CPM: Certificated Project Manager

Certification assesses an individual’s competence in managing projects. Competence is the ability to acquire and apply your project management knowledge and skills in an appropriate context. Certification at this level is a demonstration of competence and not a test of academic achievement or of knowledge, which would be examined at a lower level.

APM members working in the construction or related sector, who have obtained the PQ or CPM qualification, can now apply for the senior management Constructions Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card, once they have completed the managerial level Health & Safety test.
This represents formal recognition from the Construction Industry Council of APM’s membership and professional qualifications.
We are the only professional institution with an approved route for its qualified members to achieve the senior management (black) CSCS card. For full details about the CSCS card, visit www.apm.org.uk/cscs.asp.

Pre-entry requirements
You must have gained extensive experience in the use of project management disciplines throughout your career and ideally managed several projects from start to finish. Experience of the complete project lifecycle is required.

You must be capable of managing complex projects with the following characteristics:

• Involvement of several companies and/or organisational units
• Involvement of several disciplines eg. technical, business, financial
• Interrelated sub-projects or work packages within the overall project context
• Requiring the application of many of the recognised project management competencies incorporated in the APM Body of Knowledge.

A project does not necessarily have to be big, in the sense of scope or budget, to be complex; conversely a large budget project need not be particularly complex. Many projects are undertaken as part of major change programmes within large, sometimes global, organisations and many of these individual projects may meet the criteria for a complex project.

For your chosen project, which must have been completed within the last 5 years, you must be able to demonstrate that you had a full-time, hands-on project management role, and that you were responsible for dealing with the risks and issues as they arose. You should be able to evidence your responsibility for the project budget and/or deployment and control of project resources. It is your role and level of responsibility that is important rather than the project itself. However the project or sub-project(s) should meet the criteria for complexity outlined above and should have been brought to a satisfactory conclusion.

What is assessed?
The assessors will assess project management competencies through your experience, self-assessment form and project report and also through an interview. The key areas being assessed are your:-

personal qualities
professional attitude, leadership skills, independent judgement, communication skills, vision, flexibility and self-awareness.

project management understanding and practice
The principles of project management, appropriate use of tools, techniques and methodologies, commercial acumen, problem solving, stakeholder involvement.

The assessment process
The assessment comprises three stages:

1. Stage 1-Submission of application – completion of an application form, a self assessment form including a statement of strengths and weaknesses, curriculum vitae and a project précis, together with the appropriate fee.
   
2. Stage 2-Completion of a project report (within the time allocated). See an example below.
   
3. Stage 3-A professional interview with a panel of assessors.  

Stage 2 Project Report Submissions
Submission 1 (547kb)
Karl Shaw (1.9mb)

CPM Candidate Feedback
Feedback from previous CPM candidates:
Robert Barr (31kb)
Toby Cliskey (31kb)

Fees and how to apply Valid from 1st June 2009

Registration and Report Submission (non refundable)	£275 +VAT
Interview (non refundable)	£545 + VAT

Prices are correct at the time of print.  APM reserve the right to increase the price of their fees.

Fees and how to apply Valid from 1st June 2010

To apply for the Certificated Project Management Qualification please contact APM Head Office, Qualifications Dept, on 0845 458 1944, or e-mail qualifications@apm.org.uk.

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