Assuming that the delay in the APM getting its charter is not fatal, will it be worthwhile being a chartered project professional?. At the end of the day this depends if employers place a premium on “professional” project managers. Why should they do this? Unlike many of the older professions Doctors, Lawyers and Accountants, chartered status will not be a legal requirements to practice, so will being a Chartered Project Professional differentiate one project manager from another? And will this value be recognised in the Jobs market?
We only need to look at the PRINCE2 qualification for the answer. When faced with a stack of applications for a job, those with the best quality qualification will get to the top of the list. From this trend we can expect Chartered Project Professional to rapidly earn a value in the market place and a ChPP could be the next “badge” on honour. But is this true value?
Are we not missing the whole point of a profession, the value of a professional project manager, is to improve our industries quite appalling track record at delivering successful projects within the constraints expected by the sponsors, stakeholders and the public. Will a professional project manager be more competent, capable and successful than one of the street PM’s (even with a one week PRINCE2 course)? This will be the real challenge for the APM and those who put themselves forward to be awarded chartered status. If they can deliver more successful projects for the sponsors, business and the public then the chartered status will have real value in eyes of society.
Paul is an experienced project management practitioner and has particular expertise in change programme management, risk management, earned value management and project management training development and delivery. Paul has managed the delivery of multi-million pound training and development programmes for clients such as Network Rail and Transport for London. These programmes have involved sourcing project, risk, planning and commercial management training from a wide range of suppliers and partners. Paul has also delivered training for clients in many sectors including Telecommunications (Orange and Concert), Financial Services (American Express, TD Waterhouse and Abbey National), Engineering (British Nuclear Fuels, Network Rail, TfL, Infraco SSL, and Strachan and Henshaw) and Construction (Carillion, Lend Lease Consulting, Halcrow, Parsons Birinckerhoff and Wilson Bowden). Paul is passionate about the move towards professional standards in project management.
I heard a rumour that the delays in the APM gaining the chartership were because another PM learning and certification giant were contesting it, anyone else heard this? anyone know anything else about what this might mean for APM?
Twitter: DrPDG
Yes, as I understand it, PMI has threatened to file suit against APM?
I find it quite ironic that for very different reasons, PMI and I find ourselves on the same side of the fence on this matter.
I was asked and have submitted, my PhD dissertation “Is project management a profession? And if not, what is it?” on an “amicus curiae” basis AGAINST recognizing project management as a profession.
Why? Because we have yet to mature to the point where we deserve to be recognized as a profession. Not there yet.
BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta
http://www.getpmcertified.com
Interesting point Paul.
My own experience from talking to many PPM Practitioners suggest that there is a groundswell that supports the emergence of PPM Professionals and a desire for the associated recognition in the wider business community that this should bring.
My personal concern is that this needs to be an inclusive process that takes into account the wishes of the wider group of stakeholders ie. Employers, Industry Bodies and most importantly the Practitioners themselves. If the process is not inclusive it will become an “exclusive club” that has no real impact on the profession as it will not be accepted, nor recognised by the vast majority of the identified stakeholders.
If we were to reference the BCS Professionalism Model it would be interesting to see where the PPM community is currently positioned. Taking the developing levels they identified; Organised, Qualified and Governed, I would suggest that we are not yet in a state that could be honestly qualified as Organised?
I say this as I believe that the lack of awareness in the “community” and the lack of cohesion between the interested bodies suggest that there are still many turf wars to be fought and won before we can move forward under a single inclusive banner.
Personally I believe the desire to create a professional body for PPM Practitioners is to be applauded and is surely the future. Such initiatives though, must surely be agnostic of any individual groups agenda / historical investment if it is to be inclusive, recognised and meaningful to the wider PPM community and its customers.
Twitter: itgEvangelist
It will be worth the effort (as with any endeavor) if the objective of the Project Charter is clearly articulated and the value of this objective is measurable. I am in favor of any pursuit in regard to improving project management competency and capability.
One thing I won’t expect from APM or any PM certification body will be a correlated improvement in project success rates. I argue much of the project success we see today is due to the maturation of project management practices and the heroics of PMs. I believe the key to improving project success rates will be in enterprise advances in Project and Portfolio Management (PPM). It is Enterprise inability and inadequacy in regard to these investment decision-making processes that dooms many projects before they begin. All the PM certifications under the sun won’t overcome the epidemic of poor PPM practices.
Steve Romero, IT Governance Evangelist
http://community.ca.com/blogs/theitgovernanceevangelist/
Thanks for the comments. I think project success is the first priority, if chartered project profession is to have any value to society in general then it must support better project success, not just an exclusive club.
Chartered project professional? I am confused Could someone explain 1) chartered by whom? 2) projects – what kind (discipline or any old kind etc?) 3) professional – professing to what knowledge?
Twitter: projectmgmt
Hi Gerald
The chartered status is a Royal Charter from the Privy Council and if its granted it will be maintained and managed by the Association for Project Management.
There’s more information on the website about the current status and your questions at this stage go unanswered because we don’t know the detail yet:
http://www.apm.org.uk/news/chartered