Tracey Flynn

Author of Unlocking the Power of Certification - How to Develop Effective Certification Programs

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GoCertify: How much does it cost to launch a certification program?

Tracey Flynn: The cost of developing an initial offering of a single certification exam can range from a bare-bones effort of $50,000 to more likely $250,000 (USD) and a minimum of three months of time and effort. (These ranges depend on a number of variables.)

Requirements for Creating a Certification Program
1. Business goals 2. Business and funding models 3. Certification defined internally 4. Defined audience and designations 5. Linkage to partner or accreditation programs 6. Defined benefits of certification 7. Criteria for product or subject inclusion 8. Testing and scoring goals	9. Identified legal policies 10. Development plan 11. Implementation plan 12. Marketing or communications plan 13. Compliance plan 14. Recertification or maintenance plan 15. Evaluation and reporting plan

A number of variables determine the range in the cost of creating a program as well as the time to develop a program. Two key variables in determining the time and cost are:

Subject matter expert (SME) availability and stable (and available) content.

When all factors are considered, it's not unusual for a large corporate certification program to spend an annual budget of $2 million (USD).

GoCertify: How long does it take from concept to live exam?

Tracey Flynn: For an established program a new exam launch can take as little as 6 weeks to as long as eight months. The variables that can shorten the length of time include identifying the job tasks (competencies), exam objectives, subject matter expert availability, and beta candidates. If these are planned and expedited then the exam launch can go quickly. If not, it can drag on until all the bases are covered. If shortcuts are taken they usually come back to haunt the program in bad test items, unsatisfied customers and bad data.

GoCertify: What are the top considerations when developing a certification exam?

Tracey Flynn: The top considerations for developing an exam are subject matter expert availability and stable (and available) content. Without these two components the exam development will be flawed. It's like building a house, the solid foundation is a must.

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