APM have announced that there are now over 1000 Chartered Project Professionals, from the latest cohort in December. This is a great milestone to celebrate, as it is the start of the journey to have the profession recognised for the contribution it makes. This contribution is to products, organisations and society. If a project is well managed the products it produces are fit for purpose, the organisation gains from this and the economy also benefits. If the products are for the public or third sector it is society that is a major beneficiary. The CUPE International Directors spent many years in the public sector and have first-hand experience of good projects which mean that services are available when needed at a cost which is affordable and to the right level of quality. We also have experience of projects which overrun on time and cost or don’t deliver the quality which is needed. Society is impacted when these affect the services offered, particularly if it is your loved one who needs care, protection, education or justice.
Project Professionals now make up a significant proportion of the workforce – 12% of people employed are involved in projects. Thus, having a professional standing which signifies that someone has the knowledge, skills and experience to deliver successfully is a huge step forward. It will become a leap when every large or complex project requires a ChPP to lead it. You would not expect that the accounts for large companies are led by someone who is not a Chartered Accountant or that a complex engineering design is not led by a Chartered Engineer, so it is in line with this that projects of the future will be led by ChPPs. Project Management is now an option on many degree courses and you can do an MSc in Project Management. I know that some MBAs include Project Management modules as well. The ChPP status is a natural progression of recognition.
It is with great pride that the CUPE International Directors are in the vanguard of the Chartered Project Professionals as we are amongst the first 1000 to become Chartered. We applied in order to demonstrate assurance to our clients and colleagues that we do have the knowledge and experience which would be expected when offering advice or consultancy. The CUPE International Directors applied at different times and were interviewed by different people, however, our experiences were similarly robust, but fair. Despite having more than half a century of experience between us, it was a testing process and certainly not a simple rubber stamping exercise. No matter who we were or what was on our application, the interview tested us and explored our practice to ensure we deliver good practice.
We would like to share this experience and help others to understand what to expect of the process and how best to apply. If you would like to discuss becoming a Chartered Project Professional or the journey to professional recognition contact us on Team@cupeinternational.com or +44 (0)1202 555711.