Birthday Celebrations Continue at Arras People
Apr 13th
Arras People continues its 10th birthday celebrations with no sign of a hangover just yet! Last month we kicked off the Ten in Ten party – we’ll be hosting 10 great project management competitions over 10 months to celebrate our 10 years in business. Last month we kicked off by giving one lucky project manager £600 of project management books. We also gave a further 10 prizes away to another 10 project managers. This month, Parallel Project Training is hosting the APMP Distance Learning Course competition with three lucky project managers winning one of the courses.
The APMP course and accrediation from the Association for Project Management is one of the best courses in the UK for project managers. It’s a great course for both learning the basics – the bread and butter of project management – and suitable for seasoned project management pros looking to brush up or just gain their accreditation.
To be in with a chance of winning one of the courses, participants just need to log their interest via the Ten in Ten competition page the prize draw takes place at the end of April.
Lindsay presents at Project Challenge
Mar 5th
After a year off from Project Challenge in 2011, Lindsay is back with a new presentation on The Programme and Project Management Stakes for 2012. Lindsay will be making the presentation on behalf of PMI – Project Management Institute – in her capacity of project management careers advisor for PMI’s monthly magazine – PM Network.
Project Challenge takes place on the 21st and 22nd March 2012 at London’s Olympia conference and exhibition venue. Lindsay will be there on Thursday 22nd March presenting at 3pm. Lindsay will also be available on the PMI stand before and afterwards for anyone looking for some general project management careers advice.
The Programme and Project Management Stakes is an analysis of project management recruitment in the context of a highly competitive ‘race’. As the runners and riders line up we take a look at the hurdles and pitfalls throughout the course and provide insights into how you can stay the distance. We will look at ‘weighing in’, getting prepared in the project management paddock with a variety of tools and strategies; ‘lining up’ and we delve deeper into organisation’s
requirements for project managers; ‘pulling up’ looks at how to avoid being knocked out in the early stages; ‘The Chair’ covers interviews; ‘also ran’ uncovers assessment and testing and of course ‘on the nose’.
“This year I decided to take a wider look at the recruitment cycle,” said Lindsay when confirming her attendance, “in previous years I’ve covered the difficulties project manager’s face in finding a new job and this year I wanted to go beyond that. It’s still important to cover the difficulties and what people can do to overcome that but it’s also just as important to look at organisation’s requirements, interviews and assessments”
Project Challenge is free entry for programme and project management practitioners and includes free seminars in a variety of subjects. Visit the site for more information and plan your visit.
Arras People Celebrates Its 10th Birthday
Mar 1st
Back in 2002 when we were in the middle of the Blairite years, the virus Windows Klez worm just about drove everyone crazy and the first instalment of Lord of the Rings hit the big screens, Arras People was born. 2002 was also the year of the Golden Jubilee and whilst that was overshadowed by a dodgy butler this year the UK is looking forward to celebrating the Diamond Jubilee and Arras People are looking forward to their year of celebrations!
Project management recruitment was a very different world back in 2002 when Arras People first started. Imagine a world where not a lot of people worried about taking a PRINCE2 exam, in fact it was something that organisations rarely asked for. Also imagine a world where there were no project management blogs, no social networking, just good old fashioned meet and greets, books and cobbled together HTML websites.
In some ways project management recruitment has got much more difficult over the last decade – although it is easier to find and connect with people, suddenly everyone is a project manager. Arras People continue to change with this market too – we know that experience, competency, domain kowledge and skills are the project manager’s bread and butter, their currency in the marketplace. And it is up to companies like Arras People to find easier and better ways of making these people stand out from the crowd and giving organisation’s the project management talent they are looking for. Whilst Arras People are busy building their strategies and plans for a new decade of project management recruitment; this is also a great time to celebrate their 10th birthday.
Arras People have launched their Ten in Ten: A Celebration of Project Management birthday celebrations. A year long party celebration with fantastic project management prizes for the project management community. For each and every month over the next 10 months, Arras People are running a grand prize draw which anyone can take part in.
Each month a Ten in Ten prize draw will feature an Arras People sponsor – chosen because of their links to the project management industry and Arras People over the last ten years. Those taking part include the Association for Project Management (APM), Gower Publishing, PMI UK, PMI Synergy, APMG, TCC Training & Consultancy, Parallel Project Training, DSDM Consortium and Management Concepts. Prizes include book bundles worth over £600, training courses, conference tickets and gadgets.
