A degree, as important as it is, does not guarantee a future employer that you know how to apply this knowledge on the job. One way to keep learning is by earning and maintaining a professional certification.

Times change, work evolves, and companies need new skills and better trained supply chain professionals. As a result, APICS has updated the CPIM program to better serve the needs of today’s supply chain workforce, while maintaining the body of knowledge and integrity that has kept CPIM at the forefront of supply chain education.

The question I’ve been asked most often, “Which of the APICS Certifications is right for me?”

Many CPIM candidates and potential candidates have been asking us about the time table for the new reconfigured CPIM program. When will the new Learning System and exams be available? when will the old courses and exams no longer be available? I’m about to start, how will this affect me; should I start now or wait?

As I’ve shown in previous blog postings, cognitive biases are like built-in software. You don’t have to purchase them or download them. They come pre-loaded in your subconscious.

Are these tabletops identical? Of course not, one is much more narrow than the other – right? Well, actually, they are identical. Don’t believe me? Watch this 21-second video: https://youtu.be/t2n3dBiN8R8

At APICS 2016, APICS announced that the iconic CPIM program will be reconfigured in 2017.

You are a rational, logical being who sees the world as it really is. Right? You are in control of your life and make your own decisions. Right? Your opinions are the result of years of rational, objective analysis. Right? Well . . . maybe not. Your “hidden brain,” your unconscious mind, exerts more control over than you realize.

Few would argue that Vince Lombardi was one of the greatest football coaches of all time. Like many other great coaches (e.g., basketball legends John Wooden and Phil Jackson), Lombardi focused on the fundamentals of the game – blocking and tackling, how to throw the ball.

I often get asked about APICS Certifications – an occupational hazard when working for APICS - and I’m always glad to talk about them. Earning the Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) in 1992 opened up a world of opportunity for me and super-charged my career, eventually bringing me to work for APICS as the Sr. Director of Professional Development in late 2006. I earned my CFPIM (“Certified Fellow”), was Certified in Integrated Resource Management (CIRM) in 1998 and earned my Certified in Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) during the first exam in early 2006.