Since the launch of the Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) standard there have been three routes to chartership depending, in the main, upon your existing levels of technical achievement.
Attaining the ChPP standard requires two assessments of competence. Firstly, an assessment of your professional ability demonstrated through examples of your practical experience in a complex project environment. Secondly, an assessment of your technical knowledge of project delivery methods, techniques and underlying principles.
At the launch of the original scheme (and carried forward with the refresh in September 2023) attaining your Chartership meant following one of three creatively titled routes – Route 1, Route 2 and Route 3.
- Route 3 the most thorough application channel assumed no prior assessments. As a consequence, this required a full assessment of both professional capability and technical knowledge.
- Route 1 was the next most rigorous channel and required an exemption to the Route 3 process by virtue of a previous and recognised technical assessment ie the APM has validated other technical qualifications as being equivalent to the broad levels of knowledge required to satisfy the Chartered Standard.
- Route 2 was the simplest assessment. This was designed for applicants who had already demonstrated both their professional capability and technical knowledge via an existing assessment that the APM has endorsed.
This approach to assessment has worked well over the last six years and has provided a range of ways to apply. For those who hold the recognised qualifications, this has provided a more efficient process avoiding duplication and repetition.
There has, of course, been one option missing from these alternative routes and this is the experiential route ie a route that values practical experience. From September 2024, this will be remedied with both a re-naming of the existing routes and the addition of a fourth option.
What could have been Route 4 will be launched in September as the Professional Practice Pathway to provide an alternative option for applicants who have relevant and demonstrable experience of delivery. This will be gained through a combination of qualifications and experience. The qualifications may not be to the level required by the existing Routes 1 and 3 but will have given some shape, structure and credibility to the practical experience you have obtained.
This pathway has been supported by the US Project Management Institute (PMI) who has signalled that they intend to come on board providing an even more international audience for ChPP. The PMI’s Project Management Professional (PMP) qualification requires either 36 or 60 months of validated project delivery experience depending upon the qualifications held. This is expected to satisfy the experience element of the new pathway.
The APM has indicated that their own Project Management Qualification (PMQ) will also form part of the Professional Practice Pathway and it seems reasonable to assume that, in addition to gaining the qualification itself, there will similarly be a requirement for evidence of experience.
So, if you already hold the APM PMQ then perhaps the Professional Practice Pathway will be the one for you. Assuming the APM will similarly expect a level of experience to be demonstrated then you can get to work on gathering together the evidence for this. Hopefully, more details will emerge over the coming weeks as the new pathway takes shape.
In the meantime, if you don’t currently hold the APM PMQ then the re-named pathways will continue to provide a full range of alternative routes to Chartership as follows:
- The Experiential Pathway (formerly Route 3) will provide a route to Chartership that requires no prior recognition.
- The Technical Knowledge Pathway (formerly Route 1) will provide exemption from the technical assessment.
- The Technical Knowledge and Professional Practice Pathway will provide exemption from both assessments.
Changescope. The project leadership people.
We have helped many people through this process before. Why not contact us to learn more about how to plan, structure, draft and submit your ChPP application. enquiries@changescope.com
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