Message from the President

The next big step for project management is for it to be formally recognised as a profession. While PM has a national set of competency standards in Australia, and in many companies and departments there are PM position statements, the Federal Government’s Australian Public Service Commission does not recognise it as a distinct profession.

AIPM and APM (Association for Project Management, UK) both accept the importance of having PM formally recognised as a profession. APM is well advanced in its strategy to have PM chartered with support from the UK MOD (Ministry of Defence). The DMO ran an unsuccessful campaign two years ago to have PM formally recognised by the Australian Public Service Commission. AIPM needs to build a base of support around the DMO to put an unassailable case to the Australian Public Service Commission to have PM formally recognised.

There are however strategic impacts on AIPM in having PM formally recognised as a profession. The existing PM competency standards are too soft, and are lacking in key competency areas, the existing assessment process is being strengthened, but is still inadequate, and the existing AIPM constitution is not suited to servicing a professional organisation and its members. These deficiencies need to be rectified.

2007 will be a very big year for AIPM. The Board is considering a motion to join IPMA at its February meeting, our standards committee is reviewing existing standards and establishing a new executive PM level, we are restructuring the AIPM support office, we have newly formed special interest groups, and a new  constitution will be put to our members for their approval.

There is little doubt that we will experience strong opposition to these changes.

I ask for your support in leading AIPM through these strategic changes. They will deliver significant benefit to individual project managers and the profession as a whole.

Dr David H Dombkins

National President