In the third of this special podcast series, PM Today’s Associate Editor, Amy Hatton, catches up with Allan Thomson. AXELOS® ProPath™ Product Ambassador, to get the latest on this professional certification scheme from AXELOS® Global Best Practice.
Stream the podcast now to hear Amy and Allan discussing the scheme’s worldwide uptake, the benefits of the scheme for individuals, teams, and organisations, and why ProPath™ is proving so vital as project managers everywhere look to upskill for the future of work.
Amy: Okay, so hi everyone, and welcome to this, the third in our special series of PM Today podcasts with AXELOS® Global Best Practice. My name is Amy Hatton. I’m the Associate Editor of PM Today.
It’s lovely to be here again with my good friend and colleague, Allan Thomson who, of course, is the ProPath™ Product Ambassador for AXELOS® Global Best Practice. Allan, welcome back! Lovely to have you with us again. Thanks for making the time.
Allan: Thanks for the invitation. Amy, it’s great to be back here. Thank you.
Amy: Lovely to have you with us. And of course, we’re here to talk about the AXELOS® ProPath™ certification scheme, which is now, I think it’s fair to say, really in full swing. Certainly, from the reaction we’ve had to our past podcasts on this subject, there’s been huge interest in the scheme, since it was launched back at the beginning of 2021.
So, Allan, you’ve kindly agreed to be with me today to update us on how the scheme is being received. We’re going to talk a bit about the benefits of AXELOS® ProPath™, the benefits of the certifications and the designations for individuals, teams, and organisations. And we’ll talk a bit as well about how the scheme helps to drive best practice, especially considering the context of the future of work and what that’s looking like. And we’ll take a look at where things are going next. So, if you’re happy, let’s get stuck in!
Allan: More than happy Amy.
Amy: So, Allan, I think it was back in July that we last spoke, wasn’t it? And we touched on the role of AXELOS® ProPath™ in developing best practice for individuals, teams, and organisations involved in Project and Portfolio Management.
As I mentioned, interest has been very high in our podcast so far. So, I’m guessing that that indicates that interest has been very high in ProPath™ itself. Can you give us some more detail of the individual certifications and what they offer, for the benefit of our listeners?
Allan: Yes, I can Amy. The first one we’d like to talk about is the Project Expert Path, which basically intentionally combines PRINCE2®, MoR® and MSP® (with MoR® being Management of Risk, MSP® being Managing Successful Programmes) for the following reasons: PRINCE2® Foundation and Practitioner are needed for an individual to understand how to successfully manage a project from start to finish – on time, and within budget. Managing Successful Programmes (Fifth Edition, Foundation and Practitioner) provides a wider perspective and understanding beyond individual projects. MSP® upscales project managers to have a holistic understanding of the business.
This means explaining why a project’s happening, alignment to business goals of the organisation and involving multiple projects. So, really incorporating a strategic element to the work, its outcomes, and its effects across the business. Management of Risk (Practitioner)…in an ever-changing world, risk management is a critical part of ensuring your project is delivered on time and within budget. MoR® helps candidates identify, assess, and control risk across the organisation. There is a similar structure for those wishing to pursue Agile practices via PRINCE2® Agile and the ProPath™ Agile Project Expert designation.
The Programme Leader path strategically aligns MSP®, MoP® (which is Management of Portfolios) and P3O® (which is our Portfolio, Programme and Project Offices best practice) for the following reasons. MSP® upscales project managers to have a holistic understanding of the business – as we’ve explained before. MoP® (Management of Portfolios) provides advice and examples of how to apply principles, practices, and techniques that help to optimise an organisation’s investment in change, alongside its Business as Usual work.
The P3O® product (or Portfolio, Programme and Project Offices) builds on the references in PRINCE2®, MSP® and MoR®, and MoP®, to provide a single information source for organisations or individuals wishing to set up or maintain an effective delivery support office. This is included in the strategic steam. And there’s a blog that I did to basically explore the importance of P3O® entitled The Spine of the Organisation.
Amy: Oh, okay. That actually sounds like really interesting piece of wider reading. I assume – can I just check for our listeners, Alan – I assume that that blog would be easy to find on the AXELOS® website? So, we’re talking about https://www.axelos.com/?
Allan: Yes, that’s correct Amy.
Amy: Okay, brilliant. So, Alan, if you don’t mind, let’s just broaden the discussion out for a moment. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock somewhere for the last 18 months, I think we’re all familiar with the significant challenges that we’ve all faced in our working and personal lives in recent times. But actually, that goes way back beyond the pandemic, doesn’t it? I mean, demand for project managers has never been so high. And it’s getting higher all the time.
