Programme Management Qualification

Although the terminology surrounding Programme Management has existed for some time it is now making the transition into a recognised discipline with a dedicated qualification based on the Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) approach. This approach is owned by the OGC who have given a licence to run qualifications based on the contents to the APM Group. There are 7700 registered MSP Practitioners (The APM Group, July 2006). The qualification consists of three levels, Foundation, Intermediate and Practitioner, each achieved through an examination. The most popular method is to undertake this as a five-day course with one of the Accredited Training Providers (ATO) accredited by the APM Group to provide training and run the examinations.
 
Maven Training provides this qualification through its open public schedule and corporate in house courses in the UK and Europe. The course is complemented by one-day workshops dealing with Stakeholder Management, Benefits Realisation as well as the Introduction to Programme Management.
 
Both the UK Association for Project Management (APM) and the US based Project Management Institute (PMI) plan Programme Management qualifications during 2007. PMI have announced their pilot and the APM expect to pilot a new examination and assessment in Q3 2007.
 
In conclusion, the world of Programme Management is being brought into the public eye through the increasing demand for its practitioners and the promotion of recognised professional qualifications enabling employers to recruit with greater confidence.