Professional Recognition – For the rest of us! - October 2008

Congratulations to this year's APM award winners, both individuals and organisations who have won professional project management recognition for their achievements. Many of us will not gain (or wish to have) such high profile recognition of our professional activities but in a market that is extremely competitive I suggest that we all should be prepared for that moment when we have to blow our own trumpet!

Many Project Professionals we deal with have a traditional CV, with a traditional layout, which very rarely gives the reader an insight into, or the ability to recognize their commitment to ongoing professional development.

As the APM moves nearer to the Chartered Status of Project Management and ultimately the roll of honour, as individuals are accepted to this new level of professional recognition; we should remember that even at this level of professional recognition it is not the end your development, merely another stepping stone! In fact you will have a greater responsibility as a practitioner in project management to continuously develop and demonstrate your offering to the marketplace.

CPD or "Continuing Professional Development" is a great tool for planning, managing and ultimately achieving professional recognition and one that we believe will come to the fore over the coming years. Just like other professions (teaching has its own Professional Recognition scheme through CPD); the APM has also developed its CPD Framework for Project Management. CPD is "concerned with ensuring that you maintain the currency and scope of your skills, knowledge and competencies, demonstrating a professional attitude to current and prospective employers.*"

If that is so, then why do we see so few mentions of CPD let alone evidence of this as part of an individual's commitment to their profession? I fear that it is seen as a burden by many, something else that we have to fit in to busy schedules rather than part of our professional currency. No CPD Framework is just about ensuring your skills gaps are actively managed and qualifications achieved; to be effective it must be interwoven within the body of your career. Activities such as committee work, writing articles, sharing knowledge with peers, attendance at regular meetings or even acting as an exam marker are all steps to gaining professional recognition.

Confidence again bubbled over when the survey asked respondents "How would you describe your personal confidence moving into 2009?" Nearly three out of four respondents gave an answer that displayed a strong level of confidence moving forward. In total, 63% of our respondents stated they felt 'steady' in their current situation, while another 11.6% indicated their situation at the even higher status of 'buoyant'. Among the two featured lower confidence options, 18.6% of respondents listed themselves as having 'low' confidence looking forward into 2009, and those listing their confidence as 'gloomy' totalled a mere 6.8% in spite of recent global economic turmoil.

Actively engaging in a CPD programme has been shown to bring multiple tangible benefits to those who embrace it; the challenge as we move forward is to embed the culture of CPD in our profession in a way that is pragmatic. For those that wish to attain the highest level of professional recognition it will be mandatory, so what are we all waiting for?

* The CPD booklet from APM available here