Organisation and Approach

1. Why was GAPPS formed?

GAPPS (the Global Alliance for Project Performance Standards) was founded by a group of highly motivated individuals, experts in project management, who saw a need for a new class of global standard, and who were willing to devote their own time and resources to satisfying this need. They recognised that government agencies, global corporations, and mobile project practitioners were thirsty for standards that:

• Have global application throughout the program and project management community.
• Are independent of any proprietary standards.
• Would support globally recognised and transferable qualifications.

2. What are the aim of GAPPS?

GAPPS aims to facilitate, develop, approve, publish, promote, maintain, and review global project management standards as well as usage guidelines for those standards. To minimise the potential for conflicts of interest, GAPPS does not:

• Consult, advise, express opinion, or develop products based upon the GAPPS standards.
• Provide training, assessment, certifications, or qualifications based upon GAPPS standards. In order to provide assurance of quality, however, GAPPS does endorse providers of these services.

And to maximise the availability and usefulness of the standards, GAPPS provides downloads free of charge.

In the end, the vision is that GAPPS competency frameworks benefit the program and project management community by promoting mutual recognition of standards and qualifications.

3. Is it true that GAPPS does NOT offer certification?

GAPPS (along with ISO) believes that the setting of standards and the creation of certifications represent a conflict of interest. Although ISO will accept an arms-length relationship, GAPPS prefers to collaborate with rather than compete with the various credentialing bodies. In fact, most of the major credentialing organisations are GAPPS members.

4. Is it true that GAPPS doesn’t charge for its standards? They’re free?

That is correct. We do not charge for the standards. GAPPS would rather facilitate and encourage a wide ranging distribution and adoption of the frameworks.

But to ensure that the standards are not misused or misrepresented, we offer them under a GNU or “copyleft licensing” agreement. This allows others to use the standards, or to modify them, while recognising and protecting GAPPS’ intellectual property. A complete copy of the licensing agreement is in each document.

5. Why doesn’t GAPPS require a specific approach to managing projects or programs?

Simple. To do so would limit the application and usefulness of the standards. GAPPS standards enable organisations with their own approaches to map against an independent benchmark. The standards focus on outputs or results. For example, many approaches to program and management mandate particular ways to identify or classify stakeholders. Such specific guidance is often appropriate within the applicable context. The GAPPS approach only requires that you identify and classify them — and that you understand why you did it a particular way. The choice of exactly how to do so is yours.

6. What products and services does GAPPS offer?

GAPPS products and services are covered in more detail in the FAQ answers below, but in summary, GAPPS provides the following:

• Publicly reviewed and approved performance based competency standards related to project, program, and project portfolio management.
• Membership for organisations. Member organisations are entitled to copies of the proceedings from working sessions, to nominate candidates to the GAPPS Board of Directors, and to discounts for their representatives who attend working sessions.
• Endorsement of providers of services in alignment with the GAPPS standards.
• Mapping of other standards to the GAPPS standards.

7. Where is GAPPS located?

GAPPS is a not-for-profit membership organisation incorporated under the laws of Australia with its Secretariat located in Sydney, Australia. However, members come from five of the seven continents and represent over thirty countries. The GAPPS Board alone includes representatives from seven different countries.

Standards

8. How does GAPPS define competent, competence, and competency?

All three words are based on the Latin word competere, which means to be suitable. We use “competent” to describe someone who is able to perform a specified task, function, job, or occupation. We use “competence” and “competency” interchangeably as the noun forms of the concept.

Many others use these terms with narrower and more specific meanings. We do not assert that GAPPS definitions are better or more correct, but if you are accustomed to different definitions, you should not apply your definitions to GAPPS documents.

9. What is a performance based competency standard? Why would I want to use one?

A performance based competency standard (PBCS) identifies work outcomes and expected performance levels to be used in inferring competence. A PBCS can also be used to support learning and development when applied by qualified educators and trainers.

Performance based competency standards are also called occupational competency standards, and are widely used throughout the world. PBCS have been developed within the context of government endorsed standards and qualifications frameworks in Australia (Department of Education, Science and Training), New Zealand (New Zealand Qualifications Authority), South Africa (South African Qualifications Authority), and the United Kingdom (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority).

10. What standards has GAPPS developed?

To date, GAPPS has approved and issued a single document entitled A Framework for Performance Based Competency Standards for Global Level 1 and 2 Project Managers.

The performance criteria in this document address threshold performance — demonstration of the ability to do something at a standard considered acceptable in the workplace. They do not measure superior performance — what the best project managers do. Superior performers should, however, be able to satisfy the threshold criteria without difficulty.

The GAPPS framework includes the minimum number of performance criteria needed to infer competence. As a result, a candidate must satisfy 100% of the performance criteria in order to be viewed as competent.

The document contains six Units of Competence:

• Manage Stakeholder Relationships
• Manage Development of the Plan for the Project
• Manage Project Progress
• Manage Product Acceptance
• Manage Project Transitions
• Evaluate and Improve Project Performance

Project Managers are assessed against the first five units while Senior Project Managers are assessed against all six. GAPPS has developed a tool called the CIFTER to differentiate these two levels according to project management complexity.

