APMG-International Launches OBASHI Certification: for Those Who Want to Understand the Relevance of IT in Business

HIGH WYCOMBE, England, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- This October, APMG-International, a global examination institute and accreditation body, is launching a certification for the OBASHI methodology – a new way to document and model IT business value and how people, processes and technology interact to make a business work. OBASHI simplifies business complexity by highlighting business assets, analyzing their interdependencies, and constructs a visual map of the business.

The creation of the OBASHI framework was inspired by a project with a large oil company to understand IT business value, specifically enabling plant managers to visualize and understand how and why IT assets supported business services, thereby quantifying IT value. The development of the OBASHI methodology followed, to provide business professionals in the oil, gas and process control industry with insight into the financial value of the data flow supporting key business services. Now the OBASHI methodology can be applied in any industry.

The OBASHI Methodology assesses six 'layers' of business operations, the first two of which examine how the business works, and a further four which explore the IT assets supporting these activities:

• Ownership (stakeholders)
• Business Process
• Application
• System (Operating Systems)
• Hardware
• Infrastructure

These layers are mapped out in a Business and IT diagram (B&IT) which provides the framework to store information usefully. Elements are placed in these layers that represent the people, process and technology in a business.

Fergus Cloughey, CEO, OBASHI said "The OBASHI B&IT diagram is a universally useful tool for quantifying IT value because it helps everyone see and understand how the business works. For the first time, it will be clear how activities, processes and the supporting technical infrastructure are linked to deliver required business outputs. Being able to see and understand these links and interdependencies provides a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the business and facilitates better decision-making and appreciation of IT business value."

Candidates can now take an OBASHI Foundation examination which gives them an APMG-International OBASHI certification. The OBASHI Foundation examination assesses whether a candidate could act as an informed member of a management team which is using the OBASHI method to understand and assess an organization's IT business value and the relevance of IT in business. The examination is available through APMG-International's network of Accredited Training Organizations.

Potential candidates are invited to register their early interest at APMG-International where further information is also available, ahead of the Methodology's launch in early October.

Richard Pharro, CEO, APMG-International said, "The OBASHI Methodology allows businesses interested in quantifying IT value to ascertain how the business operates as a whole and within each department, which IT assets enable critical dataflow, and how these assets are interdependent. We have been working closely with the developers of OBASHI and can now offer a certification to accompany this important new methodology."

The OBASHI Methodology is of particular use in quantifying IT value, devising a merger or acquisition strategy, conducting impact or risk analysis, re-aligning IT costs and managing external consultancy costs.

About APMG International

APMG-International is a global Examination Institute offering accreditation and certification for knowledge-based workers. Our suite of certifications includes qualifications for project managers, IT service managers, risk managers and other knowledge-based workers.

SOURCE APMG-International