Project Management Competence is a method for assessing your ‘ability’ or ‘competence’ to manage a project.
Projects, of course differ in size and complexity, and ‘rating’ your ability will help identify gaps in your knowledge, and skills. This will assist in your career progression.
Project Management Competence
I define ‘Competence’ as ‘Knowledge’ plus ‘Experience’. You have to know about something, and also try to apply it to become competent at it.
Consider learning to drive a car. You could read the instruction manual/handbook, and read the ‘Highway Code’, but until you actually try to put it into practice, it will not make much sense!
The PMI teach 10 Knowledge Areas for the Project Management Professional (PMP) qualification. However knowing about something does no make you good at it.
The APM Competence Framework
The Association for Project Management (APM) define 27 Project Management Competencies in both ‘Knowledge’ and ‘Application’ areas.
Project Management Competence the APM Competence Framework.
The 27 Competencies are:
| 1 Ethics, compliance and professionalism | 2 Team management | 3 Conflict management | 4 Leadership |
| 5 Procurement | 6 Contract management | 7 Requirements management | 8 Solutions development |
| 9 Schedule management | 10 Resource management | 11 Budgeting and cost control | 12 Risk, opportunity and issue management |
| 13 Quality management | 14 Consolidated planning | 15 Transition management | 16 Financial management |
| 17 Resource capacity planning | 18 Governance arrangements | 19 Stakeholder and communications management | 20 Frameworks and methodologies |
| 21 Reviews | 22 Change control | 23 Independent assurance | 24 Business case |
| 25 Asset allocation | 26 Capability development | 27 Benefits management |
A rating system exists where you can measure your knowledge and application into 5 categories:
- Aware
- Practised
- Competent
- Proficient
- Expert
One method of using the framework is to rate yourself, and also ask your peers and manager to rate you for comparison.
The competencies are important for several reasons:
- Identifying where you need to define your Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- Assisting in applicant acceptances for employment positions
- Helping an organisation identify learning and development requirements
- They are required for APM membership
- They will be required for ChPP (Chartered) status
Is it time for you to review your Project Management Competence?
Project Management Competencies can help you identify your developmental requirements to move to the next stage of your project management career.
