Clinger-Cohen Core Competencies

The Clinger-Cohen Core Competencies have been endorsed to serve as a baseline to assist government agencies in complying with Section 5125(C) (3) of the Clinger-Cohen Act. To perform effectively in each competency area below, an organization should possess the knowledge, skills and abilities in each competency.

1-Policy - Department/Agency missions, organization, functions, policies, procedures, Governing laws and regulations (e.g., the Clinger-Cohen Act, E-Government Act, GPRA, PRA, GPEA, OMB Circulars A-11 and A-130, PDD 63), Federal government decision-making, policy making process and budget formulation and execution process, Linkages and interrelationships among Agency Heads, COO, CIO, and CFO functions, Intergovernmental programs, policies, and processes, Privacy and security, and Information management.

2-Strategic Planning - IT baseline assessment and analysis, Interdepartmental, inter-agency IT functional analysis, IT planning methodologies, Contingency planning, Monitoring and evaluation methods and techniques.

3-Leadership - Defining roles, skill sets, and responsibilities of Senior Officials, CIO staff and stakeholders, Methods for building federal IT management and technical staff expertise, Competency testing - standards, certification, and performance assessment, Partnership/team-building techniques, Personnel performance management techniques, Principles and practices of knowledge management, Practices which attract and retain qualified IT personnel.

4-Process Improvement/Change Management - Techniques/models of organizational development and change, Techniques and models of process management and control, Modeling and simulation tools and methods, Quality improvement models and methods, Business process redesign/reengineering models and methods.

5-Capital Planning and Investment - Best practices, Cost benefit, Economic, and risk analysis, Risk management- models and methods, weighing benefits of alternative IT investments, Capital investment analysis- models and methods, Business case analysis. Integrating performance with the mission and budget processes. Investment review process, Intergovernmental, Federal, State, and Local Projects.Best practices, Cost benefit, Economic, and risk analysis, Risk management- models and methods, weighing benefits of alternative IT investments, Capital investment analysis- models and methods, Business case analysis. Integrating performance with the mission and budget processes. Investment review process, Intergovernmental, Federal, State, and Local Projects.

6-Performance & Results-Based Management: Models and Methods - GPRA and IT: Measuring the business value of IT, and customer satisfaction, Monitoring and measuring new system development: When and how to "pull the plug" on systems, Measuring IT success: practical and impractical approaches, Processes and tools for creating, administering, and analyzing survey questionnaires, Techniques for defining and selecting effective performance measures, Examples of and criteria for performance evaluation, Managing IT reviews and oversight processes. Project/Program Management - Project scope/requirements management, Project integration management, Project time/cost/performance management, Project quality management, Project risk management, Project procurement management, System life cycle management, Software development.

7-Technology Assessment - Emerging/developing technologies, Information delivery technology (internet, intranet, kiosks, etc.), and Desk Top Technology Tools.

8-Enterprise Architecture & Infrastructures - Enterprise architecture functions and governance, Key enterprise architecture concepts, Enterprise architecture development and maintenance, Use of enterprise architecture in IT investment decision making, Interpretation of enterprise architecture models and artifacts, Data management, Performance measurement for enterprise architecture.

9-Security & Information Assurance - Fundamental principles and best practices in IA, Threats and vulnerabilities to IT systems, Legal and policy issues for management and end users, Sources for IT security assistance, Standard operating procedures for reacting to intrusions/misuse of federal IT systems.

10-Acquisition - Alternative functional approaches (necessity, government, IT) analysis, Alternative acquisition models, Streamlined acquisition methodologies, Post-award IT contract management models and methods, including past performance evaluation, IT acquisition best practices.

11-E-Government/E-Business/Electronic Commerce - Strategic business issues & changes w/advent of E-Gov/EB/EC, Web development strategies, Industry standards and practices for communications, Channel issues (supply chains), Dynamic pricing, Consumer/citizen information services, Social issues.