APM Body of Knowledge: a common framework for project success

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After nearly two years of consultations, drafting and reviewing, the APM Body of Knowledge 8th edition is now available, capturing the emerging themes and evergreen topics from across the project management landscape.

In the light of the all-seeing eye of artificial intelligence, one common question we have asked ourselves, and been asked, is: what is the purpose of a monolithic ‘body of knowledge’ in a broad and ever-changing profession?

The original purpose of the APM Body of Knowledge, first published in 1992, was to create a standardised approach to project delivery and reflect the growing consensus around many of its concepts.

The early editions reflected the experience of the authors in delivering large, complex infrastructure projects. Over time, project delivery has extended far beyond these industries and subsequent editions adopted a broader approach; looking at more universal principles of project delivery that can be applied differently according to each project context.

By the fifth edition, there was a growing acceptance that project success needed more than just a focus on how projects are delivered. Success also relied on an appreciation of their strategic context. As a result, programme management, governance and portfolio management all gained prominence along with a growing emphasis on leadership skills.

By the seventh edition, the APM Body of Knowledge aimed to define the fundamental principles of project delivery and why they’re important (defined as ‘The What’ and ‘The Why’). This is an ‘exploded view’ of the profession which is likely to be applied differently in different contexts – larger projects may have dedicated teams working across specific areas while smaller projects might see everything managed by one project manager. Equally, there may be concepts which aren’t adopted into a project because it’s not appropriate or beneficial.

Clear definitions and a common language will help skills transfer across different sectors, encouraging a diversity of thought and creativity. Best practice can build around the core principles the APM Body of Knowledge defines, whether that’s through robust research, experience and practice or the insights of data and artificial intelligence. Seeking better ways to deliver projects is nothing new, where we look for them is changing all the time.

The APM Body of Knowledge also allows us to identify the competences needed for successful project delivery. The APM Competence Framework is a subset of the APM Body of Knowledge, defining the standards of competence required to deliver projects professionally. In simple terms, there are 33 sections in the eighth edition of which 29 are reflected as competences the Competence Framework.

The Competence Framework and Body of Knowledge work together. For example, the Competence Framework determines that a project professional needs to understand the benefits of a diverse project team, the APM Body of Knowledge answers this by defining what those benefits are and why they’re important.

In turn, these competences underpin APM’s qualifications and standards, including Chartered status. This way, a new idea picked up by the APM Body of Knowledge will flow through the Competence Framework and into the profession via APM qualifications and standards.

The ongoing evolution of this ecosystem of standards allows the profession to remain relevant, consistent and up to date.

Another way that the principles featured in the Body of Knowledge flows into the profession is through the work APM does with other organisations to help define the best way to implement these principles in their project environment. This includes the Government’s National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) whose Teal Book complements the APM Body of Knowledge by defining how projects are delivered in government and sharing best practice through the lens of government project delivery.

So, when we think about the APM Body of Knowledge, we should view it as the principles that the profession can be built around. This foundation allows us to build capability and maturity and helps ensure that standards of practice improve leading to ever improving rates of project success.