PMSA CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

PMSA CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK 1

CONTENTS 1 Background Pg. 3 2 CPD Programme Goals Pg. 4 3 Guiding Principles Pg. 4 4 CPD Point Acquisition Requirements Pg. 6 5 The Mechanics of CPD Validation and Recording Pg. 6 6 How to earn CPD Points Pg. 7 7 Gathering of CPD points for non-designation purposes Pg. 11 8 Applications to offer CPD points Pg. 11 9 Glossary of Terms Pg. 13 2

1. BACKGROUND PMSA considers ongoing professional development to be one of the building blocks of a profession. This ongoing development is not only related to an individual s commitment to lifelong learning, growth and improvement, but also to the manner in which project organisations and professional bodies operate, and the codes of practice, values and ethics they espouse and regulate. Practitioners have not yet reached agreement in terms of if and when project management can be considered a profession, but this philosophical debate needn t affect the benefits of promoting consistent professional practice by those active in project related disciplines. Applying a CPD programme to project management designations and certifications is after all, a long-standing and recognised international practice. In an emerging and dynamic profession, new knowledge is becoming available all the time. Standards and methodologies are continually enhanced, technology is becoming at once more facilitating and more sophisticated and the overall body of knowledge globally is advancing in leaps and bounds. To remain relevant in the practice of project management, it has become essential to stay abreast of these developments and incorporate them into an individual s frame of reference and delivery, to advance knowledge, competency and investment in the profession. The challenge will be to ensure that CPD / professional development points can be attained and claimed in a consistent manner across the various programmes / professional bodies / certifying authorities and this opens up the opportunity for the various bodies to reach agreement on how professional development points can be coordinated / interchanged / mutually recognised. PMSA undertakes to facilitate reciprocity of this nature, to minimise the onerousness for individual members who need to maintain professional development credits in multiple programmes and other professional designations. With the opportunity to register designations for generic project, programme and portfolio managers (PPPM) comes the opportunity to formalise PMSA activities towards ongoing professional development. PMSA s broad range of activities can now be organised into measurable professional development engagements, inviting member participation towards personal advancement and the advancement of the project related professions. There are two approaches to accumulating credits for professional development with PMSA: 3

1) Required - For designation holders, continuous professional development is a requirement, and designation holders must accumulate the number of development points consistent with their designation and the relevant renewal period. 2) Optional - For ordinary members of PMSA, accumulating points allows them to work towards membership level upgrades, registration on a designation, or to apply to have them converted to points with other professional bodies. This document explains the PMSA Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Programme in the context of the requirements for designation holders. Any non-compulsory element, i.e. those applying to non-designation holders, will be referred to as such in the documentation. 2. CPD PROGRAMME GOALS Offering an ongoing professional development programme is a requirement for the registration of professional designations, and also supports the goal and intent of professional bodies. PMSA seeks to achieve the following goals through the CPD Programme: i) Promote project, programme and portfolio management (PPPM) as organised professions in alignment with PMSA s strategic objectives and career path. ii) iii) iv) Foster ongoing and valuable contributions by individuals to the body of knowledge for PPPM in South Africa and beyond. Encourage personal development on the part of the PMSA membership corps that they may raise the awareness and enhance perceptions of the membership body as a whole. To contribute to national PPPM imperatives by encouraging and acknowledging individual and group contribution to develop current and future project managers and PPPM competencies. 3. GUIDING PRINCIPLES The following principles guide the PMSA CPD framework: i. The CPD framework follows the following approach: a. A number of opportunities exist for individuals to engage in CPD activities throughout ii. the year, both self-directed and provided by PMSA or its service providers / member providers and points can be logged during the year as activities are completed. CPD-earning activities are generally available to all PMSA members and designation-holders but some carry a different weight depending at which level the points are being claimed. 4

iii. Only PMSA members and designation holders have access to the CPD management system where activities are logged and certificates issued. iv. Non-members participating in activities for which CPD points are issued may request proof of participation from PMSA so that their activity can be logged in another organisation s ongoing professional development programme, but where no reciprocity exists between the organisations, the onus is on the individual to motivate for recognition of the activity. v. CPD renewal will take place on a three-year cycle. vi. One hour of activity equals one CPD point. In the case of education and training activities, notional hours apply. This is explained later in the document. vii. An online mechanism is available to members to manage the awarding and reporting of CPD points. viii. ix. Activities are categorised and a fixed number of CPD points are required in each category. These categories are consistent with the three main evaluation criteria for awarding and retaining of the designation, as well as the following model, which describes where the impact of the activity is directed: PERVASIVE: Activities towards enhancing the development of the profession with or on behalf of organised bodies PERSONAL: Activities towards individual development in PPPM knowledge, competence, skill or perspective PUBLIC: Activities towards applying PPPM to contribute to national imperatives Figure 1.1 Categories of Objectives for Continuous Professional Development 4. CPD POINT ACQUISITION REQUIREMENTS 5

