Competence framework 2nd edition and new project professional qualification, 26th jan, newcastle

Competence Framework 2nd edition and New Project Professional Qualification

APM North East Branch Meeting 26th January 2016

Colin MacKenzie1

Who am I?

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What I’m going to talk about

Provide a high level overview of the APM Competence framework 2nd edition

Summarise the benefits it can provide to organisations and individuals

Give you an insight into our new qualification and how this is aligned to the competence framework

Provide update on launch plans for new qualification

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Capability v’s CompetenceCapability:

“The power or ability to do something”

Competence:

“The ability to do something successfully or efficiently”

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Competence Framework 2nd edition

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Who is aware?

Who has used it?

Why did we need to change?

Previous framework had not been reviewed or updated since 2008

Edition 1 only relevant to Project Managers, not inclusive

Wanted to create a platform to build our product and service proposition that enabled us to support our 2020 Strategy vision

We wanted to respond to customer feedback:

– Extend existing framework beyond just Project Management

– Ensure it becomes more relevant and practical for project professionals

– Ensure it’s flexible enough to integrate into existing frameworks and programmes

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What’s different?

Streamlined and easier to use

– Number of competences reduced from 47 to 27

– Mapped new competence to old ones

Addresses both application and knowledge of each competence

Relevant for Project, Programme and Portfolio Managers and PMO roles

14 new role profiles

New ratings scale

New complexity guidance

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27 competences

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Competence overview

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Ratings scale

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Complexity Guide

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How should you use it?

Review the Competences and decide which are relevant to your role

Read the performance indicators for both application and knowledge then score these holistically

Ask someone else to validate your scores

Measure yourself against a specific role profile

Use the gaps highlighted to develop and build into your PDP and CPD plan

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Key benefits

Role profiles give you the professional body view of competence and provide a trusted benchmark

Enables you to make (consistent) comparisons across your PM community

Identifies the differences between professional body benchmark and actual skills within your organisation

Identify skills gaps and can be used to support professional development plans

Facilitates movement between the 4 project professional disciplines

Modern Framework that can be used as it is or integrated into an existing framework

Flexibility - can be used for self assessment, line manager assessment, or as part of a 360 degree assessment

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More information on APM website

Now forms part of your corporate membership and you should have access to all these resources from your next renewal

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In summary…. It’s integral to and underpins everything we do at APM

– Basis of all of our new product development

It enables organisations to assess their capacity and capabilities across the breadth of their different functions

– Enables senior management teams to plan the skills development and knowledge acquisition strategies in a common way for all delivery teams.

It enables individual project professionals to assess the knowledge and experiences that they have against the knowledge and experience they require to progress their career

– Identifies the study pathway that will best suit their individual requirements.

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New APM Project Professional Qualification

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Introduction to new PPQ qualification

It’s a developmental qualification that sits on the route to RPP

– Natural progression from Project Management Qualification

It’s not a direct replacement for the existing Practitioner Qualification, but it sits in the same space

– The PQ is a retrospective assessment whereas the new qualification takes a progressive/developmental approach

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“Qualification route”

Progressive route to become a Registered Project Professional

Qualification overview

It’s aligned to APM’s Competence Framework 2nd Edition

It’s been developed as a multi-paper qualification taken in stages

4 modules, each of 3 hour duration with scenario based questions

It includes 3 universal modules around governance, leadership and project controls, alongside one elective module

3 role specific modules - Project, Programme and Portfolio Management

It will provide a progressive “qualification route” to become a Registered Project Professional (RPP)

Its been developed by practitioners, for practitioners

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Target audience• Typically have 3-5 years’ experience as a project professional

• “Fast track” project professionals

• Project professionals who have already successfully achieved the APM Project Fundamentals and APM Project Management qualifications

• Project professionals wishing to become MAPM grade members

• Project, Programme and Portfolio Managers who have been mapped to the intermediate levels on the Competence Framework Role Profiles

• Practitioners who have successfully delivered projects

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A mix of core and optional modules

Professionalism and Managing

Others

Planning and Control Governance+ +

Project Management

Programme Management

Portfolio Management

or or

APM Project Professional Qualification

RPP

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Three ‘core’ modules

1. Professionalism and Managing

Others

2. Planning and Control

3. Governance

• Ethics, compliance and professionalism• Team management• Conflict management• Leadership

• Risk and issue management• Schedule management• Resource management• Budgeting and cost control

• Governance arrangements• Stakeholder and comms management• Reviews • Change control• Business case

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Three ‘elective’ modules

Project Management

Programme Management

Portfolio Management

• Procurement• Contract management• Requirements management• Solutions development• Quality management• Transition management• Financial management• Resource capacity planning• Frameworks and methodologies• Independent assurance• Financial management• Resource capacity planning• Frameworks and methodologies• Independent assurance• Asset allocation 23

Feedback from Pilot candidates The individual exam papers appear to be at the level candidates would expect

Most candidates said the questions were clear, although what was required in terms of length of answer was less clear

Candidates said they found it more difficult to demonstrate their experience and application of their knowledge in their answers

Most candidates found their pre-prepared notes useful and helpful

Having access to sample papers and answers for launch is key

Update on progress

Existing Practitioner Qualification will remain for foreseeable future to provide choice to organisations and individuals

Pre-pilot and Pilots completed in Q4 2015

Pilot review completed in early February

Final Go/No Go decision mid February

External marketing campaigns start in February

Anticipate full launch in Spring 2016

Benefits

Relevant to all project professionals

Fills a gap in the market

Provides that progressive route to RPP

Encourages project professionals to demonstrate the practical application of knowledge

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And finally, what’s to come….? Launch of PPQ in Spring, supported by a number of marketing and

communications campaigns

Realignment and naming of our qualification suite later in 2016

Launch of new website and CRM in mid summer (timings tbc)

– Improved registration and joining processes with straight through processing

– Improved event booking

– New customer centric website with much improved discoverability

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Questions

colin.mackenzie@apm.org.uk28