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Depending on where in the world you are, which sector or role you are in, or even the type of organisation, the skills needed to effectively operate in your project’s environment can be far-ranging.Ìý

Knowing this, the achievement of updating ourÌýCompetence FrameworkÌýto supportÌýthe projectÌýprofession into the future was no small undertaking and one that highlights the challenge of identifying the common framework of competences that sits at the core of our profession. This includes topics that are impacting us now and will ultimately become more vital as they embed around our change initiatives.ÌýÌý

For 2022, we introduced diversity and sustainably; two topics of growing prevalence in industry.ÌýÌý

SustainabilityÌýfocusesÌýon the needÌýto proactivelyÌýalter behaviours and applyÌýthemÌýinÌýall areasÌýofÌýour project work,Ìýthis simply can’t be ignored given today’sÌýenvironmentalÌýchallenges.ÌýÌý

DiversityÌýandÌýinclusion,Ìýmeanwhile,ÌýhighlightsÌýtheÌýopportunities toÌýproactively address the institutionalised inequalities that may existÌýandÌýhow we canÌýempower diverse teams to achieve better project outcomes.Ìý

BothÌýof theseÌýare possibly small changesÌýfor some,Ìýbut with hugeÌýresults for projects and the environment.ÌýWe hope these will become normal practice within our profession as we move forward, and our next framework can evolve and support the profession to become competent in more emerging areas. We saw this in ourÌýAPM Competence Framework 1stÌýedition,Ìýwhich included technology management for using computers and systems,Ìýwhich wasÌýnot presentÌýinÌýthe 2ndÌýeditionÌýfollowing re-evaluation.ÌýÌý

In the wake of growing demand for a multitude of projects, each larger and more complex than the last, the benefitsÌýoffered by having aÌýsharedÌýframework of competences shouldn’t be underestimated:Ìý

• Having a set of competences to aim for allows organisations to provide a benchmark to their teams and provide training and development against it to help grow their individuals and retain talent.ÌýÌý
• It allows individuals to develop transferable skills that will be required, irrespective of the project’s characteristics.ÌýÌý
• For industry, it sets out an expectation of what skills their project team can bring.ÌýÌý

It is important to note that this applies only to the core skills of a project professional.ÌýIf we were to address all the niche, specialist or sector-specific skills required, our framework would be excessively long. But that doesn’t diminish the importance of these competences and they should be considered when looking at your own skills profile.ÌýÌý

Happily, our year-long consultation to support our update and gain views from across the profession showed that we had what was already a well-respected and concise framework to build on. And while small adjustments were needed to keep pace with the profession, the ‘bread and butter’ of a project professional’s competences remain consistent.Ìý

While this is positive, the environment we operate in continues to change. WeÌýmustn’t ignore that change;Ìýwe must embrace it if we are to remain effective in our rolesÌýand the inclusion of our two new competences reflects this.ÌýÌý

AlongsideÌýourÌýAPM ÌÇÐÄlogo¹ÙÍø 7thÌýeditionÌýand our qualifications, which create a shared language, understanding and skill set amongst teams, our framework is now primed to provide a core set of competences required to be effective in our roles for years to come.ÌýÌýÌý

Explore the Competence Framework here.