Association Leadership Guide:
Certification Development Checklist Assessment Readiness Results
You've got goals. We can help you get there.
The following results provide a summary of your self-assessed resource capacity across the five critical stages of certification development. Areas where you demonstrate a high level of internal capacity are highlighted in GREEN. Areas where you possess a low to moderate level of capacity are highlighted in ORANGE, suggesting a solid foundation but room for growth. These are areas where additional resources and focus could strengthen your capabilities, speed your development, and advance your certification initiatives.
Phase 1: Build a Foundation of Relevant Content
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Resource Capacity Score
Summary: Just getting started.
Overall, it appears that building foundation of relevant content is an area of opportunity to seek expert assistance and explore partnership opportunities with us.
Why it’s important: Building a foundation of relevant content may seem daunting, but it sets the strategic direction of the entire program. Using data to establish market need and define your audience will help set realistic, achievable goals. Performing a job task analysis will ensure your program is relevant to that audience.
Timeframe: 2-4 months
Resource Capacity
Your Phase 1 Readiness Responses
Conduct a market needs analysis to evaluate market and labor trends, competition, and growth opportunities. Use results to determine the certification’s target audience.
Conduct a job task analysis, repeatable every three to five years.
Build or update a body of knowledge to guide the certification program.
Assemble an exam development committee consisting of subject matter experts and at least one psychometrician to lead the question development, exam publication, and scoring processes.
Phase 2: Define the Certification Rules & Logistics
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Resource Capacity Score
Summary: Just getting started.
Overall, it appears that defining the certification rules and logistics is an area of opportunity to seek expert assistance and explore partnership opportunities with us.
Why it’s important: Establishing your certification process, pricing and rules and thinking through the logistics will save you headaches down the road. If you are offering a global credential, be sure to consider the broad range of legal, economic, political, language, and local delivery challenges. Establishing local chapters or partnerships is a great way to overcome a minefield of issues.
Timeframe: 1-3 months
Resource Capacity
Your Phase 2 Readiness Responses
Determine an exam delivery strategy, using testing centers, remote testing, or embedded exams. Contract with provider, as necessary.
Create a certification pricing strategy that maximizes adoption and delivers the required revenue stream.
Establish the guiding principles and rules of your certification program. Draft a certification handbook.
Phase 3: Develop Certification Preparation Resources
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Resource Capacity Score
No Value Found
Why it’s important: Certification candidates need resources to prepare for your exam. Whether those resources are bundled into the application and exam fee package, or the exam and study materials are delivered via the same online platform, your candidates look to you as the experts. Not providing these resources can seriously impede certification adoption. And don’t forget about your corporate audience. Employer demand drives individuals to pursue certifications and enterprise-wide training programs are critical for revenue growth.
Timeframe: 2-6 months
Resource Capacity
Your Phase 3 Readiness Responses
Determine the resource requirements for initial development, implementation, ongoing support, and updates.
Create an adaptive online exam preparation program that guides candidates through their studies. Develop printed books for offline study, including a printing and distribution strategy.
Create an enterprise competency and knowledge assessment to help employers determine the need for internal training and certification.
Assemble and train a sales team to support training and enterprise partners.
Phase 4: Build Certification Awareness and Demand
No Value Found%
Resource Capacity Score
Summary: Just getting started.
Overall, it appears that building certification awareness and demand is an area of opportunity to seek expert assistance and explore partnership opportunities with us.
Why it’s important: With the plan in place, it’s time to create awareness and demand by writing and communicating compelling messages. Be clear and specific: who should pursue the certification, what topics are covered, how certification will help advance their careers, steps to earn, and pricing. Put yourself in your candidates’ shoes and walk through the process, then eliminate the barriers. Don’t forget to gather information from interested candidates so you can nurture them. Post your certification handbook and other helpful resources online and ask for a name and email prior to download. When everything’s ready to go, get the word out! Build excitement with pre-launch campaigns, then make a big splash!
Timeframe: 2-3 months
Resource Capacity
Your Phase 4 Readiness Responses
Create a marketing plan, messaging, and communications tools to build awareness, generate leads, drive demand, and support candidates throughout their certification journey. Include templates to share with training partners.
Source or update your existing online candidate management system for certification and exam applications, document uploads, approvals, support, and recertification.
Establish an e-commerce system to collect payments for applications, exam preparation resources, and renewals. Include a payment plan option.
Train customer service representatives to support certification and exam preparation programs.
Launch your program with fanfare, preferably at a conference or live event.
Phase 5: Monitor, Improve and Grow
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Resource Capacity Score
Summary: Just getting started.
Overall, it appears that monitoring, improving and growing is an area of opportunity to seek expert assistance and explore partnership opportunities with us.
Why it’s important: Launching a certification is a big undertaking. Growing it takes time. As awareness grows you can begin to establish partnerships with related industry organizations and educators. Having external organizations promoting your certification extends your reach and enhances your credibility. Set monthly, quarterly and annual goals for revenue, customer satisfaction, market penetration, and certifications earned. Determine what’s working and what isn’t and alter your strategies. And don’t forget the big picture. What’s next for those who earn your certification? Create a career pathway and map out your association’s supports along the way.
Timeframe: Ongoing
Resource Capacity
Your Phase 5 Readiness Responses
Establish, manage, and grow partnerships with colleges, universities, industry groups, international training organizations, and consultants to deliver local training.
Collect, monitor, analyze, and use data to evaluate strategies and improve programs.
Utilize certification data to create lifelong career pathways and recommended development resources for members.
Your Final Report
Overall Certification Development Checklist Readiness Assessment: No Value Found
Overall, it appears from your checklist readiness assessment that your certification development journey is an opportunity to partner with Holmes Corporation. Launching a successful certification program involves every department in your organization. From PD to IT, events, membership, chapter relations, legal, finance, marketing, and everyone in between, success is the result of all-inclusive planning and execution. Even so, it is not a small undertaking. External experts like Holmes Corporation (HC) can help ease the burden. We've helped leading associations envision, launch and grow some of the most successful global certification programs. We know what it takes and we can help you too. Visit us online at HolmesCorp.com or email us at [email protected] to learn more.
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Overall Resource Capacity Score
We are Holmes Corporation
Holmes Corporation is your problem-solving dream team! We design, distribute, and support customized training programs to elevate the careers of professionals, increase the adoption of certification and skills development, and ensure associations achieve their strategic goals.
Let's Get This Conversation Started!
Whether you’d like to brainstorm ideas, talk about best practices, or collaborate on your next big project, we’d love to talk! Choose a time on our calendar for a 30-minute call with Kelly Quinn, VP, New Business Development.
