APM Registered Project Professional - Professional in every dimension
Having been with the programme to create the APM chartered project professional standard from its very beginning, it’s a pleasure to see the APM Registered Project Professional moving into the final pilot, knowing we will be open for applications from March 1.
It may not have the treasured ‘chartered’ badge yet, but APM Registered Project Professional (RPP) is our chartered standard in all but name. It means that anyone achieving RPP will automatically be re-designated chartered project professional (ChPP) when the time comes. APM’s commitment to gaining chartered status remains absolute. In addition, the support we have received, and continue to receive, for the campaign suggests very strongly that raising the standards of the profession is paramount. So it is entirely appropriate that APM should launch RPP for the good of the profession, even whilst the application process for Chartered continues.
Designed to embrace the entire profession, RPP does not require the applicant to have followed a unique course of study or single career path. It recognises that project professionals arrive in their roles from many places. What matters is a robust and rigorous assessment of competence that measures capability in a comprehensive way. Feedback from numerous candidates who have followed the pilot process confirm that is what the RPP process does.
Our 5 Dimensions of Professionalism are at the core of the standard, demonstrating that true professionalism is multi-dimensional – ethical behaviour, a commitment to continuing professional development, a breadth and depth of knowledge and visible achievement through qualifications and experience are all requirements of the true professional. That is what makes RPP very different to other measures of capability currently available to the project management community.
I came across an interesting definition of a profession recently from the website of ‘Professions Australia’
"A profession is a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are accepted by the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognised body of learning derived from research, education and training at a high level, and who are prepared to apply this knowledge and exercise these skills in the interest of others. It is inherent in the definition of a profession that a code of ethics governs the activities of each profession. Such codes require behaviour and practice beyond the personal moral obligations of an individual. They define and demand high standards of behaviour in respect to the services provided to the public and in dealing with professional colleagues. Further, these codes are enforced by the profession and are acknowledged and accepted by the community."
It’s worth noting the emphasis on ethical standards, the exercise of skills in the interest of others and high standards of behaviour in dealings with the public and professional colleagues. This is what being a professional really means and the more widely such professional ‘standards’ are adopted in project management, the more project management will truly become a respected profession.
Join the APM Registered Project Professional Community Group
Julie Legge
Julie is head of membership at APM
Comments
Hi Julie, I have made
Hi Julie, I have made reference to your blog and descriptions in The Project Manager - South Africa magazine. Hope thats ok. APM Group seem to be making quite a push out here on PRINCE2 and I'm not convinced its what we need. See latest issue article at http://www.theprojectmanager.co.za/index.php/Other/trial-by-stealth.html - Lessons for South Africa on the PRINCE2 wars in UK!
We had PMI reps stand up at last national conference defending their stance against APM chartered status. Any further comments on this?
Thanks for your post. As I
Thanks for your post. As I said in my blog, APM remains wholly committed to achieving chartered status on behalf of the UK profession and nothing will dent the momentum of our activity around increased professionalism. The launch of the RPP standard has gone very well, confirming our belief that it is increased professionalism that matters above all.
We have received support from individuals who want to become APM Registered Project Professionals and from organisations who will adopt the standard for their PM communities and intend to align their development programmes with it. It is also interesting to note a trend towards major client organisations in a number of sectors wanting APM Registered Project Professional to become a requirement for tendering and contracts as a form of quality assurance.
In the UK professional standards for project management are changing. Knowledge-based qualifications will always remain important, within a range of standards that recognise competence (knowledge and experience) or (as with RPP) professionalism in its widest sense with the addition of ethics and leadership.
