08/30/2024

Lessons Learned from Maintaining ANAB Accreditation

Here are some lessons one group learned

About Accreditation The AABC Commissioning Group (ACG) and Energy Management Association (EMA) both participate in the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB)’s accreditation program for their certification programs. For both ACG and EMA, this accreditation falls under personnel credentialing, which signifies that ANAB has reviewed our program and determined that the credentials awarded by our associations meet credentialing requirements laid out in ISO Standard 17024. It also shows that our organizations have met and continue to meet standards for quality improvement.

Maintaining the Accreditation

To maintain ACG and EMA accreditations, we must complete a new application every five years. In addition, each certification program is reviewed and reassessed on an annual basis. Each year, ANAB assessors review our programs to confirm that they still meet the required accreditation standards. Preparing for the yearly review has taught me the importance of fully understanding and reviewing our programs’ policies and procedures and how they relate to the ANAB requirements, as well as the value of planning ahead and staying organized throughout the accreditation review process.

Plan Ahead

The process of gathering the information for the yearly assessment can be time-consuming and may involve multiple people. I have learned that the key to success is to plan ahead and be prepared. I normally estimate about 60 days to prepare for assessment from when I start the application to when I am ready to submit the final application and the supporting documentation. This gives me and my coworkers time to review the assessment materials, gather everything we need and compile our application without the stress of rushing to finish it by the deadline.

Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE’s Center for Association Leadership.