We know, it’s a very well quoted statistic, that the Project Management Institute predicts more than 87 million project professionals will be needed by 2027 to meet demand for managing projects at all levels. In my view, that’s only going to become more of a crucial statistic. We’re experiencing it already, you and I, we were talking about this before we went into recording the podcast.
There’s a huge amount of pent-up demand at the moment. Things are phenomenally busy in the project sector coming into the autumn months. Can you talk to me a bit, Alan, about the role that professional certification plays in ensuring that we do gear up to meet the need that the world has for projects, to run our lives and our businesses and every aspect of modern society?
Allan: Yes, I will Amy, and I agree with your observations regarding the world before COVID and what the impacts are going to be post-COVID as well. The professional certification designations provided by AXELOS® ProPath™ provide individuals with a big picture view of the organisation. And by doing this, it makes them more effective at understanding how they contribute to the organisation – in this way, making project managers more effective.
In addition, research carried out by AXELOS® shows that professional certification gives practitioners more confidence to do their jobs more effectively, which organisations require today.
Amy: Yeah, and I think there’s some really interesting research coming out at the moment as well about the future of work – how the world of work is changing. One that caught my eye recently was research by Gartner that explores the need for project managers to reskill and upskill to meet increasingly demanding and flexible roles. And that certainly resonates with me, and what I’m hearing from our readers and the PM Today community.
It seems to me that, against this landscape, I know that one of the big features of AXELOS® ProPath™ is the ability to tailor the designation pathways to your own role, your own specialties, your own career ambitions – as well as what your teams and your organisations need you to be doing to deliver. Can you give me a bit of a picture around that in terms of the skills landscape?
Allan: Yes, I tend to agree with what you said Amy, since you will need additional skills as your career progresses (I’m using myself as an example there). For example, if you’re moving from projects to programmes, you need to gain knowledge of say, managing successful programmes, as one moves from projects to programmes in their career. Also defined knowledge of risk through the application of Management of Risk, which all organisations need.
Amy: Yeah, and I remember Allan, the first time we discussed the scheme on our first podcast, we talked a lot about risk, actually. And it was very clear that Management of Risk was one of the areas that delegates seemed particularly keen to pick up. And to be honest with you, that doesn’t surprise me because with the way that we’re living in the modern world, and with everything we’re seeing at the moment, we can see that risk is not always predictable, by its very nature.
Some risks you can quantify, some you can’t. But really, I think risk management in particular is going to be absolutely crucial to delivering best practice in projects moving forward. Do you think that’s a fair reflection?
Allan: Absolutely, Amy, I think risk management across all aspects of the organisation is going to become very important.
Amy: And I think another important trend whilst we’re touching on this area is there’s a lot coming out in the press, particularly at the moment around the way in which the pandemic has changed the way that people expect to do their work moving forward.
So, I think we all accept now that the future of work is going to look different. There’s a huge debate right now around people’s expectations of flexible working, hybrid working, remote working, how that’s going to look in the future. What also interests me very much is there’s a lot of research going on around Gen Z, the younger generation, coming into the workplace.
Of course, they’re bringing their own set of expectations of what a good fulfilling career looks like for them, and how they will deliver on that career. So, can you just talk to me a little bit about what you’re hearing from the AXELOS® Global Best Practice community? How are people thinking about the future of work at the moment? and presumably there is a place for a certification scheme like AXELOS® ProPath™ to serve those ambitions for people moving forwards?
Allan: The future of work, in my opinion, Amy, looks to become more of a hybrid mixture of remote working and face-to-face with a greater amount of remote working taking place, as organisations move in this new world. The feeling from the AXELOS® community is that more skills will be required since, as organisations race to catch up following the effects of COVID-19, then more skills in addition to project management will be required.
I think that we have covered necessary levels of skills with the designation pathways in ProPath™, coupled with the flexible approach to taking the designations themselves. It is important to note that remote working has its own challenges which practitioners need to be aware of when managing projects. And as a result of this AXELOS® conducted a thought leadership piece on a subject earlier this year.
Amy: Yes, of course, we were discussing that thought leadership piece that you’ve written Alan just the other day, I believe it’s called Remote Project Management. And again, for our listeners that is widely available on the AXELOS® website for those who want to take a closer look. Okay, and I think, moving on, on this subject, it’s also interesting to look at how Project and Portfolio Management has expanded, it cuts across so many sectors now, doesn’t it?
I mean, I remember the days…project management of all kinds was seen very much as the secret back-office function of the IT department, we tend to think of it now as the specialist domain of the PMO. But actually, in my experience, every sector, everyone is a project manager of some kind now. It’s just inherent in the world of work. So, let’s talk about transferable skills for a minute.