11. What is the CIFTER?

The CIFTER (the Crawford-Ishikura Factor Table for Evaluating Roles, pronounced “sifter”) is a tool used to evaluate project management complexity. It contains seven independent factors that are rated from very low to very high. Each rating is assigned a numerical value, and the total of the ratings is used to determine which level of the GAPPS standards are applicable.

The GAPPS Project Manager Framework has complete details on the CIFTER factors along with ratings for a variety of typical projects.

12. What other standards will be available?

GAPPS has begun work on A Framework for Performance Based Competency Standards for Program Managers. We anticipate that it will define several different roles for the title of Program Manager, and probably levels of complexity as well. The current target for that effort in mid-2009.

Future standards are expected to address other program and project management roles such as Project Portfolio Manager, Project Sponsor, Asset Manager, Project Controls, Contracting, and possibly other levels of Project Managers.

ORGANISATIONAL MEMBERSHIP

13. What are the benefits of being an organisational member?

GAPPS’ organisational members benefit in different ways and at different levels based upon their interests and their level of involvement. Here are some of the benefits that GAPPS members have identified:

• Exposure to the latest research in the field.
• Staff growth and development through participation in the working sessions.
• Increased marketing clout as a participant in state-of-art standards development work.
• The ability to influence both the development of the standards and the schedule for future development.
• Goodwill as a supporter of a respected organisation.
• Information on the latest philosophies and methods in the field of competency development.

14. How can we join GAPPS and how much does it cost?

To join, download the Membership Application, complete it, and send it in to the Secretariat along with your fee.

The membership fee is a one-time charge of AUD $3,000. At present, there are no annual fees, however this could change in the future.

Members are encouraged to host meetings, but all normal out-of-pocket meeting expenses are covered by GAPPS.

15. Who is eligible for GAPPS Membership?

Any organisation, public or private, large or small, which is involved with the creation, use, or consumption of project or program management services is eligible. This includes professional associations, universities, government agencies, and for-profit companies. Individuals are not eligible.

16. Who is currently a member?

View the list of current members

Individual Participation

17. What are the benefits for me personally?

Like GAPPS organisational members, the individual participants in GAPPS working sessions benefit in different ways and at different levels based upon their interests and their level of involvement. Here are some of the benefits that GAPPS participants have identified:

• Networking with some of the best minds in project, program, and portfolio management.
• Making a positive contribution to the professionalisation of project and program management.
• Creating the future of professional credential recognition.
• Learning and sharing in a non-threatening, collegial environment.

GAPPS participants have a motto: “the only thing more rewarding than the work is the people.”

18. How much time will I need to commit to GAPPS?

You do not have to make any fixed commitment, but the more you contribute, the greater the professional and psychological rewards!

GAPPS working sessions are three days in length and are typically scheduled three times per year. Many individuals make it a point to attend all or almost all of the working sessions; others come when they can or when the meeting location is convenient. The working sessions are specifically designed to allow regular, occasional, and new attendees to participate and contribute equally.

We also recognise that the most valuable contributors are also in demand by their employers. As a result, work between sessions is welcomed but not expected.

19. How can I participate in GAPPS activities and how much does it cost?

There are two major ways to participate:

• Attend a working session as a representative of a member organisation. Most organisations send their own employees, but some will sponsor individuals if the individuals pay their own fees. Host universities often have their students participate.
• Review and comment on a draft standard.

Working sessions cost AUD 900 per person which covers 2 meals a day, meeting expenses, and GAPPS operational expenses. Providing review comments is free!

20. Can I be a reviewer without being a working session participant?

Absolutely. All review comments are considered on their merits without regard to the source. Review the application process

21. Where and when are the working sessions held? Are there any prerequisites?

Due to its global membership, GAPPS meets around the world. Past meetings have been held in Toyko, Boston, Shanghai, London, Sydney, Lille, Singapore, and St. Petersburg.

There is no fixed schedule for the working sessions. We try to hold them either before or after other project management events so that GAPPS participants can save travel time and money.

There are no prerequisites other than a willingness to commit to the three full days of participation: participants are expected to stay and work through the end of the third day and to return home on the following day. This approach helps avoid the usual loss of productivity on the last day of many meetings and conferences when participants are rushing out to catch a flight.

22. When is the next GAPPS Meeting?

Future session dates and locations

ENDORSEMENT

23. Since GAPPS doesn’t do assessments itself, how does it assure quality?

GAPPS assures quality through an Endorsement Process that involves evaluating an organisation’s use of the GAPPS standards in assessment. The organisation is evaluated against well-documented requirements developed by experts in performance based competency assessment during over 20 years of use of similar standards in fields other than project management. The GAPPS Endorsement Process provides a level of confidence that an organisation using the GAPPS Framework is doing so correctly.

26. How can my organisation become an Endorsed Provider?

View details of the process and download an application

More Questions?

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