Projects cannot be managed without some form of methodology that is appropriate to the scope and scale of the project. What has changed is the recognition that knowing the what is not enough and that success will not be achieved without the how. In 2010 we launched a version of the APMP qualification which recognises the prior learning of those who have achieved PRINCE2® Practitioner status. The combined impact of having the two qualifications is a person with greater knowledge who is ready to apply that knowledge to the management of projects and thus gain the competence that employers seek. The APM PQ qualification confirms competence at a higher level and RPP goes one step further to confirm competence and professionalism in a unique standard that is a first for the profession of project management
Lara Taylorson has written a
Lara Taylorson has written a blog post about her experience going though the APM Registered Project Professional assessment process. She starts her post saying "Without wishing to sound contrive, for me the journey to gain the standard has been bit like managing a project. Hence why I have entitled this blog ‘My “APM Registered Project Professional (RPP)” Project". Other people considering this new standard may find her reflections beneficial.
When I thought about Roger's
When I thought about Roger's question, I realised I may not have answered it completely. There is a progressive route through APM's qualifications and memberships. You can find the details about the qualifications under the 'qualifications and training' tab above. Those passing introductory certificate and APMP are offered Associate Membership. People who pass the APM Practitioner Qualification are eligible for direct entry into Full Membership. Applicants for Fellowship will normally (but not exclusively) be expected to have spent 5 years in Full Membership and holders of CPM have a route into RPP as explained below.
The APMP is aligned with IPMA Level D, PQ with IPMA Level C and CPM with Level B
We are seeing a number of corporate organisations building or adapting their PM development programmes and academies to the APM standards. Not just the qualifications and memberships, but the 5 Dimensions of Professionalism as a whole.
Hope this helps
Hi Julie Thanks for your
Hi Julie
Thanks for your response (both of them!)
Thanks for clearly answering Question 2. How existing member/fellows will qualify to be RPP and Chartered.
You make it clear that the current members will need to undertake the complete process to become a RPP – and I am assuming to become a Chartered (when we become a Chartered body). That initially sounds reasonable and draws a distinction between membership of the APM, and being recognised as Professional. But then I start getting confused because the published requirements for APM membership (sorry I can’t copy/insert here from the Application Form) – sound very similar to the definitions of Profession you quote in your blog.
When I look at the ‘requirements’ for membership i.e. referees, a project based CV showing 5 years practical experience, full responsibility for managing projects, define the project management systems and methodologies used, and of course signing up to the Code of Professional Conduct – well it sounds very similar to the RPP requirements. Although, I know the evaluation approach is different – what I am saying is where is the real difference?
I am not sure how content some existing members will be when they realise not only that they must go through the whole process to become RPP/Chartered members but especially when they realise how difficult it will be if they are not actively managing projects (and being a specialist or managing portfolios/programmes doesn’t really count).
Question 2 – How does RPP fit in the domain of qualifications was a much more philosophical question I guess. But is more important in practice, and I didn’t think you answered, (except by saying the RPP is not a grade of membership), but then, I thought about it overnight, saw your second response and questioned myself that, maybe, there is no easy answer.
I did think about some of Eddie Allison’s comments - as he has just been through the 3rd Phase of the RPP Pilot and can therefore speak as a new RPP Candidate, and represent an informed member.
Then looking at your (Julies) second response I think it clearly indicated that there is a domain of qualifications and membership and it is possible to plot each of the three membership grades and four qualifications in that domain. (I guess it should really be five qualifications but we do not have a qualification for the APM Level A: Project Director as described in the Competency Framework).
But in my view, there is no clarity on how the RPP/Membership/Certification are distinguishable when the scoring for each competence as given in APM Competence Framework Table A6 which is ‘around’ Level 6 (which is used for RPP) and also ‘around’ Level 6 for APM - Level B and APM- Level C. (what a confusing bunch of levels!). So how does a potential employer or someone who is trying to obtain a recognised qualification in PM decide between them all?
As you know I do have concerns on how the RPP scoring system (well the pilot version I saw – as I have never seen the new one and none have been generally available) focuses at Level 6 (the same as Certification), and how RPP candidates whose recent roles have been at Level A (the projects director) can be properly scored using the present APM Competence Framework, (not the IPMA one which is different), particularly if they do not ‘manage projects’ but manage – project management. But maybe another day!
Thanks again for your response.
Roger
Hi Roger,One other thought
Hi Roger,
One other thought that may be helpful for you.