When it comes to AXELOS® ProPath™, what benefits might the scheme bring to a professional, for example, who might be planning to transfer their project management skills, perhaps from sector to sector or from a role to a different role. Does it offer that flexibility and opportunity for cross learning?
Allan: Yes, it does Amy, and it does this because the beauty of AXELOS® ProPath™ is that it’s generic in nature. The methods and frameworks, which are contained in the designations can be used in any context. In my own experience, I’ve used them from education to oil and gas, so you can easily apply your knowledge and skills, regardless of the industry you’re working in. That’s the beauty of it.
Amy: Well, yeah, and I think those transferable skills are particularly important moving forwards. I mean, I read a report, it was a few months ago now I think, that that said that on average, in the future, people are going to be quite naturally changing roles, changing positions, every four years or so. I mean, it’s no longer the case of a job for life really, is it?
So, I think that’s particularly important point that you’ve highlighted there, Allan. Bearing all of this in mind, everything that we’ve just discussed, can you give me a picture of what pursuing a designation pathway with AXELOS® ProPath™ actually looks like for delegates on a day-to-day basis? So, as an example, how realistic is it for a project professional to fit AXELOS® ProPath™ into what’s probably an already very busy working schedule? Is there a time limit on pursuing the scheme? Can you pursue learning flexibly, that kind of thing? Just give us a picture of what it feels like in reality.
Allan: Of course, Amy. First of all, there’s no time limit to do the designations. The most important aspect is to ensure that the certifications which are contained in the designations are up to date, and the practitioners need to keep them that way.
This can be achieved through CPD (My AXELOS®). And I see fitting AXELOS® ProPath™ into their everyday schedule as a synergy, since by keeping their certifications up to date, they remain current, which can also make them more productive and knowledgeable in a role.
So, there’s synergies between the activities Also, My AXELOS® is a great source to use. I really would endorse the listeners to basically have a look at My AXELOS®. And also have a look at our recent panel webinar with two of our community members and there’s some great insights to be held there. Also, since there is no time limit, AXELOS® ProPath™ provides a flexible learning approach, and due to its structure, it can accommodate the various changes that can occur in a person’s career.
Amy: And, Allan, what support or information is available to help project professionals actually decide on which designation they should pursue, because I imagine that’s not necessarily the easiest decision to make. Can they seek help from AXELOS® in making that decision?
Allan: Yes, they can Amy. On our website, we have a designated AXELOS® ProPath™ landing page, which has got lots and lots of information contained in it. But we also have lots of information including FAQs, (frequently asked questions), webinars, podcasts like this one, blogs, and we’ve even got a TV ad as well, which is running. And in addition to this, there will be media campaigns throughout the year.
Amy: Okay, so lots and lots of supporting information out there. When it comes to actually making the choice as to what pathway you want to pursue, initially, can you just give a little bit of advice from your own experience? I mean, obviously, I’d imagine it’s important to align your chosen pathway to your role and specialism at the time is that correct?
Allan: Yes, that’s correct Amy. If you want to know more about Agile practices, use PRINCE2® Agile for a project perspective. If you want the best of both worlds, also complete PRINCE2® and PRINCE2® Agile. If you have a focus or interest at the programme level, use MSP® (Managing Successful Programmes). If your interest or focus is at the strategic level, then Management of Portfolios is the certification for you.
If your focus is PMO, then the Portfolio Programme and Project Offices best practice is the qualification of choice. Risk Management at all levels of the organisation is covered by the Management of Risk certification. In my opinion, AXELOS® ProPath™ covers all parts of the organisation and allows individuals to be more effective.
Amy: Okay, especially bearing in mind that a lot of us are still working remotely at least some of the time, what guidance can you give our listeners in terms of how to actually find the local Certified Training Organisation (CTO) that can deliver ProPath™ for you or for your team or for your organisation?
Allan: On our website, we have a Certified Trainer search function which shows the nearest trainer based on the candidate’s postcode.
Amy: Okay, and just to clarify, is that a purely UK based search or can international delegates also do a search in their area?
Allan: International delegates can also do a search in their area as well. They can also send in requests to Accreditation for further information.
Amy: Now let’s move on. One of the things that interests me particularly about AXELOS® ProPath™ is that it’s actually not just about the individual, is it, there are very obvious benefits in terms of individual professional development, but it’s also about helping teams and organisations to develop best practice.