Each visitor to the Ten in Ten web pages at Arras People has the opportunity to take part in the Prize Draw by completing a short 2 minute survey before being entered into the grand draw. Some months include runner up prizes too.
Ten in Ten is all part of Arras People’s year-long goal to celebrate its 10 years as the leader in project management recruitment by giving back to the larger project management community. Anyone within the PPM community are invited to join in the birthday celebrations at the Arras People website
An evening of PMO
Feb 27th
Lindsay will be hosting a APM PMO SIG local meeting in Leeds on 28th March 2012. Entitled “The invisible PMO – improving project management maturity by stealth” Lindsay will introduce two presentations by John Heathcote (Senior Lecturer in Project Management, Leeds Met University) and Ralf Finchett Juniot (Director of PMO, Planixs) in this first for the Yorkshire region.
Lindsay is the Marketing & Members Officer for the APM’s newest specific interest group, having been in the role for 10 years in its previous incarnation as the PPSOSIG. Lindsay will compere the evening session which starts at 6pm and is held at the Leeds Met University. The local meetings for the APM PMO SIG are aimed at anyone interested in PMO and the session tends to include a mix of presentation, networking and interactive sessions.
The two presentations for the evening:
The invisible PMO
John Heathcote will give a short presentation on his experiences going into organisations and increasing the project management skills where there is resistance to changing the ways project managers work. The improvements had been variously driven by disappointment in project outcomes, and a desire to see best practice enacted.
Anyone working within a PMO will have at some point encountered difficulties in changing the ways project managers work when it is for the greater benefit of the organisation. PMO’s and project managers will benefit from John’s experience in helping change and enhance the way we work as an organisation by means of coaching and mentoring the changes through.
A good tradesman never blames his tools
Ralf Finchett (Director of PMO at Planixs), will give a short presentation on PMO’s using enterprise portfolio software. If a PMO is using a sophisticated software solution or desktop applications like Excel and PowerPoint to manage their information, what should a PMO or project department be considering?
All PMO’s handle data, information and knowledge and so often this knowledge is treated intangibly, and not as an asset of the company. Ralf’s presentation will give a rounded view on why all this project information makes a difference and also why you do not need expensive and sophisticated software to manage project information and reporting.
The meeting is free to APM Members (including coporate members) and £10 for non-members when booked in advance. See the website for more details
Arras People’s Gary Holmes Decorated by Association for Project Management
Dec 21st
Gary Holmes was recognised by the APM today for attaining the APMP certification.
HEYWOOD, LANCASHIRE, 21 Dec 2011 – Arras People Project Management Consultant Gary Holmes was recognised today by the Association for Project Management (APM) by attaining the APMP qualification.
Following a long process of study and an October examination certified by the APM, Gary was alerted by the leading professional body for project management that he had indeed successfully completed this monumental step in his continued commitment to professionalism in project management.
Throughout the studying process, Gary provided Arras People’s general blog, How to Manage a Camel, with a running series of posts about his approach to passing the APMP examination. Attainment of the certification, according an APMP Guidance Notes document from APM, required “a three hour paper where candidates must answer ten from sixteen questions covering 37 syllabus topics”. The syllabus of reference for those 37 topics was the APM Body of Knowledge 5th Edition.
Now having been notified of passing the exam and receiving the APMP certification, Gary can point to the news as a great professional Christmas gift.
“I’m really delighted to have passed the exam and its great receiving my results just before the Christmas break. Getting the right result is obviously fantastic, but even without it I feel the work leading up to the exam has been tremendously worthwhile in terms of cementing my project management experience and knowledge,” Holmes said.
By attaining APMP certification, Holmes’ status within project management is now aligned worldwide with the International Project Management Association (IPMA) Level D classification.
Gary’s achievement serves as another indication of how project management consultants at Arras People find it essential that they remain committed to the ideals, standards and trends within the practise of project & programme management. As a former practitioner within project management, Gary’s history within projects lends himself well to speak to the current events and practise to begin with.
Prior to becoming a project management consultant, Gary worked in financial services in PMO, programme coordinator and project coordinator roles. Since his arrival at Arras People in 2008, Gary has consulted with thousands of fellow project managers and liaised with firms looking to improve their project management capabilities, all whilst offering personalised careers advice to struggling candidates through the Arras People Project Management Careers Clinics.
