Global Alliance for Project Performance Standards
Encyclopedia
The Global Alliance for Project Performance Standards' (GAPPS) is a nonprofit organization who provides independent reference benchmarks for project management
standards and assessments. Driven entirely by volunteers
, the GAPPS is an alliance of government
, private industry, professional associations, and training and academic institutions working to develop globally applicable performance based competency standards for project management. The GAPPS produces standards, frameworks, and comparability maps (of other standards and frameworks) which are intended to facilitate mutual recognition of project management qualifications and are available for download, free of charge, from their website.
Further, the GAPPS members are categorized into four distinct types:
(IPMA) initiated a series of Global Working Parties, including one focused specifically on project management standards. The newly formed "standards working party met" at a number of project management conferences that featured international representation. During these meetings, number of initiatives were identified. One of these was the opportunity for the development of global performance based standards for project personnel that would complement existing knowledge based standards (such as the Project Management Institute’s
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, the Association for Project Management’s
Body of Knowledge, International Project Management Association’s
International Competence Baseline, and Japan’s
Guidebook for Project and Program Management for Enterprise Innovation) and at the same time provide a basis for transferability and mutual recognition of project management qualifications.
The committee initiated development of global performance based standards for project managers, which, as a joint initiative of governments, professional associations, and corporations, provides an opportunity to:
Following a Global Steering Committee meeting hosted by Services SETA of South Africa
and held in London
in August 2002, the first Working Session of the GAPPS (initially called Global Performance Based Standards for Project Management Personnel) was held in Lille
, France
in February 2003. Attendees at this Working Session represented member organizations including major project professional organizations such as PMI, AIPM, Singapore
Society of Project Managers and the Project Management Association of Japan, government standards bodies from Australia and South Africa, academic institutions and industry. Work of the GAPPS is largely produced by globally representative volunteers, in these three day Working Sessions which are usually held three times a year.
Public and private organizations are encouraged to adopt the global standards as a basis for internal development and accreditation systems that will facilitate consistency across their global operations. This also applies to organizations that only operate locally but who are required to operate, source, and assess their project management personnel in an increasingly global marketplace, where assurance of the global relevance of qualifications is of value.
In addition to the development of performance based standards (which can be used to complement existing knowledge based standards or in their own right) the GAPPS provides additional guidelines for their use in assessment and offers an Endorsed Provider program that provides assurance of equivalency between assessments.
Project management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...
standards and assessments. Driven entirely by volunteers
Volunteering
Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other reasons that could be...
, the GAPPS is an alliance of government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, private industry, professional associations, and training and academic institutions working to develop globally applicable performance based competency standards for project management. The GAPPS produces standards, frameworks, and comparability maps (of other standards and frameworks) which are intended to facilitate mutual recognition of project management qualifications and are available for download, free of charge, from their website.
Membership
GAPPS membership is open to any organization (public or private) or government agency and maintains a listing of current members on its websiteWebsite
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
Further, the GAPPS members are categorized into four distinct types:
- Standards & Qualifications Organizations
- Project Management Professional Associations
- Academic/Training Institutions
- Industry
History
Beginning in the mid 1990s, people who were interested in the development of global project management standards began meeting, both formally and informally, during various project management conferences. In 1999, the International Project Management AssociationInternational Project Management Association
The International Project Management Association is a non-profit, Swiss registered organization for the promotion of project management internationally...
(IPMA) initiated a series of Global Working Parties, including one focused specifically on project management standards. The newly formed "standards working party met" at a number of project management conferences that featured international representation. During these meetings, number of initiatives were identified. One of these was the opportunity for the development of global performance based standards for project personnel that would complement existing knowledge based standards (such as the Project Management Institute’s
Project Management Institute
The Project Management Institute is a not-for-profit professional organization for the project management profession with the purpose of advancing project management.- Overview :...
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, the Association for Project Management’s
Association for Project Management
The Association for Project Management is a registered charity in the United Kingdom, which aims to develop and promote the professional disciplines of project management and programme management, through a programme called the "Five Dimensions of Professionalism"...
