A guided experience that makes professional development simple for members

Professional development without the spreadsheets

Stop relying on spreadsheets for compliance tracking. Managing professional development is one of the most complex responsibilities a regulatory body or professional association faces. Members need to track activities across multiple categories, and when any part of that process lives in a spreadsheet or a disconnected system, things fall through the cracks.

A rules engine that does the math for you. Upside AMS replaces that patchwork with a purpose-built professional development tracking system. The rules engine is built around a two-level structure: categories contain activities. A category like "Continuing Education" might include activities such as "Attend Conference," "Complete Online Course," and "Publish Research Paper" -- each with its own scoring formula, credit limits, and documentation requirements. Credits are calculated automatically as members enter their activities.

Flexible scoring formulas and credit controls. Each activity has a configurable scoring formula that converts member inputs into credits. You can set minimum and maximum credit limits per activity and per category, define carry-forward rules for excess credits, and apply custom rounding to match your regulatory framework. Target scores can be set differently for each membership category, so provisional members and fully licensed professionals have appropriate obligations.

Tied directly to membership status. Because professional development tracking is integrated with the rest of Upside AMS, compliance status flows directly into membership records. A member who has not met their obligations can be flagged during renewal, preventing good-standing status from being granted until requirements are satisfied. No manual cross-referencing, no separate reports to reconcile.

Key capabilities

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  Guided submission wizard -- Members submit activities through a five-stage wizard: Start, Activities, Agreements, Confirm, and Complete. The system shows only the categories and activities relevant to their membership category and cycle.
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  Configurable scoring formulas -- Define how each activity converts inputs into credits using flexible formulas that reference one or two input fields (e.g., "amount / 15" for hour-based activities).
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  Two-level category and activity structure -- Organize professional development rules into categories that contain activities, giving you granular control over credit limits, scoring, and reporting at both levels.
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  Real-time credit calculation -- Members see exactly how their activities translate into credits as they enter them, reducing confusion and support requests.
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  Min/max credit constraints -- Set minimum and maximum credit limits per activity and per category to enforce balanced professional development across disciplines.
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  Carry-forward credits -- Automatically roll excess credits from one cycle into the next based on rules you define, aligning with common regulatory carry-forward policies.
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  Custom rounding rules -- Round calculated credits to the nearest 0.5, 0.25, or any increment that matches your regulatory framework.
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  Per-category target scores -- Set different credit targets for each membership category, so provisional members and fully licensed professionals have appropriate obligations.
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  Special rules engine -- Define conditional logic such as "if activity X is completed, waive the minimum credit requirement for category Y" to handle exceptions without manual overrides.
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  Once-per-statement rules -- Restrict specific activities so they can only be claimed once per submission cycle, preventing duplicate credit claims for one-time achievements.
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  File attachments -- Members upload supporting documentation -- certificates, transcripts, receipts -- directly within their submission.
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  Cycle management -- Configure reporting cycles independently, copy rules from previous cycles, and mark activities as unavailable for specific periods without losing historical data.

How it works for members

Follow a guided wizard through five clear stages. Members submit their professional development activities through a guided multi-step wizard that walks them through the entire process in five clear stages: Start, Activities, Agreements, Confirm, and Complete. There is no guesswork about what to report or how to report it -- the system shows only the categories and activities that apply to the member's current membership category and cycle.

See credits calculated in real time as you enter activities. For each activity, members enter the required inputs -- hours, sessions, or other relevant measures -- using clearly labeled fields. The system calculates credits in real time based on your scoring formulas, so members can see exactly how their activities translate into credits before they submit. If an activity requires supporting documentation, members upload files directly within the wizard alongside the relevant entry.

Track your progress and stay on top of deadlines. Once a member confirms their submission, the statement is recorded and available for staff review. Members can return to their dashboard at any time to check their current credit totals, view past statements, and see whether they have met their target score for the cycle.

Reduce compliance inquiries with self-service transparency. The entire experience is designed to reduce calls and emails to your office. Members who understand exactly what is expected of them and can see their progress in real time are far more likely to comply on schedule -- and far less likely to need hand-holding from your staff.