“The knowledge I have acquired in this process will undoubtedly aid me moving forward, not only in terms of how I interact with clients and customers but also with candidates and the wider PM community. As a Project Management qualification I would certainly recommend APMP to those who are looking to attain formal accreditation,” Holmes said.
John Thorpe, managing director of Arras People, praised Gary’s achievement today.
“We are really happy that Gary has been able to convert his experience and hard work studying into this accreditation. This is good news not only for Gary and Arras People but also sets the standard that all clients should demand of project management recruiters.” Thorpe said.
ABOUT ARRAS PEOPLE
Arras People is a Project Management company that is predominantly working in the Recruitment and Resourcing areas of Programme and Project Management where they bring Programme and Project knowledge and experience to the marketplace. Arras People works with some of the Top 20 project management consultancies in the UK, public sector (central and local government), IT, engineering, marketing/media organizations, not for profit and charities placing Permanent, Interim and Temporary Project Professionals.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
John Thorpe, Managing Director
Arras People
Arras House, 47 York Street, Heywood, Lancashire OL10 4NN
Tel: 0845 680 6444 Fax: 0845 680 8047
enquire@arraspeople.co.uk
http://www.arraspeople.co.uk
FOR MORE ON THIS PRESS RELEASE:
Dan Strayer, PR/Marketing Coordinator
Arras People
Arras House, 47 York Street, Heywood, Lancashire OL10 4NN
Tel: 0845 680 6444
dan.strayer@arraspeople.co.uk
http://www.arraspeople.co.uk
Project Management Census Aims to Shed Light on Project Management Practices in 2012
Dec 14th
The 2012 Arras People Project Management Census was opened to project management professionals across the globe this week.
Now in its seventh year, the Project Management Census – once collated – will provide a comprehensive, up-to-date picture of what is happening in the project & programme management fields both in the UK and worldwide. The subsequent Project Management Benchmark Report (PMBR) is regarded by fellow professionals and students of the industry as the most comprehensive report available for the project management marketplace.
New for 2012 is the reach of the Census, looking at the project management marketplace and outlook for 2012 across the globe. Alongside practitioners of project management, the Census also solicits the views of those hiring project management staff.
The Census will give us a clearer view of what is happening in the project management marketplace and focuses on issues such as;
- Project & programme-related training and accreditation
- Remuneration & bonus details
- Job sectors
- Contracting-specific traits
- Permanent employment-specific traits
- Job searches & sector relocation
“This year we decided that the project management population is ready for its own Census. We have increased the focus beyond the UK to help give a truly global view on where project management is at now and what is in store for us in 2012” said John Thorpe, Managing Director/Founder of Arras People. “The Census includes demographics from current practicing project professionals as well as those responsible for hiring. This will help us to understand if the current project management profession is meeting the demands of those who require their services”
The PMBR has been cited often in many different presentations worldwide since its inception in 2005; additionally, project management professionals have repeatedly cited the Report when looking to present current data and trends in the profession. The Arras People study remains the only report targeting the climate of project & programme management through the direct polling of practitioners and professionals within PPM.
Participants in the Census will have the opportunity to receive a free copy of the final PMBR upon its release, which is tentatively scheduled for early February 2012. Non-participants in the Census will not have access to the report until mid-2012.
Individuals can take the Census online > Project Managment Census (all responses are confidential)
More details on the Census and access to last year’s report are available at: Project Management Benchmark Reports
APM pick up the Arras People Report
Dec 12th
The Association for Project Management (APM) released this news last week based on Arras People’s information on the project management marketplace. The new project management census for 2012 is now open for anyone to take part with an interest in project management, it takes up to 10 minutes to complete and you will receive the new report early February 2012. >> Take part now
APMP qualification can earn PPM practitioners an extra £10k
The recent Salaries and Day Rates Review for Project Management Personnel, based on the 2011 Project Management Benchmark Report from recruitment specialists Arras People, shows that project and programme managers could earn up to £10,000 more per year if they hold the Association for Project Management’s APMP qualification.
“It would appear that for most programme and project management practitioners the reality is that accreditations are not only becoming increasingly mandated when looking for a new role, but more importantly they are also rewarded with higher salaries and day rates.” said the report’s author and Arras People managing director John Thorpe.
The survey of programme and project management practitioners suggests that APMP can have a positive impact on both remuneration and contractor day rates with 52% of those with the qualification commanding fees of £400 to £600 per day.