Body of Knowledge, International Project Management Association’s
International Project Management Association
The International Project Management Association is a non-profit, Swiss registered organization for the promotion of project management internationally...
International Competence Baseline, and Japan’s
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
Guidebook for Project and Program Management for Enterprise Innovation) and at the same time provide a basis for transferability and mutual recognition of project management qualifications.
The committee initiated development of global performance based standards for project managers, which, as a joint initiative of governments, professional associations, and corporations, provides an opportunity to:
- Respond directly to the expressed needs of industry.
- Enhance the profile and effectiveness of project management throughout the project management community, both globally and locally.
- Increase support for project management as a field of practice and as an emerging profession.
- Enhance the value and recognition of the performance based standards approach.
Following a Global Steering Committee meeting hosted by Services SETA of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and held in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in August 2002, the first Working Session of the GAPPS (initially called Global Performance Based Standards for Project Management Personnel) was held in Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in February 2003. Attendees at this Working Session represented member organizations including major project professional organizations such as PMI, AIPM, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
Society of Project Managers and the Project Management Association of Japan, government standards bodies from Australia and South Africa, academic institutions and industry. Work of the GAPPS is largely produced by globally representative volunteers, in these three day Working Sessions which are usually held three times a year.
Objectives
According to the GAPPS website, their objectives are to:
- Facilitate, develop, approve, publish, promote, maintain and review:
- global project management standards
- usage guidelines for project management standards, but
- NOT consult, advise, express opinion or develop products based upon standards and guidelines
- NOT provide training, assessment, certifications or qualifications to individuals based upon standards and guidelines
Approach to Standards
The GAPPS "explicitly recognises" that there are many different approaches to project management that can achieve satisfactory results and that there are many different ways for project managers to develop their competence. The GAPPS standards for qualifications of Junior Project Manager (known as Global 1, or "G1") and Senior Project Manager (known as Global 2, or "G2") are quite generic, though this is intentionally so, as they are written as a complement to project management standards including those of professional associations (eg PMBOK®Guide, IPMA Competence Baseline and associated National Competence Baselines, APMBoK, P2M) as well as other standards such as BS6079 Guide to Project Management. All of these aforementioned documents can be used in association with the GAPPS to provide further detail, knowledge, and understanding of specific applications.Adoption of Standards
The GAPPS initiative encourages professional associations to consider adopting these standards to support existing standards and qualifications processes by adding and/or strengthening the performance based dimension. GAPPS also allows additions and modifications to be made to suit specific local and regulatory requirements. Standards and qualifications bodies are similarly encouraged to consider adopting the global performance based standards to facilitate transportability and mutual recognition of qualifications. Further, professional associations that do not have their own standards or qualifications are encouraged to adopt the standards and several associations have already begun this process.Public and private organizations are encouraged to adopt the global standards as a basis for internal development and accreditation systems that will facilitate consistency across their global operations. This also applies to organizations that only operate locally but who are required to operate, source, and assess their project management personnel in an increasingly global marketplace, where assurance of the global relevance of qualifications is of value.
Products
Since inception, the GAPPS has produced the following standars, research, and documents:- Standards
- Project Manager Standards
- CIFTER Table for Evaluating PM Roles
- Standards for Global 1 (Junior PM) and Global 2 (Senior PM)
- Review commenced (to include Global Project Manager)
- Program Manager Standards
- Six categories of Program Manager
- ACDC Table for Program Manager Role Definition
- Mapping of Standards including
- Australian Institute of Project Management Standards (AIPM)
- Australian National Competency Standards for Project Management (ANCSPM)
- IPMA Competence Baseline V3.0 (ICB®)
- P2M
- Project Management Institute's PMBoK®Guide 2008
- PRINCE2PRINCE2PRojects IN Controlled Environments 2 is a structured project management method endorsed by the UK government as the project management standard for public projects. The methodology encompasses the management, control and organisation of a project...
2009 - SAQA National Qualifications Level 5 Standard
In addition to the development of performance based standards (which can be used to complement existing knowledge based standards or in their own right) the GAPPS provides additional guidelines for their use in assessment and offers an Endorsed Provider program that provides assurance of equivalency between assessments.