So, can you just talk to me a bit about the benefits of bringing ProPath™ into the mix for those teams and organisations? In particular, we know how very important visibility, collaboration, a single source of truth – all those kind of things – are to delivering successful projects and portfolios. So, where does AXELOS® ProPath™ fit into the landscape there?
Allan: It’s an excellent point to make Amy. The VUCA environment (which stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) challenges organisations to constantly change and adapt at an increasing pace. This requires organisations to have employees who have the most up to date skills, which AXELOS® ProPath™ provides. The designations allow practitioners to have a big picture focus, which makes organisations more effective.
Organisations are looking to individuals with proven skills to help them reduce costs, increase efficiencies, and make sound investments for the future. So that the organisations can stay competitive. This is what AXELOS® ProPath™ also provides.
Amy: Okay, and would it also be fair to say that organisations are becoming more engaged in talent management strategies? I mean, from my perspective, and from an organisational perspective, it seems to me that the priority these days really is retaining and developing the best people. Would you say that’s fair?
Allan: I would think so Amy. After all, it’s people who will make the change happen in the organisation. But also, from the research that we have seen, organisations that use proven PM practices, waste twenty-eight times less money than their counterparts who do not have PM practices in place. These days, change is the only constant.
Organisations must now be ready to adapt the way they work – even change the fundamental nature of that work – at a previously inconceivable pace. The world is changing that fast. Professionals certified in best practice that provide the skills to master the pace of change are fast becoming indispensable.
The future is indeed bright for them, providing organisations with the crucial skills regarding methods and frameworks, implementation, and the skills they need to reduce costs, increase efficiencies, and make sound investments for the future.
Amy: And, Allan, do you have any advice for project professionals who quite naturally might be looking to their organisations and their employers to support them in pursuing a ProPath™ designation? How best can they advocate their case? How best can they demonstrate the benefits not just to them, but to the organisation they’re working for?
Allan: I think it would be useful to share the blogs, webinars, podcasts, and other information that we have generated, so that the decision makers in the organisation are aware of the benefits of the AXELOS® ProPath™ scheme. Also, the thoughts of AXELOS® ProPath™ early adopters, would be good to be used in this context too.
Amy: Oh, okay. So, what are you hearing on the grapevine, from those who are already involved? Are you getting lots of good feedback from delegates, organisations, the CTOs? I know, last time we spoke, you had some brilliant testimonials. Have you had any more feedback since we last recorded together?
Allan: Yes, Amy, during a recent My AXELOS® webinar, both panellists said some great things about AXELOS® ProPath™.
Amy: And if my understanding is correct Allan, it’s really important, actually, for AXELOS® ProPath™ delegates to get involved in the My AXELOS® section of your website. I believe that is where a lot of the action is going to be in terms of collaborating, in terms of learning from others, in terms of keeping up with what AXELOS® ProPath™ is offering next, that kind of thing?
Allan: That’s correct Amy.
Amy: Great stuff. And, for those who want to learn more, which I’m sure many of our listeners will, how can they connect with you and AXELOS® Global Best Practice to find out more, seek support, connect with the community, look for guidance and information, that kind of thing, where are the best places for them to go?
Allan: For ProPath™, Amy it’s advisable to go to axelos.com/ProPath. And people can also contact me on LinkedIn.
Amy: Brilliant. Well, I think that pretty much brings today’s podcast session to an end. I’d like to thank my guest, Allan Thomson. Allan, it’s been brilliant to have you here today. Thank you so much for being with us. And for our listeners, just a reminder that there is a whole host of information out there. Not just about AXELOS® ProPath™, but about everything that’s happening at AXELOS® Global Best Practice, a real driving force in the project management community worldwide.
So, I do encourage you to engage. And for those wanting to find out more about AXELOS® ProPath™ itself, just to recap what Alan said, you can go directly to the website. So that is axelos.com/ProPath. You can of course, connect with Allan on LinkedIn. And of course, we always welcome people coming to us at PM Today as well to connect seek advice, articles, information, that kind of thing. That’s PMToday.co.uk.
And yeah, you can find loads of stuff there. So, we look forward to hearing from you very, very soon If you have questions, comments, or feedback. All that remains is for me to thank my guest, Allan, again, and to say thanks to everyone for listening. Allan, thank you so much. been a real pleasure talking to you today.
Allan: It’s been a pleasure to be here as well Amy. Thank you very much.
Amy: And that’s it guys. That’s all we’ve got time for. So, thanks again for listening. Do keep an eye out for the next edition of the PM Today podcast. Have a great day and we’ll be talking to you all soon. Bye bye.
If you want to learn more about how AXELOS ProPath can help your teams and your organization, sign up via our enquiry form.
