ITCC Certification Program Question List
Working in the IT certification field I come across a plethora of certifications, some good, some bad and a few that crossed the line into ugly. As I’ve read and written about the merits and weaknesses of various certifications, I’ve occasionally wondered if I couldn’t put one together myself. Beyond wondering, I’ve even scribbled some ideas on a whiteboard. After all, even ink-stained hacks like myself can take a run at IT fame and fortune.
Alas, developing a certification program is a really, really difficult thing to do. The more I scribbled, the more it became evident that I was in the deep-end of the pool without my water wings. There were so many questions to be answered. Questions like: How much can I charge? Who can I sell it to? What should the certification cover? And finally, “What was I thinking? I don’t have any idea how to do this.”
I’m not trying to discourage anybody who is thinking of developing their own certification program. Far from it, I’m actually here to share some news about ITCC’s latest white-paper, the Certification Program Question List.
If you’ve got the itch to create your own certification, this paper is worth a deep-dive. Compiled by a multi-company team of ITCC members, it’s a detailed checklist of important questions that to consider before attempting to create a certification program. The checklist covers all of the major areas of concern that should be taken into consideration when starting a certification program from scratch including policies and agreements, systems and vendors, economics exams, security, maintenance and operations, and staffing needs.
Each section covers not only the obvious questions like renewal and test delivery, but important questions that are often overlooked. For example, who stops to think about addressing any legal or regulatory issues or how does the proposed certification fit in with existing certification products?
For those who follow the checklist carefully, it will be extremely useful in facilitating important discussions with stakeholders and executive management to ensure their full support. Moreover, obtaining answers in advance to the many questions presented in this document should be advantageous to the director of any high stakes certification program.
It is ITCC’s hope that the detailed, thought-provoking questions outlined in the document will “help create a solid foundation when constructing a new certification program from the ground up and to help others avoid the pitfalls that many of us have experienced in creating our own programs.”
Creating a certification program is anything but easy, and to be sure, no two certification programs are exactly alike. However, we can all benefit from the experience of those who have gone before us with a goal of creating the best certification program possible using whatever resources are available.
ITCC projects are for the use of ITCC Members. Log in to download the Program Question List.
About the Author — Calvin Harper is an associate editor for GoCertify and a veteran of the publishing industry.