Individuals registered on the various designations will be informed of the requirements and conditions to maintain and renew their professional registrations. Individuals are expected to maintain their PMSA membership / registration from year to year by paying the applicable annual membership fee when it is due. Their designation renewal is required on the second anniversary (third year) of their registration date and they have a one-month grace period in which to submit their CPD activities, pay a nominal renewal fee, and provide supporting documentation. If an individual fails to renew their registration in time or has not acquired sufficient points, they will be expected to re-submit their documentation at a later date and pay the full assessment fee again. Registered individuals are required to familiarise themselves with the maximum point allocations (Table 1.2) per category to ensure they fulfil the requirements. One CPD point is generally consistent with one hour of participation in the activity in question. Notional hours are awarded for tertiary qualifications and formal training. Designation CPD Point Goal Renewal Frequency Professional Project 35 points / year = 105 points per cycle 36 months (3 years) Manager (PrPM) Senior Project 30 points / year = 90 points per cycle 36 months (3 years) Manager (SrPM) Project Manager (PM) 30 points / year = 90 points per cycle 36 months (3 years) Project Administrator (PMAdmin) 20 points / year = 60 points per cycle 36 months (3 years) Table 1.1 Registered designations and the related CPD goals 5. THE MECHANICS OF CPD RECORDING AND VALIDATION All designation-holders and ordinary PMSA members have an online membership profile that is available as long as membership dues are up-to-date. There is a built-in functionality that allows the individual to record their CPD activities. Some are automatically approved against verification codes attributed to the activity (once participation has been confirmed), while others will require peer / administrator evaluation and manual approval. In both cases, following review, the attributed points are reflected on the member s profile. There may be some instances where a recognised activity not accommodated on the PMSA system has been completed. In these cases members will be required to reflect their activities with open fields and supporting documentation. The system relies on member integrity to accurately reflect their activities and their submission is subject to an audit by PMSA. 6

Each person registered on a designation is issued with a CPD point target at the beginning of the reporting period. Once this target is reached a certificate is made available on the member profile. This certificate will be presented on renewal of the registration. Members are encouraged to maintain their membership profile and treat this functionality as their main mechanism for interacting with PMSA and recording their professional development activities. Non-members / non-designation holders who require proof of participation in PMSA activities or where PMSA has an agreement with another professional body for recognition of activities, will be issued with a certificate on request. In some cases they will receive a certificate of attendance reflecting CPD point allocation automatically. 6. HOW TO EARN CPD POINTS Where practical, actual point allocation is reflected on the chart below. Some activities cannot generically be assigned points. Those activities without a designated number of points are, therefore, subject to evaluation based on the detail of the activity. 7

PERSONAL Category Type RECOGNISED CPD ACTIVITIES Maximum points claimable per year Activity Type Points Awarded PrPM SrPM PM PMAdmin Successful completion of further tertiary studies* in project, programme or portfolio management: Certificate Higher certificate Diploma / Advanced certificate Bachelor s degree / Advanced diploma Post graduate diploma / Bachelor s honours Master s degree Doctoral degree Successful completion of training programmes** in fields related to core functions of PPPM. Attendance of knowledge events offered by PMSA and where PMSA validation codes have been issued: Branch presentations Industry forum events Special interest groups Workshops Seminars Conferences Attendance of conferences and seminars where PMSA validation codes have not been issued: Branch presentations Industry forum events Special interest groups Workshops Seminars Conferences As per nominal hours associated with learning Detailed upon course review One CPD point per hour of activity Reviewed / Validated on application 15 15 15 20 15 15 15 20 10 10 10 20 5 5 5 10 8