I am not fully acquainted with the CPM qualification, so there's a chance that I'm off-track here.
However, as I understand it, one of the key differences between CPM & RPP is that the latter has a stronger focus on / commitment to Professionalism & Ethics. If this observation is correct then it makes good sense to me as these are fundamental aspects of all of the '9 tests of public obligation for a profession'. These come from Lord Henry Benson, from a 1992 Lords debate. If I recall correctly, then it was these that the APM used as the building blocks for their approach to driving Project Management towards becoming a 'capital P' Profession.
Remaining on the RPP register is reliant (amongst other things) on maintaining your MAPM / FAPM status and adherence to the APM Code of Professional Conduct (which includes a commitment to CPD). I don't know if attaining CPM bring the same obligations or not.
Hope that makes sense!
Eddie
Roger raises two interesting
Roger raises two interesting questions, and I can assure you that in the development of RPP, APM has been mindful of its impact on the whole family of APM qualifications and accreditations. Broadly speaking, RPP is aligned with Level 6 in the APM Competence Framework, but it is neither a qualification or a grade of membership, so exact comparisons are difficult. What is more important is how people demonstrate their capability in line with the RPP standard and how APM's other standards contribute to demonstrating that capability.
It might help if I restate the RPP requirements. Each candidate will provide a portfolio of evidence demonstrating:
Candidates whose portfolios of evidence and support are acceptable at the portfolio assessment will be required to attend a professional review in the form of an interview.
To maintain their presence on the APM Register, successful candidates must be Full or Fellow members of APM and continue to complete 35 hours of CPD annually.
To answer your questions specifically:
In relation to the first part of your question 1 about membership grades – RPP is a ‘designation’ not an additional grade of membership. You have to be a current Full Member, or Fellow of APM to hold the RPP designation. You don’t have to be a member to apply and if you achieve the criteria for RPP you will meet the Full Membership criteria.
Then – part 2 question 1 - you ask about qualifications. Introductory Certificate, APMP and PQ will be accepted as evidence of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) if achieved in the 12 months immediately preceding application for RPP.
Those people who have been awarded the CPM within the last five years will be eligible to apply for a route to RPP which recognises their prior achievement within CPM. They will need to provide evidence of CPD in line with RPP requirements, and a detailed project CV or statement showing that they continue to be professionally active.
Your second question asks about how current Members and Fellows can access RPP. Those holding full Membership must undertake the complete RPP process, as detailed in the above. A tailored route for Fellows is currently being developed, but the details of this have not yet been finalised.
I trust this answers your questions
Thank you very much Julie,
Thank you very much Julie, this does answer my questions.
Andy
Hi,I've just been through the
Hi,
I've just been through the 3rd phase of the RPP pilot, so hopefully I can help. If I've got anything wrong I'm sure Julie will be able to correct me!
To become a Registered Project Professional, you must be a Full Member or Fellow (MAPM or FAPM). It's not a pre-requisite for application though; full membership (MAPM) will be awarded as part of the process if you are successful. Your membership must be maintained to remain on the Register.
In terms of qualification level, my understanding is that it sits between APM Practitioner (IPMA Level C) and CPM (Level B) .
In my case, I have been a MAPM since 2003 and held the Practitioner Qualification since 2004.
I'm afraid I don't know about your second question, but I hope that's helpful.
Hi JulieAs you know I have
Hi Julie
As you know I have been following the RPP development with real interest – partly due to my involvement with the PMI-PMP programme.
If I may, in this forum, ask about two matters regarding the RPP.
Q.1 How does the RPP fit in the ‘domain of qualifications’ currently marketed by the APM, assuming that they are all awarded against the current APM Competence Framework . The qualifications I mean are the following:-
Q2. How/if current Members and Fellows of the APM will qualify to be RPP (and I suppose this includes in the long term as on the Chartered list)
Roger
Julie, Roger,I too would be
Julie, Roger,
I too would be keen to understand how the ladder up to RPP is structured. It will help co-ordinate my understanding and structuring my career and training to achieve it.
Regards,
Andy