---
name: certification-maintenance
description: Assess certification source or role changes, revise affected content, and plan renewal, version transitions or retirement.
license: MIT
---

# Certification Maintenance

Read [maintenance](../certification-workshop/references/method.md#maintenance), [continuity](../certification-workshop/references/continuity.md) and [helpers](../certification-workshop/references/helpers.md). Compare exact old/new source versions and changed sections. Run impact using source IDs to find linked tasks, competencies, domains, items and forms; this conservative dependency report does not determine semantic impact. Explain which differences affect the credential claim and which are editorial. Inspect the linked practical setups, scoring anchors, task model and public guidance as well as question keys; updating a source pointer alone does not update the assessment.

Propose revisions, replacement items and the resulting coverage gap. Do not delete historical sources, overwrite released forms or silently substitute new questions. Increment changed objects, invalidate affected approvals, rerun coverage/form checks, and prepare a fresh review. Preserve unaffected approvals only for unchanged revisions.

Review supplied operational results, candidate feedback, incidents, role evolution and exposure concerns. Identify whether a content update, new study, new form, recertification policy, or retirement decision is warranted. Credential validity periods and transition rules are owner choices. Prepare a transition plan and candidate communications drafts; no automatic revocation, publication or sending. For archive/restore, retain a restricted program snapshot plus referenced local evidence under the owner's policy and verify it with validate before resuming. Never assume cloud links alone preserve evidence.