domain formerly known as "Protection of Sensitive Information" is now "Information Security," with a broader range of
• The Security Management domain is now divided into Security Principles and Practices and Business Principles and Practices.

John Gehrlein, CPP, ASIS Professional Certification Board (PCB) Vice President who led the job analysis study says, "We're confident that the updated CPP examination specifications capture the context of security managers' positions in this new era."

New exam questions have been written to reflect the updated job analysis, and the official reference list contains new editions of two books, a new book on information security management and a revision of the Canadian law resource. "This is a critical project providing the foundation for the CPP program in the first part of the 21st Century," said James E. McNeil, CPP, President of the PCB. "Nothing the PCB does is as important as defining the parameters and scope of the professions certified by ASIS," he adds.