PERVASIVE Other: Activities considered consistent with this category description but not detailed above. This activity must be motivated by the member, not the entity offering the activity. Volunteering on PMSA Leadership structures: National / Branch / Interest Group executive committee Board of Directors Working committees Conference committee Awards adjudication panel Volunteer participation in grading or review panels Serving as peer reviewer of conference presentation submissions (industry) Serving as peer reviewer of academic submissions to PMSA biennial conference Uncompensated presentation at PMSA event (member s event, Biennial Conference, Regional Conference or seminar / workshop / symposium) Submission of peer reviewed academic presentation at National Biennial Conference Contributions of articles to PMSA publications (ProjectNet / The Project Manager) Article written by individual (per500 words) Interview given to writer Contributions of content to a PMSA knowledge resource (white paper, web content, case study etc) (per 500 words) Reviewed / Validated on application One CPD point per hour of activity ANNUAL TARGET 15 (/35) PMSA branch leaders, sub-committee leaders and governance committee members can claim the maximum allowable points for each year that their position is held. By way of a signed statement leaders in turn verify the number of hours contributed by individual members of their committee(s). 5 5 5 5 10 10 20 (/20) 20 15 15 15 5 CPD points per activity 10 10 10 N/A 6 CPD points 6 5 5 N/A 2 CPD points 2 2 2 5 2 CPD points 2 CPD points 4 4 4 N/A Answering an online quiz based on a PMSA knowledge document Varies according to activity 2 2 2 2 or event. Volunteer contributions to national or global standards 1 CPD point per hour of activity 20 10 10 N/A committees Completion of a PMSA endorsed industry survey or academic 1 CPD point 2 5 5 5 study Completion of a PMSA-generated member survey 1 CPD point 2 2 2 2 Nomination in the PMSA Biennial Awards Programme 3 CPD points 5 5 5 N/A 9

PUBLIC Winning a PMSA EPMA Award 10 CPD points 10 10 10 N/A Authoring / co-authoring of a PPPM book. Entire book Book chapter Other: Activities considered consistent with this category description but not detailed above. This activity must be motivated by the member, not the entity offering the activity. Volunteering as a mentor as part of a formal mentoring relationship*** (outside of work duties) Volunteering PPPM knowledge, skills or expertise to a charitable project Other: Activities considered consistent with this category description but not detailed above. This activity must be motivated by the member, not the entity offering / facilitating the activity. 30 CPD points 10 CPD points 30 10 Reviewed / Validated on application 30 10 30 10 5 5 5 5 ANNUAL TARGET 15 (/35) 15 20 0 (/20) 0.5 CPD points per hour of documented 5 5 5 N/A activity 0.5 CPD points per hour of documented 5 5 5 2 activity Reviewed / Validated on application ANNUAL TARGET 5 (/35) N/A 5 5 5 N/A 5 0 0 Table 1.2 CPD activities and relevant point allocation *Public and private higher education institutions ** PMSA Recognised Education and Training Providers which have been granted recognition for specific courses (Ref: PMSA RETP Programme 2013). *** A formal mentoring programme is one where the mentor / mentee relationship has been negotiated and documented in terms of engagement, goal setting and regular reporting. 10

7. GATHERING OF CPD POINTS FOR NON-DESIGNATION PURPOSES PMSA members are encouraged to participate in the CPD programme. Such activity will have the following benefits: 1) Accumulated CPD points will be considered in the application for registration on a designation. 2) CPD points can, in some cases, be converted to professional development points in similar programme run by other professional bodies. 3) Members will be in a position to review their annual investment in their own professional development and set personal and professional goals to increase professional development activity. 8. APPLICATIONS TO OFFER PMSA CPD POINTS PMSA will issue CPD codes against which activities can be logged by participants. The following list reflects the activities for which a code may be allocated by default: 1) PMSA national office and branch activities / presentations / member events where the content of the presentation is deemed consistent with the goals of the CPD programme. 2) Activities presented by companies and organisations with which PMSA has a working agreement and input into the nature and quality of content and PMSA is satisfied that this is consistent with the goals of the CPD programme. These relationships are reviewed on an annual basis. 3) Offerings of PMSA Recognised Education and Training Provider companies who have made application for and been granted recognition of specific course offerings. A code will be issued for the particular course only and RETPs are requested to reapply if the course content changes from year to year. RETPs will reapply for recognition of their companies and course offerings every three years. (Ref: PMSA RETP Programme 2013) 4) Forum activities of PMSA Corporate Members where such activities have been reviewed by PMSA and codes issued. Any provider of education, training, events, workshops, symposia or convenors of industry / workplace forums wishing to apply for a code will be required to apply to be a Recognised Education and Training Provider or Corporate Member in order to be included in the CPD programme of activities. As previously mentioned, PMSA endeavours to ensure consistency between its CPD programme and those of allied associations. Negotiations towards mutual recognition will be approached on a case by case basis 11

and the understanding will be documented in a memorandum of understanding and referenced in the CPD programme accordingly. Should a company / event organiser fail to meet the requirements of a PMSA RETP or Corporate Member, a code cannot be granted. However, the applicant may request review of their activity by PMSA and a onceoff allocation of a CPD code. Such application will be subject to an evaluation and administration fee and be accompanied by the required documentation. 12

9. GLOSSARY OF TERMS CPD EPMG PMSA PPPM RETP PrPM SrPM RPM PMAdmin Continuous Professional Development Emerging Project Managers Group Project Management South Africa Project, Programme, Portfolio, Management Recognised Education & Training Providers Professional Project Manager Senior Project Manager Project Manager Project Management Administrator 13