Australian Institute of Project Management


National Competency Standards For Project ManagementThe June 2008 AIPM Professional Competency Standards for Project Management are now available for download.

A set of questions and answers on the competency standards are available for download..

In the early 1990s the AIPM developed project management competency standards for Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) levels 4, 5 and 6. These were approved as National Standards in 1996 which were then reviewed in 2003 and a revised set of National Standards was issued in 2004. Since then the project management body of knowledge and industry expectations of project management have increased substantially. As a result industry has expressed the need to:

  • Upgrade the 2004 AQF Levels 4, 5 and 6 standards to meet contemporary industry needs.
  • Develop competency standards for project managers working at senior management levels.
  • Give greater prominence to personal attributes and behaviours which need to be exhibited by project managers, particularly at the higher levels. In addition, the AIPM is moving towards developing a true project management profession in Australia and the standards need to reflect professional expectations.

To meet these needs, the AIPM has developed new Professional Competency Standards for Project Management.

Development of the NCSPM

The National Competency Standards for Project Management (NCSPM) were developed by the AIPM in consultation with industry and under the auspices of the now defunct Australian National Training Authority (ANTA). 

From July 22, 2005 ANTA was disbanded and The Department of Education, Science and Training took over the responsibilities of ANTA. Click here for further information on DEST and ANTA.

The AIPM adopted the PMBOK® as the knowledge-base for the NCSPM. The NCSPM is structured around nine units of knowledge:

  1. Integration management
  2. Scope management
  3. Time management
  4. Cost management
  5. Quality management
  6. Human resources management
  7. Communications management
  8. Risk management
  9. Procurement management

Competency units within the NCSPM are established against the Certificate IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma qualifications levels set out within the Government accredited Australian Qualifications Framework.

The AIPM's RegPM program will be aligned to the June 2008 AIPM Professional Competency Standards for Project Management. 

Development History of the NCSPM

The NCSPM were first published in 1996, with The Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) facilitating the review process (which commenced in 2001), and after extensive consultation with industry groups and users of the NCSPM and several drafts. The review of the NCSPM was also conducted in conjunction with the Global Working Group for Standards (GWGS). The final DRAFT versions of the Competency Standards were released in 2003, and for historical reasons are included here:

DRAFT  Level  4 - June 2003      DRAFT  Level  5 - June 2003     DRAFT  Level  6 - June 2003

NB These draft standards should not be used, as the National Competency Standards for Project Management Levels 4, 5 and 6 were finalised in mid-2004, and have now been incorporated into BSB01 - Business Services.

As of December 2007 BSB01 has been revised and replaced by BSB07. An overview of the revised BSB07 can be found here: http://www.ibsa.org.au/content/business/tpbsb07_overview.html. A summary of the changes are:

  • additional qualifications in Customer Contact, Organisational Learning and Capability Development and Micro Business operations;
  • streamlined competencies;
  • preferred pathways information, and much more!

    Obtaining the Final Project Management Competency Standards

    AIPM can not provide or sell the final version of the Project Management Competency Standards.
    They can not be downloaded from our website.

    There are only two ways of accessing these standards at present:

    1) Volume 5 of BSB07 contains the Project Management components - http://www.ibsa.org.au/pubdetails.jsp?publication=6462

    2) To view the Project Management Competency Standards, go to the NTIS website - http://www.ntis.gov.au/?/find. At this screen you will need to enter:

    • terms: BSBPMG
    • search in: Units of Competency

    This will produce a list of the 07 Project Management competencies.

    • Click to return to RegPM