The popularity of the ubiquitous PRINCE2® accreditations, long seen as an industry standard methodology, is also reflected in the survey, although the overall impact on salary is “not significant” due to the fact so many practitioners hold the accreditation.
“Many project managers have hit mandatory requirement that they have PRINCE2® which rightly or wrongly has achieved the de facto standard” said John Thorpe “The PRINCE2® accreditation does have a positive impact on the PPM practitioner distribution by salary across the whole and also when reviewed for just project managers. As expected, because it is now a baseline accreditation the actual difference is not significant reflecting its ‘me too’ position.”
With the profession facing tough economic times and jobs and contracts at a premium, increasing numbers of professionals are turning to the APMP qualification to provide an edge in the employment market. A shortened route to APMP, launched in 2010, specifically for those holding the PRINCE2® Practitioner qualification is especially attractive to those wishing to stand out from the rest.
Liz Wilson, head of Professional Standards and Knowledge at APM said: “Those who have achieved the APMP have had their project management knowledge professionally recognised by APM. These research findings from Arras emphasise that employers place a high commercial value on this achievement, too.”
APMP is part of the association’s suite of qualifications providing support for professionals throughout their career. Accredited at IPMA Level D and SCQF Level 7, APMP is a knowledge based qualification for those wishing to achieve a broad level of project management knowledge sufficient to participate in projects from individual assignments through to large capital projects. Candidates can study for APMP on a variety of different courses run by accredited providers or should there be a desire to undertake self study, candidates can enter one of four open examinations run by the APM.
For more information visit the APMP webpage.
PRINCE2® is the Registered Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce in the United Kingdom and other countries.
Arras People Kicks Off the APM Roadshow Season
Sep 1st
The latest dates for the APM Roadshow talks are – Derby 13th October, Leeds 25th October, Milton Keynes 24th November. Just click through to book your place.
Over the last three years, the project management marketplace has seen winners and losers. Demand for project managers has increased significantly in some sectors whilst others have suffered through cutbacks and redundancies. John Thorpe kicks off the presentation with an overview of the current conditions in the project management marketplace.
John will be presenting answers to these crucial questions;
- How are the salary and rates currently holding up?
- Which sectors are experiencing a demand for project management talent?
- What are organisations looking for in their project professionals?
The project management recruitment market has seen changes over the last three years. It has become increasingly competitive, with many project professionals experiencing frustration in finding the right opportunity and successfully interviewing for roles.
Lindsay Scott shares her experiences and insights into how project managers can differentiate themselves and standout in a crowded marketplace. Lindsay will provide practical guidance on how to find the right career opportunity; how to present yourself (against what organisations are looking for); and the project management CV.
John Thorpe and Lindsay Scott are Directors of Arras People, a project management recruitment specialist. From 2002, Arras People have worked with organisations across all industry sectors and business functions placing project professionals in contract and permanent roles. Arras People are also known for their annual project management benchmark report and quarterly project management salary guides.
>> Visit the APM events page for more details and bookings
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The team at Arras People are kicking off a series of Project Management Careers and Marketplace talks at the Association for Project Management (APM) Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire 
branch meetings. Meetings held in the region will feature a main topic presenter followed by a short, punchy 30 minute project management careers based talk by Arras People.
The series starts on the 12th July 2011 with John Thorpe, Managing Director at Arras People who will be looking at the Current Project Management Marketplace. The talk will cover current salary and rate levels; current demands in training and qualifications from organisations looking for project management talent; and key information from the Project Management Benchmark Report which covers the market in 2011.
Dates are also scheduled for 21st September and 5th October where Dr Michael Hides and Lindsay Scott, respectively, will be talking about current topical areas in project management careers development and the marketplace.
Each session promises to be a practical thought provoking look at how the project management marketplace is operating at key points of the year; investigate key themes that impact a project professional’s career and provide insider tips on the recruitment market.
“We’ve been corporate members of the APM for a number of years and the branch meetings are well attended by everyone at Arras,” said Lindsay Scott, Client Services Director of Arras People. “This short and sweet style of talks gives us an opportunity to take some of our project management careers advice to a wider audience and it doesn’t matter how experienced the audience is in project management there is always something new to learn about the marketplace.”
Philip Smelt, Chairman of the Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Branch of the APM said “we seized upon this opportunity offered by Arras People to keep our members informed of the project management job market, particularly in these difficult times.”
