The 5 Dimensions of Professionalism

Project Challenge

25 March 2009

The 5 Dimensions of Professionalism

Andrew Bragg

Chief Executive, APM

Structure

Who are APM?

Context for the Profession:

– Maturity model for profession

– Demand & supply

– Credit crunch

APM’s 5 dimensions of professionalism

Chartered Status:

– What is it?

– Benefits

Building on success

Summary & Questions.

APM

UK-based with international influence

Largest independent professional body of its kind in Europe

17,000 + individual members across 4,000 + organisations

500 + corporate members across public and private sectors:

– across all industry sectors

Growing very rapidly

Campaigning for increased professionalism:

– delivery of public benefit

– helping make it happen in practice.

Full-time project professional community:ca. 250,000

Structure

Who are APM?

Context for the Profession:

– Maturity model for profession

– Demand & supply

– Credit crunch

APM’s 5 dimensions of professionalism

Chartered Status:

– What is it?

– Benefits

Building on success

Summary & Questions

Profession Maturity Model

Source: Profession Maturity Model, reported in the Study of Established Professions to

validate the IT Professionalism Model, British Computer Society, 2006

Organised

Qualified

Public

Statutory

GovernedRecognition as a

community

Defined qualification

regime

Regulated by law for benefit of the

public

Nine tests of public obligation for a profession are

satisfied

Industry field governed by framework of professional institutions

Context: demand

Accelerating pace of change

Larger and longer lasting projects

Greater focus on improving governance

More discriminating and demanding users

Recognition that effective project and programme management needs its own distinctive set of professional skills.

Context: supply

Increasingly positive perception of project and programme management:

– APM research evidence of “profession of first choice”

High profile communities of practice

Explosion of in-house training and development

Higher student numbers within higher education.

Credit crunch

UK Recession now confirmed

Inevitable impact on many sectors served by the profession

BUT

Profession includes sectors which are forecast to buck the trend:

– Utilities, energy, infrastructure …

Recession puts a premium on effective project management.

Universal acknowledgement of needto further increase supply:

• Head-count

• Skill levels

The drive for increased professionalism

Structure

Who are APM?

Context for the Profession:

– Maturity model for profession

– Demand & supply

– Credit crunch

APM’s 5 dimensions of professionalism

Chartered Status:

– What is it?

– Benefits

Building on success

Summary & Questions.

Depth

Achievement

Breadth

Accountability

Commitment

Five dimensions of professionalism

Body of Knowledge

Competence Framework

Qualifications CPD

Membership

Knowledge

Breadth

Competence Framework

Promotes agreed professional standards

Creates common approach and shared language

Facilitates transferability

Optimises deployment of project professionals

Avoids “re-inventing wheel”

Creation of virtuous circle.

Depth

Continuing Professional Development

APM knowledge resources

APM Branch events

APM Specific Interest Group events ….

Commitment

Career-long qualifications

Professional capability

Introductory

APMP

Practitioner

Certificated

Knowledge

Experience

Competence

Achievement

Code of Conduct

Underpins concept of

Chartered Project

Professional:

– Voluntary regulation

– Delivers public benefit.

Accountability

Delivering public benefit

Standard-setters &

influencers

Learning & development providers

Individuals

Corporate

organisations

Competence Framework

Qualifications

Body of Knowledge

Membership CPD

Structure

Who are APM?

Context for the Profession:

– Maturity model for profession

– Demand & supply

– Credit crunch

APM’s 5 dimensions of professionalism

Chartered Status:

– What is it?

– Benefits

Building on APM success

Summary & Questions

What is Chartered Status?

750 chartered bodies in UK

“Leaders in the field”

Demonstrates achievement of professionalism

Self-regulating:

– Codes of Conduct with teeth

Administered by Privy Council

Can include a register of Chartered Practitioners.

Create a valued and respected profession

Raise the standards of project professionals

Deliver benefit to the public through enhanced project and programme management.

Chartered & BEYOND objectives

APM as Chartered Body

Chartered Project Professionals

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3Harvest the

benefits

The importance of influence

Phase 2

Phase 3Harvest the

benefits

APM as Chartered Body

Chartered Project Professionals

Benefits include:• Mark of excellence for individual project professionals • Parity of esteem with other Chartered practitioners.

Over 50 letters of support:•Government Departments•Professional Bodies•Major organisations.

Benefits include:• External recognition of profession• Enhanced professional standing.

Chartered Project Professional status should be:

simple to understand and consistent

attainable, worth attaining and worth maintaining

comparable to other Chartered professions

consistent with the APM Competence Framework

credible, giving confidence to employers.

Guiding principles for ChPP

Professional career

Know

Do

Manage

Lead ?

Knowledge

Experience

Entry standards and criteria

Competence

Indicative Timetable

November 2007

AGM support for:Going Chartered as an organisationIntention to operate Register of Chartered Practitioners

Summer 2009 Implementation of the Royal Charter (Phase 1)

April 2010 Implementation of register of Chartered Project Professionals (ChPP) (Phase 2).

Note: timetable is outside APM direct control; dependent upon Privy Council process.

Indicative Timetable

November 2007

AGM support for:Going Chartered as an organisationIntention to operate Register of Chartered Practitioners

Summer 2009 Implementation of the Royal Charter (Phase 1)

April 2010 Implementation of register of Chartered Project Professionals (ChPP) (Phase 2).

Note: timetable is outside APM direct control; dependent upon Privy Council process.

Indicative Timetable

November 2007

AGM support for:Going Chartered as an organisationIntention to operate Register of Chartered Practitioners

Autumn 2009 Implementation of the Royal Charter (Phase 1)

April 2010 Implementation of register of Chartered Project Professionals (ChPP) (Phase 2).

Note: timetable is outside APM direct control; dependent upon Privy Council process.

Structure

Who are APM?

Context for the Profession:

– Maturity model for profession

– Demand & supply

– Credit crunch

APM’s 5 dimensions of professionalism

Chartered Status:

– What is it?

– Benefits

Building on success

Summary & Questions

Approx 500 corporate members

Corporate Forum Conference

Branches

Annual Awards

SIGsStudent weekend

ca. 90% retention

rate

No sector accounts for

> 14% of membership

29 October 2009

Practising what we preach

Relocating for enhanced

professionalism:– November 2008 move

achieved objectives of: time, cost and quality.

APM in transition

From Gentlemen’s Club, to

Professional Membership Organisation, to

Chartered Body:

– “creator and then owner of the profession for society”.

Continued support from the profession

Encouraging use, and promoting supply, of appropriately qualified project professionals

Promoting awareness amongst key decision-makers of discrete profession

Increasing board representation and influence

Identifying the ‘heroes’

Fostering drive for increased professionalism.

Structure

Who are APM?

Context for the Profession:

– Maturity model for profession

– Demand & supply

– Credit crunch

APM’s 5 dimensions of professionalism

Chartered Status:

– What is it?

– Benefits

Building on success

Summary & Questions.

“There is only one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea

whose time has come.”

Victor Hugo

The 5 Dimensions of Professionalism

Project Challenge

25 March 2009