New APM Learning platform provides personalised learning resources

Association for Project Management (APM) members now have exclusive access to a new APM Learning platform that offers a wide range of Continued Professional Development (CPD) resources and interactive content.

With an improved design, smarter search functionality and over 50+ hours of on-demand learning, this user-friendly platform saves the progress on courses and recommends personalised future learning, giving more control to users over their learning preferences.

Behind the successful launch, APM’s Digital Learning Manager, Sarah Layzell, was part of the core team that  implemented the upgrade, drawing on experience of developing digital learning solutions for partners such as the University of Buckingham and the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT)Here, Sarah explains how they  managed this development, the importance of upgrading APM Learning and what this means for members and the profession.

What were the main reasons for upgrading the platform?

“APM Learning was originally launched in 2019. Over the past six years, we have built an extensive library of interactive modules aligned with the APM Competence Framework and the APM Body of Knowledge, as well as selected APM publications, tools, templates, information sheets, learning podcasts, video tutorials, and more. However, our platform solution was not able to grow with us and restricted members from easily accessing our library.

“More broadly, the world of digital learning has changed dramatically since 2019. There is greater demand for microlearning, making learning opportunities part of your everyday workflow, and learning for behavioural change and workplace impact  , which means, at APM we’re taking more of an interest in how people apply their learning and use it in the long term to add value in their roles. The needs of the project profession have also changed, with rapidly developing topics such as data and AI demanding more agile approaches from learning and development professionals.”

How did you approach this project?

“We took an iterative small-scale approach to our implementation to ensure we could continue providing APM Learning to members with minimal disruption. Our clearly defined scope for our minimum viable product (MVP) allowed us to complete the move from one platform to another in a twelve-week period. This involved designing the platform, building a new single sign-on solution, and migrating 8,000 learner records and around 500 resources of learning content.”

What are your expected outcomes from the upgrade?

“The platform will now allow us to scale and serve a growing membership while also providing a smoother user journey across our website, including APM Learning, APM Community and other digital tools. It provides a wider range of engagement and search features, which we will continue to develop and roll out. 

“We can also use improved analytics to better understand how our members are using the platform, develop quality learning resources at a greater pace, and take a more innovative and iterative approach to meeting members' learning needs.”

Do you have any advice for people who might be embarking on similar platform-improvement projects themselves?  

“From this experience, here is my advice:

• Find your “why” and think beyond the minimum viable product (MVP). Think about what your platform needs to enable the organisation to do this year and next year, but also how it will interact with other business changes and what it might need to help you deliver in the future. 
• Build a strong core team and protect against scope creep. We have a lot of stakeholders in APM Learning and any change affects our members and colleagues, and the wider profession, so it was crucial to consider their needs and perspectives. But in terms of doing the day-to-day work, we had a small team with a lot of delegated authority to get the job done with the support of our steering group. This also means we’ve built relationships within that small team that will enable us to continue developing the platform and the offer to members.
• Think slow act fast” to quote Bent Flyvberg. This was a challenge for me personally, coming from a product development background where I did a lot of learning by breaking things. Our change delivery team at APM provided some much-needed project management discipline and tools and templates that we could adapt, which kept our implementation on track.”

Do you have any final words from this project?

“We know from our research that CPD matters to project professionals and is seen as one of the top ways to bring more skills into the profession. Providing self-directed resources, including microlearning on project management, professional skills and Microsoft Excel tutorials, for example, is a convenient way for members to access resources that they can build into their everyday schedules. This upgrade allows us to better meet our commitment to serving the profession.”

Non-APM Members can visit APM Learning for more information. Associate, Full and Fellow members of APM can log in to access.