Attendance at APM Branch meetings is free for APM members and £10 for non-members.
Events can be booked through the APM website at: http://www.apm.org.uk/events
The first event on the 12th July can be booked directly at: http://www.apm.org.uk/event/influencer-power-change-anything-0
Arras People Seeking Views on Higher Education and PPM
Aug 4th
Arras People, the project management recruitment specialists, are currently soliciting the views of a variety of personnel affiliated with both higher education and project management ties to better understand where the development of tomorrow’s project managers is heading in the near future.
Take the Higher Education & PPM Survey from Arras People today!
Here are some of the areas available to those who wish to make their voice heard on these matters:
- Take part in the short survey (takes just 3 minutes!) about the training & development preferences on PPM personnel, including those who use training companies, higher education, CPD, on-the-job experiences and many other tools in their development (the survey can only be taken once).
- On LinkedIn, we’ve started a discussion on degrees & PPM that has grown considerably in popularity. The discussion leads the action on the Arras People Group page, but we’ve also received some early feedback from other groups as well, including The Association for Project Management, Project Managers on Twitter and the PMOSIG. Members of LinkedIn are encouraged to join any or all of these groups to add your two cents.
- At the APM website, we’ve opened up a dialogue within the Association for Project Management’s forum community on this topic, hoping to better understand the organisational view.
“Social media outlets have shown themselves to be a great way to gather the pulse of what is going on in the PPM world, particularly as the industry moves toward professionalised accreditation status,” says Dan Strayer, editor of Project Management Tipoffs, and coordinator of media projects for Arras People. “We’ve long believed that a universities directory is overdue for public consumption, and it’s our feeling that the information from our social media undertakings in the weeks ahead will provide the directory with a great lead into the collective PPM students’ conscience.”
The September Tipoffs issue, which is available free to subscribers, is due to be released 15th September, with the directory for Higher Education’s release date still to be announced. Previews of the Higher Education issue and other upcoming editions are available on the Tipoffs Production Schedule page, and you can also have a look at past issues in our Archives section.
Arras People Presents PPM Insider White Paper on Quarter 2 Market Conditions
Jul 21st
Arras People released their fourth PPM Insider white paper today regarding the current state of the project & programme management recruitment market in the UK.
The latest edition of PPM Insider points to a variety of discoveries about the market at large during Quarter 2 (Apr-June 2011). For one, project management personnel remain apprehensive about changing jobs despite the anticipated impacts of inflation, low pay rises, negative media and even fears about the true status of the economic recovery.
We once again pitted public versus private sector remuneration, learning that the long-held view that within the private sector sat greater worker pay and benefits might no longer be the reality. Using data from both the ONS and Policy Exchange, Arras People surmised that private sector pay needs a jolt in order to begin keeping pace with a recovering economy after cutbacks and sacrifices became a temporary norm only a few years ago.
Issue 4 also reveals that more candidates are refusing job offers in recent months than in previous quarters. The driving force seems to be candidates’ need to settle down into the “right role”, another perspective alteration that parallels recovery-based thinking. Employers’ ability to meet their recruitment requirements may suffer for increased job seeker self-confidence.
“This, linked with the lack of candidate churn, may well lead to increased recruitment costs and extended recruitment cycles for many potential employers,” PPM Insider reveals.
Managing Director John Thorpe traditionally collates the report for Arras People. He said recently, “The lack of churn in the market caused by ongoing fears and insecurity amongst candidates will have a significant impact on companies ability to fill open vacancies with appropriate talent over the coming months. Whilst there may be job seekers, this does not always equate to suitable talent. As such companies will have to review again how they can tempt people to change organisation and which channels will help them identify suitable talent in the programme and project management domain”.
The PPM Insider is a quarterly publication launched in November 2010 and produced by Arras People, the UK Specialists in Project & Programme Management Recruitment Services. The report features original data which has been collected and compiled by Arras People in order to produce the most up-to date picture of the UK’s PPM sector including salary and day rate data.
Copies of the report are available on subscription from Arras People. Those interested in receiving the quarterly paper should get in touch with Arras People via email at PPMI@arraspeople.co.uk. Alternatively, those interested in receiving a copy should go to http://www.arraspeople.co.uk/project-management-recruitment-agencies/project-management-salary-rates-salaries-ppminsider/ to learn more about this quarterly compendium of analysis of UK free market and PPM personnel.
