Today, I saw this new announcement by Institute for Supply Management� (ISM) about their new Supply Chain Management Qualification. ISM's Board of Directors recently approved the recommendation by the ISM Certification Committee that ISM develop a new professional qualification that recognizes those expanded competencies. The ISM Board directed that the program be available in 2008.

"The new qualification will address the realities of supply management, workplace complexities including Globalization, greater use of technology, and expanded competencies that supply management professionals employ to drive value in their organizations," states ISM Chief Executive Officer Paul Novak, C.P.M., A.P.P.

This initiative emerges out of a recommendation from ISM's Certification Committee and is supported by findings of the research study conducted with Knapp & Associates International Inc. Foremost among the study's conclusions is that pronounced changes in the field demand the new professional qualification must reflect higher skill levels across the entire spectrum of supply management.