The Association for Project Management aims to develop and promote the professional disciplines of project management and programme management, through a programme called the "FIVE Dimensions of Professionalism". APM provides products and services including registered membership and qualifications, events, publications and online services. The Association for Project Management is a registered charity with over 22,000 individual and 550 corporate members, making it the largest professional body in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are located in Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire. APM is the certification body in the United Kingdom for the International Project Management Association.
History
The Association for Project Management was founded in 1972 as the UK branch of INTERNET, now the International Project Management Association. Weaver recalled, that: With the emergence of the internet in the 1990s, the global project management association INTERNET was renamed International Project Management Association and the UK Branch Association for Project Management. APM received its Royal Charter on 6 January 2017.
APM Qualifications are designed with the intention of demonstrating to employers, clients and suppliers that the recipient is a skilled and committed project professional. Through alignment with the four level certification programme of the International Project Management Association they also aim to provide international recognition. Membership grades and Qualifications are not automatically linked. The 4-level certification programme comprises:
Project Fundamentals Qualification, or PFQ, to assess fundamental knowledge of project management and professional practice. This is assessed by a multiple-choice test.
Project Management Qualification, PMQ, at SCQF Level 7, testing a broader range of knowledge, comprehension and basic skills. This is comparable to, though not equivalent to the PRINCE2 qualification. The qualification is assessed by means of a written paper.
Project Professional Qualification, PPQ at IPMA Level C. There are two pathways to this, one involving interviews and workshops; the other by classroom and a series of assessments against the various PPQ modules.
Registered Project Professional, at IPMA Level B, providing recognition to qualified and experienced project managers.
The qualifications were rebranded in 2016.
Risk Certificate
The APM Project Management Risk Single Subject Certificate, also known as the Risk Certificate, is a two level qualification which focuses on the project management subject of risk management. Level 1 assesses knowledge of risk management, to the degree that a candidate may be able to contribute to project risk management; Level 2 additionally assess understanding and capability of risk management, to the degree that a candidate may be able to formally undertake project risk management. Level 1 is assessed by a one-hour-long, 60 question, multiple-choice examination. Level 2 is assessed by a 3-hour and 15 minute written examination, consisting of three questions: one compulsory question and two questions selected from four optional questions. Level 1 is not a pre-requisite for Level 2, and the Level 2 certificate can be obtained without having the Level 1 certificate. However, the Level 2 certificate examination assumes that the candidate has the prior knowledge required to pass the Level 1 certificate examination. Registered training providers offer training as well as the opportunity to sit both levels of the exam. An Open Exam for either level may also be taken directly with the APM.
The APM Body of Knowledge defines the breadth of the project, programme and portfolio management profession. It makes up one of the FIVE Dimensions of Professionalism. APM has created a unique online resource that allows its users to contribute to the organic growth of the APM Body of Knowledge. This is a growing resource from the Association for Project Management featuring definitions, discussions, case studies and articles on all areas of projects, programmes and portfolios.
Award
The APM Project Management Awards recognise what people can achieve through project management and have been celebrating excellence in the profession for over 20 years. The robust judging criteria recognise the broadening range of possibilities within project management. With a focus on achievement; the judging criteria put an emphasis on the outputs and outcomes of projects; what they aim to achieve and what their success gives back to the profession.
