al area encountered least frequently.The job duty of Troubleshooting was the most important, and this duty along with Analysis and Design were the most difficult. Job duties in the areas of Management, Monitoring & Optimization and Troubleshooting were encountered most frequently. The emphasis assigned to specific job tasks in the certification process should parallel the ratings assigned by respondents to this survey. MethodologyJob Task Matrix & Rating ScalesThe core of the job analysis was the Job Task Matrix that crossed six job duties with eight technical areas . Figure 1 presents the matrix and Table 1 defines the technical areas. Each cell of the matrix represents a specific task that subject-matter experts identified as part of the job of an MCSE. Examples of specific job tasks for first row of Figure 1 were: -Analyze the business requirements for the system architecture.-Design a system architecture solution that meets business requirements.-Deploy, install, and configure the components of the system architecture.-Manage the components of the system architecture on an ongoing basis.-Monitor and optimize the components of the system architecture.-Diagnose and resolve problems regarding the components of the system architecture.Using 5-point scales, survey respondents rated each cell in Figure 1: (a) on the “importance of the job task [matrix cell] for successfully performing [their] job;” (b) on the “difficulty in becoming proficient at the job task;” and (c) on the frequency of performing the tasks . Order of presentation of the technical areas was randomized for each respondent. The order of job duties was fixed.Job DutyTechnical AreasAnalysisDesignDeploy, Install & ConfigureManageMonitor & OptimizeTroubleshoot, Repair & RestoreSystem ArchitectureSecurityNetwork InfrastructureResourcesDesktop Computing EnvironmentHardware Devices & DriversReliability & AvailabilityInteroperabilityFigure 1. MCSE Job Task...
