Programme and Project Management Industry Notes

Arras People's Programme and Project Management (PPM) Industry Notes are a collection of articles that have populated trade magazines, benchmark reports, press releases and other project & programme management-targeted outlets with the aim to share our expertise on the variety of trends  about the profession. Geared toward a variety of readers - from seasoned practitioners to employers to recent graduates.

PPM Industry Notes covers areas including:

• Recruitment

• Social Media

• Job Searches

• PPM Competencies

• Professional Standards

• Hiring Issues

• Unemployment

...amongst a variety of other PPM-related matters.

Below are the full collection of PPM Industry Notes. Have a look at our yearly archives since the Notes' 2008 inception, and read about the matters concerning PPM individuals like you.

With the launch of the new Arras People website and our updated registration process we are now able to collect additional data about salaries, day rates and trends for the UK Programme and Project Management community. The data which we are collecting will be analysed and published in a new quarterly briefing document PPM Insider™ which will be exclusively available to our clients.

During the recent APM Conference I took the time to listen to a presentation by David Pitchford the Executive Director of Major Projects within the Efficiency and Reform Group (ERG) which sits within the Cabinet Office. If you have not come across the ERG you may recognise them under their former name OGC (The Office of Government Commerce) who amongst other things have been responsible for the promotion of Prince2, MSP, ITIL and other PPM methods.

I’m going to make the assumption that the suspected age discrimination you have experienced is not blatant because there are Age Discrimination laws to protect you and avenues to pursue if you would like to take that further. I will concentrate on the element of the question where you are looking for advice on proactive steps to take to make your job search more fruitful. The setbacks you are experiencing could just as easily be a product of the general economic downturn we have experienced in hires over the last two years and there are four areas I want you to think about and take action on.

The Best Practice Showcase 2010 held at Victoria in London provided a lively day of discussion, networking and learning for the Arras People team and the many programme and project personnel who attended. Attracting over 500 delegates, the format of the event was highly interactive and Arras hosted a series of round table discussions during the day on the subject of professionalism as well as running a short survey on the subject.

On her beginnings in projects: "Project management is so diverse, I couldn't help but get intrigued. Supporting the team of programme and project managers, I had to track project progress, preparing status reports and provide administrative support. That was my introduction to the world of project lifecycles, methodologies, processes and tools."

If 2009 was the year of gaining project management qualifications, we firmly believe that 2010 is going to be the year when project management competence takes centre stage. Our experience during this year has shown us that in a tough environment employers are much more focussed on the "doing" aspects which a project professional brings to the table.

Arras People, the project recruitment specialists, have carried out their fifth annual survey of the UK project management market, using independent research company Benchpoint™ to survey over 900 project management professionals in January 2010.

Like every good project professional you should start with a plan. The job market has certainly been different over the last 12 months and 2010 will see an equally competitive market to secure the best project management roles. Remember, looking for a job is a full time job and the rewards generally reflect the efforts expended during the process.

You may be either a Project Management graduate with no experience; a Project Management graduate with a little experience or a Project Management graduate with a lot of project delivery experience who has gone back to university as a mature student. Whatever your situation, a personal stock take should be carried out so you can answer the questions, "Who am I? What do I want to achieve? And why should someone employ me?"

When considering project management I must admit that I have never given a thought to the fact that there may be British Standard or International Standards Organisation guidance in this field. Having asked around it would appear that I am not on my own!

Over recent weeks and months I have been reading about and listening to many people talking about the challenges to Public sector in the UK face when delivering projects. Naturally this includes the perceived inability to deliver programmes and projects on time, to spec and to budget, staffing challenges and the need to find, attract and retain top PPM talent.

Following on from the well received 2009 Project Management Benchmark Report*, during June 2009 Arras People conducted a mini survey to gain a view of the PPM communities views about "green shoots". The survey was open to the whole of the PPM community and looked to gather opinions about the professionals sectors and also personal position as we reach the halfway point in 2009.

Talking to project management professionals during our recent project management careers clinic sessions, we're seeing a common picture relating to real issues that people are facing in the current marketplace. "Advice on securing my next contract position", "I'm facing redundancy...help!", "What is the best way to focus my efforts on getting back into work" and "I would like to explore what's happening in the project management market today" are some of the concerns being voiced, which was less common six months ago.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, the management team have reacted in a traditional "batten down the hatches" approach and put an immediate freeze on all headcount! You need essential resources to enable delivery of your project and they are not available internally, so what can you do?

In order to be effective, it's time to move away from the emotional upheaval and start thinking practicalities about the weeks (or possibly months) ahead.

The project management job marketplace has seen a reduction in hiring's over the last few months in line with the general recruitment activity in other managerial roles. Particularly hard hit has been the construction and financial sectors.

In the current market companies who are looking to take on new resources are focused on outcomes and for project managers that focus is on who can deliver…now!

In a tough recruitment market your CV takes on a whole new meaning and the message it conveys will be for many the difference between securing an interview or not.

When trading conditions such as those we are currently experiencing occur, many people believe that it means we have shifted into a "buyer's market". Is that true and what does that really mean?

We are now 33 years on from the introduction of the first legislation regarding gender in the workplace and recent comments such as "Equality laws are now holding women back"

With the focus of the last twelve months seeming to have been on the negative aspects of the credit crunch, recession (impending and real) and the general downturn in the economy, early respondents to the Annual Arras People Project Management survey suggest that it's not all bad news out there.

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!

We thought this was an ideal time to have a look at the marketplace with a view to which sectors are active and the rates on offer to the Project Management Professionals looking for a new opportunity.

Over 76% of respondents to a recent Arras People survey think that project management professionals need chartered status, and 83% said they planned to apply for chartered status as project managers after the APM's charter application succeeded.