Certification Checklist
Application: [Application Name]
Purpose: Validate customer team operational readiness
Certification Philosophy
Goal: Ensure customer team is confident and capable of operating the system independently.
Approach:
- Practical demonstration over written tests
- Real-world scenarios
- Gradual skill validation
- Ongoing support available
Prerequisites
Before certification, customer team should have:
- [ ] Completed all training sessions
- [ ] Completed all hands-on exercises
- [ ] Reviewed all documentation
- [ ] Had opportunity to ask questions
Core Competencies
1. System Access and Navigation
Skills to Demonstrate:
- [ ] Can access Kubernetes cluster
- [ ] Can list and view resources
- [ ] Can navigate namespaces
- [ ] Can view pod details
- [ ] Can access logs
- [ ] Understands resource relationships
Assessment:
- Practical demonstration
- Trainer observation
- Q&A session
2. Monitoring and Observability
Skills to Demonstrate:
- [ ] Can access Grafana
- [ ] Can navigate dashboards
- [ ] Can interpret metrics
- [ ] Can identify issues from metrics
- [ ] Can create basic queries
- [ ] Understands alerting
Assessment:
- Dashboard navigation exercise
- Metric interpretation quiz
- Alert response scenario
3. Logging and Troubleshooting
Skills to Demonstrate:
- [ ] Can access logs
- [ ] Can analyze log patterns
- [ ] Can identify errors
- [ ] Can troubleshoot common issues
- [ ] Understands troubleshooting methodology
- [ ] Knows when to escalate
Assessment:
- Log analysis exercise
- Troubleshooting scenario
- Problem-solving demonstration
4. Deployment Operations
Skills to Demonstrate:
- [ ] Can perform deployment
- [ ] Can monitor deployment
- [ ] Can verify deployment
- [ ] Can rollback if needed
- [ ] Understands deployment runbook
- [ ] Follows pre-deployment checklist
Assessment:
- Deployment exercise
- Runbook walkthrough
- Rollback demonstration
5. Scaling Operations
Skills to Demonstrate:
- [ ] Can scale deployment
- [ ] Can monitor scaling
- [ ] Can verify scaling
- [ ] Understands autoscaling
- [ ] Knows when to scale
- [ ] Understands scaling strategies
Assessment:
- Scaling exercise
- Autoscaling configuration
- Scaling decision scenario
6. Incident Response
Skills to Demonstrate:
- [ ] Can detect incidents
- [ ] Can triage issues
- [ ] Can investigate root cause
- [ ] Can resolve incidents
- [ ] Can document incidents
- [ ] Knows escalation procedures
Assessment:
- Incident response scenario
- Triage exercise
- Resolution demonstration
7. Backup and Restore
Skills to Demonstrate:
- [ ] Can perform backup
- [ ] Can verify backup
- [ ] Can perform restore
- [ ] Can verify restore
- [ ] Understands backup schedule
- [ ] Knows disaster recovery procedures
Assessment:
- Backup exercise
- Restore exercise
- Disaster recovery scenario
8. Upgrade Procedures
Skills to Demonstrate:
- [ ] Can perform upgrade
- [ ] Can monitor upgrade
- [ ] Can verify upgrade
- [ ] Can rollback if needed
- [ ] Understands upgrade runbook
- [ ] Follows pre-upgrade checklist
Assessment:
- Upgrade exercise
- Runbook walkthrough
- Rollback demonstration
Certification Assessment
Written Assessment (Optional)
Topics:
- Architecture understanding
- Operational procedures
- Troubleshooting methodology
- Best practices
Format:
- Multiple choice questions
- Scenario-based questions
- Short answer questions
Practical Assessment
Scenarios:
- Deploy new version
- Troubleshoot failing pod
- Scale deployment
- Respond to incident
- Perform backup and restore
Evaluation:
- Correctness of approach
- Use of runbooks
- Problem-solving skills
- Communication skills
Skills Validation
Demonstration Required:
- [ ] Can perform all core operations
- [ ] Uses runbooks appropriately
- [ ] Knows when to escalate
- [ ] Documents actions
- [ ] Communicates effectively
Certification Levels
Level 1: Basic Operations
Requirements:
- Can perform routine operations
- Can monitor system
- Can follow runbooks
- Knows when to escalate
Certification:
- Complete all exercises
- Pass practical assessment
- Demonstrate basic competency
Level 2: Advanced Operations
Requirements:
- Can troubleshoot issues
- Can perform complex operations
- Can make operational decisions
- Can train others
Certification:
- Complete Level 1
- Pass advanced assessment
- Demonstrate advanced competency
- Complete training others
Level 3: Expert Operations
Requirements:
- Can handle all operations
- Can design solutions
- Can optimize system
- Can lead operations
Certification:
- Complete Level 2
- Pass expert assessment
- Demonstrate expert competency
- Complete leadership training
Certification Process
Step 1: Self-Assessment
Customer team completes self-assessment:
- Review competencies
- Identify strengths
- Identify areas for improvement
- Request additional training if needed
Step 2: Practical Assessment
Trainer conducts practical assessment:
- Observe operations
- Evaluate skills
- Provide feedback
- Identify gaps
Step 3: Certification Decision
Certified:
- All core competencies demonstrated
- Can operate independently
- Knows when to escalate
- Has access to support
Conditional Certification:
- Most competencies demonstrated
- Minor gaps identified
- Additional training scheduled
- Support available
Not Certified:
- Significant gaps identified
- Additional training required
- Re-assessment scheduled
- Support available
Step 4: Certification Documentation
Document:
- Certification level
- Competencies validated
- Areas for improvement
- Ongoing support plan
Post-Certification
Immediate Support (First 30 Days)
- Availability: Business hours + on-call
- Response Time: < 2 hours
- Support Channels: Email, Slack, Phone
Ongoing Support
- Availability: Business hours
- Response Time: < 24 hours
- Support Channels: Email, Ticket system
Continuous Improvement
- Regular Check-ins: Monthly for first 3 months
- Feedback Collection: Ongoing
- Additional Training: As needed
- Documentation Updates: As system evolves
Re-Certification
When Required
- Major system changes
- New features added
- Significant time elapsed (annually)
- Team member changes
Process
- Review current competencies
- Identify new requirements
- Complete additional training
- Re-assess skills
- Update certification
Success Criteria
Certification is successful when:
- [ ] Customer team can operate system independently
- [ ] Customer team feels confident
- [ ] Customer team knows when to escalate
- [ ] Customer team has all necessary tools
- [ ] Customer team has ongoing support
- [ ] Customer feels empowered
Remember: Certification is not a test—it's validation of readiness and empowerment.