About
Given our extensive experience in the field of Psychometrics, statistics and norms, Psi Systems started development of an open Psychometric Testing system several years ago. At the time we intended to make the software available to a number of Test publishers to enable them to present a uniform and integrated interface (and norming base) for all their assessment instruments. However, when we approached some of these companies it soon became clear to us that one publisher, Potential Index Associates (PIA) were head and shoulders above the rest in terms of its range of product offerings, broad perspective, its understanding of the importance of dynamic norms, and overall market penetration. PIA has been developing Assessment instruments for more than 10 years, they advocate the use of "situation specific" norming, and is currently the clear market leader in South Africa.
We subsequently formalised an agreement whereby the two companies would market a joint product consisting of Psi systems' Psychometric software and PIA's Assessment instruments and Job profiling process. To round off the product, Psi Systems further computerised PIA's entire Job Profiling process - the resulting program is called Job Profiling Expert and it forms an integral part of the Pib Speex package.
More about the founder of the PIB and Pib Speex Tests
Dr Pieter F Erasmus received his M.A. (Psychology) from the University of Pretoria in 1964 with a dissertation on the application of the Thematic Apperception Test on Zulu subjects (Zulu was his first language, something that put him in the position to communicate first-hand with the Zulu subjects that were included in his clinical study at the time).
In 1972 Erasmus received his D.Phil in Psychology on the subject of personality assessment with various language and race groups.
He was appointed Chief Research Officer at the Human Sciences Research Council in 1969 and, inter alia headed the division for personality test development at the HSRC where he, among other things, developed thematic apperception test (TAT-Z) that had been used in cross-cultural studies of personality.
He started his own research in 1964 into what would, in 1989, result in the first release of a comprehensive African based job profiling and assessment system.
Since 1990, when the first generation of the system was released for use in the workplace, Erasmus found himself heavily involved in applied research for purposes of ongoing development of the system. Presently his job profiling and assessment systems are used by between 200 and 300 corporate institutions and government institutions, not only in SA, but also in countries such as Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya (mainly in banking) and in The Gambia by Cambridge Education, London, within a large government-based educational project. These systems are also used within the South African context on national level by the Department of Labour for the selection of learners from previously disadvantaged communities for official learner ships in collaboration with various Setas.
During the past 10 to 15 years the system and its earlier derivatives have been involved in thousands of job-profiling in hundreds of user organisations and companies. It has also been used in assessing millions of workers. Up to now the system has never been involved in any official dispute or court-case. The profiling side, for purposes of job grading, has won many accolades for itself, especially in the mining industry.
The system's highest achievement is probably its acceptance and use by the Department of Employment and Labour. Many a highly acclaimed project was undertaken and still is - with the system by the DEL.
Dr Erasmus passed away on the 29th of October 2008 on the eve of his 69th birthday.
More on the IT guys....
As mentioned, Psi Systems was the software partner on the PibSpeex product from 1999. It is a privately owned company, founded in 1991 as a software development house. Our primary focus for the first few years were on software development projects and this remains our core business activity today.
As of 2013, The entire Pib Speex offering is now available on-line on the AssessmentWorld platform.
