Associations and certifying boards have many areas of overlap. Within both organizational structures, there is a leadership that is looking to serving its people, and both acquire large amounts of data requiring efficient and secure management.
However, the differences in the core functions of these two organizational types means that software solutions for associations are not sufficient for the needs of a certifying board.
Most associations focus on the following areas, and these needs are specifically supported by association management software.
- Annual Meetings: An opportunity for association members to connect, network, and learn in one central location.
- Poster Sessions: Members regularly gather for informal meetings where research and other items of interest are shared.
- Journals: Most associations publish a journal, in hard copy or online, that details the research and happenings of their membership.
- Lobbying: Many associations use their collective power to petition local, state, and federal governments to protect their members' interests.
- Membership Building: Associations thrive on numbers, so these organizations put a large emphasis on growing their membership.
All five of the above tasks have one thing in common: they have nothing to do with credentialing!
A certifying board's first priority is certification management and maintenance. They require several critical tasks that are either secondary or completely irrelevant to associations, including the following:
- Certification
- Maintenance of Certification (MOC)
- Continuing Education
- Item-Writing for Examinations
- Credential Verification
Where an association often has the flexibility to add members without regard to their qualifications, a certifying board does not have the same luxury. The certifying board's value is tied directly to the rigorous assessment of the certified individual's merits. In some cases, like with medical boards, there may even be potential legal and financial penalties if an unqualified person is certified. Without its standards, a certifying board has no purpose.
For this reason, a Certification Management System (CMS) needs to have a thorough, efficient, and reliable exam functionality. Online item-writing, exam development and scheduling, and verifications are vital tools for a certifying board that can't be accomplished with association management software.
Of course, many certifying boards pursue low-cost association management software options, cobbling together additional third-party solutions that round out the necessary functionality. There are several downsides to this approach, however.
Decreased Efficiency
Certification management approaches based on cobbled-together systems lead to a massive decrease in efficiency, as board, staff, and people have to navigate multiple interfaces and platforms, often juggling multiple login credentials. They lose valuable time searching for the desired features or information among multiple locations.
Increased Costs
Each third-party solution comes with its own costs, requirements, and training needs. While the individual investments required may be less than a more comprehensive CMS, an organization's total cost of ownership can balloon as more third-party solutions and upgrades are required to fit the specific needs of their certification workflows.
Lower data accuracy & security
A fragmented certification system can also lead to a negative impact on data accuracy, as people struggle to reconcile information across incompatible systems. The use of multiple systems also multiplies the security risks for a certifying board. Every interface has their own weak points, and with every additional interface used, the potential for falling victim to phishing, hacking, or ransomware increases.
The best option for a certifying board looking to upgrade their information, process, and people management is to utilize a purpose-built CMS. ROC-P is the industry-leading cloud-based software for certifying boards. It will make your data more secure, more accurate, and more accessible. Contact the ROC-P team today to find out how you can reach new peaks of performance in as little as 4 weeks.