APM Assurance Interest Network

Welcome to the APM Assurance Interest Network.

Ready to make a difference? Dive into our network and become part of something truly special. Whether you're passionate about volunteering, seeking valuable resources on Assurance, or eager to network with like minded project professionals at our exciting events, there's a place for you here.

Volunteer opportunities await. Join us to create positive change! From webinars to networking events, there are countless ways you can contribute your time and skills to make a difference.

Discover valuable resources. Empower yourself with knowledge and tools to drive progress forward. Explore our resources below filled with insightful articles, practical guides, and useful tools designed to support your career.

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Our purpose? We aim to be a primary source of support and development for the project assurance profession worldwide. Additionally, we strive to provide leadership by exchanging ideas, sharing best practices, and developing approaches to deliver quality assurance.  

What do we do? 'Assurance' means different things to different people, but fundamentally, it is about building confidence. As a crucial element of project management, assurance is not just passive; when executed well, it actively contributes to project success, working in harmony with governance and risk management. 

Whether it’s quality assurance, safety audits, gateway reviews, internal and external audits, peer reviews, or control self-assurance, each requires specific skills and tailored support. 

We offer best practices and guidance on all aspects of assurance. Whether it’s how to set it up, make it work, or, get the best value from it, we are here to help! 

What we offer our followers? We provide opportunities to connect. Whether through webinars, or in-person meet-ups, we have many platforms for engagement, learning, networking and career advancement. 

How to get involved? Our core team of volunteers hosts regular get-togethers. We invite professionals of all types—engineers, risk managers, health and safety experts, internal auditors and more.  

Indeed, we aim to cast the net as wide as possible, even welcoming those belonging to their own professional bodies, so please get in touch. 

“When we started the network back in 2008, there were very few resources available for anyone seeking to learn about project assurance,” says network lead Roy Millard. “A key part of our mission was to develop and share best practices and guidance, and this remains a major focus for us today.”

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Assurance: The process of providing confidence to stakeholders that projects, programmes and portfolios will achieve their objectives for beneficial change. 

Definition from APM Body of Knowledge 7^th edition

The effective operation of assurance provision and use of assurance information are essential to the reliable delivery of successful projects. Assurance is an essential element of project management, working closely with governance and risk management in a mutual supportive arrangement.

The word ‘assurance’ means different things to different people, though, depending on the field of interest. For some, it’s about achieving quality, for others it’s about being sure what they are told is correct, whilst for many it’s about being confident that ‘things are under control’.

The variety of meanings is reflected in the ways of achieving assurance in projects, including: quality assurance, safety audits, gateway reviews, independent engineer reviews, internal audits, project audits, contract audits, external audits, peer reviews, control self- assurance, etc. In addition, different types of assurance require different skills which need to be quantified, enabled and supported in different ways.

All of these types of assurance are actually trying to do the same thing, the only difference between them being the perspective of the practitioner. They need to work in an integrated fashion, to avoid conflicts or gaps, to provide a comprehensive and holistic output. Good project assurance is not only passive. Done well, it actively assists projects to be successful.