PMCert News: Program Manager Standard
Nears the Light of Day
2nd Quarter 2009 update by PMCert Chair Bill Duncan
Bill Duncan, PMCert Chair, recently returned from a short trip to Cranfield University outside London where he participated in a three day working session to help develop a performance based competency standard for Program Managers. The working session was sponsored by the Global Alliance for Project Performance Standards (GAPPS) and hosted by Cranfield’s renowned International Centre for Programme Management.
The GAPPS standard will be used by PMCert as part of its IPMA Level A assessment process. There are already over a dozen individuals waiting in line to apply for Level A once the program details have been worked out and PMCert has developed the necessary logistical support systems.
The current working draft consists of five required units and two optional units. The required units address topics such as providing leadership to the program and its component projects as well as “crafting” the program. This title of this latter unit recognizes the fact that program management is still more art than science, and that most program managers operate in an environment of massive uncertainty. The optional units include managing organizational change and facilitating contracts and agreements. Duncan noted that “most” program managers will probably have to satisfy the optional units.
Duncan commented that the iterative nature of standards development is “incredibly rewarding intellectually and an enormous amount of fun.” He also noted that the occasionally heated exchanges are not for the “faint of heart.” The next GAPPS working session is scheduled for October 23-25 at the University of Maryland main campus. Anyone interested in attending should contact Bill.
More PMCert News: We announce asapm's Top-notch Assessor Recruitment Program (aTARP).
The PMCert Board has decided to offer FREE certifications to a limited number of experienced project managers in order to make it easier to offer timely assessments to candidates throughout the USA. This way we can offer individual assessments more-or-less "on demand." The rationale for this decision includes the need for trained, competent professional assessors, plus the ever-increasing cost of travel.
Following are the rules for the program:
- All candidates must be referred by an asapm Board member, a PMCert Board member, or a current PMCert certificant.
- The assessment and certification will be done at no cost to the candidates.
- All candidates will be required to submit resumes and references. The references will be checked.
- All candidates must be residents of one of the targeted metro areas. Preference will be given to long-time area residents who who are long-time area residents.
- We will make a conscious effort to include members of so-called "disadvantaged" groups.
- All candidates will be interviewed using our GAPPS-compliant Assessment Guide to verify that they have an appropriate level of knowledge and experience. However, they will not be required to submit the normal documentary evidence.
- There will be no time limits placed on their experience (i.e., someone who has not managed projects for several years can be considered).
- Each of the accepted individuals will be required to participate in an online assessor training program prior to performing assessments. The training program will require about 4-6 hours of effort. There will be no cost to the certificant for the training.
- Each of the accepted individuals will be asked to perform five (5) assessments at 50% of the standard rates as "payment" for their certification. The current standard assessor payment for a Level B assessment is $400. For a Level C assessment, it is $300. Each assessment will require 4-6 hours of effort from the assessor.
- Each of the accepted individuals will have a special code (LA for "Limited Assessment") added to their certificate number to distinguish them from individuals who have gone through the full assessment process. Otherwise, they are fully-certified, with their certification recognized worldwide by asapm and IPMA.
- Each of the accepted individuals will have the option of paying for immediate listing on the IPMA database, or for having the IPMA fee deducted from their first assessment payment. The current fee is $100 for Level B and $75 for Level C.
Here are the metro areas that are eligible for this unique PM Certification Opportunity:
NorthEast:
Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington-Baltimore, Pittsburgh/Cleveland, Columbus/ Cincinnati, Detroit.
SouthEast:
Atlanta, Charlotte (including Raleigh and Research Triangle), North Florida (Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville), South Florida (Miami).
Central:
Chicago-Milwaukee, Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul), St. Louis, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin/San Antonio.
West:
Seattle, Sacramento, San Francisco-San Jose, Los Angeles (Orange County, Long Beach, Riverside), Phoenix, San Diego, Denver/Colorado Springs.
If you have questions, want to make a referral, or want to apply for the program yourself, contact Bill Duncan, PMCert Chair.
Get NCB
The USA-NCB (USA's National Competence Baseline) for development and assessment of competent project managers has been updated to align with IPMA's latest ICB, release 3.0. Click here to link to our email request page for a link to download the official release of USA-NCB, version 2.0, in Adobe Acrobat format (pdf, 400K).
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