AfDSP Application


The Data Science Standards Framework sets out the skills, understanding and knowledge we expect you to demonstrate to become a Certified Data Science Professional (or Advanced Data Science Professional).  In answering the questions below please bring out the relevant aspects of the work that create a body of evidence that you do indeed meet these criteria, including the elements of ethics of data science that are not directly referenced in the Framework.

Please read the entire application form before you start completing it.  It is acceptable (if you wish) to refer to the same project(s) multiple times (in different contexts) as you answer different questions.  You only need to describe the background of each project on the first occasion you use it as an example.  In questions where we ask about projects you have worked on, that may include you doing the actual data handling, or it may include you managing the people who are doing the data handling (in which case you may describe how you managed the people to ensure the skills sought were appropriately executed).  Please try to use real examples, but where secrecy prevents this, transfer the subject context to a subject the lay person would understand but where the demonstration of your data science skill remains the same.

Please complete the below online form to apply. On submission we will contact you for a £50 application fee. Also payable is a £50 annual fee from 1 year after certification.

There is no save feature on this form so please use this word template to draft your answers before copying into this form.

AfDSP Application
Your skill area focus
You need to demonstrate for
• Standard: an “Applied” level of skill in 3 of the Framework skill areas and a “Limited” knowledge of the other 2 areas.
• Advanced: a “Deep” level of skill in 3 of the Framework skill areas and a “General” knowledge of the other 2 areas.
The two Skill Areas C (Problem Definition and Communication) and E (Reflection and Learning) are compulsory for certification though the OR Society

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Display jobs in reverse chronological order, giving start and end dates, employer / self employed, job title, responsibilities and brief details of work. Explain what you have done personally and provide context for the more detailed demonstration of competences, skills and knowledge you will describe later in the application.
Qualifications at Level 7 apprenticeship and/or first degree and above, including degree title, class (if applicable), subject, department, institution and year.
Memberships of professional bodies, accreditations, professional certifications. Please state dates of awards.
Please enter a list of the Continuing Professional Development you have undertaken in the past 2 years. Please categories each as one of: Work based learning, Professional activity, Formal / educational, Self-directed learning, Other (describe) and state the number of hours spent on each item of development.
Please describe a project you have contributed to where you (and/or the team you worked in) have needed to consider how to conduct the project to ensure it compiles with the laws and ethics of privacy of data. If the nature of your work means the data in your projects is not impacted by privacy laws for personal identifiable data, please describe why you feel that and give examples of where the boundary line would be drawn should your project widen to potentially include such data.
Using a project you have worked on as an example describe how the data collection was organised and the steps you took to ensure the data was valid, was appropriately free from corruption or weaknesses.
Describe an example of how you have structure the storage of the data for a project in a way that was essential to achieve the success of the project.
Describe a project where on-going data delivery (in some form) to clients has been an important aspect of making the project a success. Describe that delivery process.
For one of your projects reflect on how communication with the client of the project was used to drive success of the project, particularly around understanding what the client really needed, and how that was not necessarily what the client said they needed. Explain how you managed the communication differently for different stakeholders.
Give some examples of technical methods you have used on one or more projects to analyse and data and reach a solution for the projects’ clients. Bring out the benefits and shortcoming of the techniques and how you worked around these hurdles. How did you manage and communicate that within the project teams and with the clients?
Give some examples of post-project reflection where you and the team you are in have decided “we would do that differently next time”. Explain how this developed you and the team and improved later projects.
Please describe how you have contributed to the learning of colleagues either within, or outside your organization.
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