GAPPS Project Manager Standards

The first initiative of the GAPPS has been the development of standards for the Project Manager role.  One of the challenges in doing this was defining the Project Manager role in a way that would be applicable across a wide range of organisations, application areas and project types

The GAPPS Project Manager standard is written in the format of a Performance Based Competency Standard. This is a particular form of standard that aims to address two key questions;

• What is usually done in this occupation, profession, or role by competent performers?
• What standard of performance is usually considered acceptable to infer competence?

For more information on Performance Based Competencies click here.

Project Managers are expected to produce essentially the same results – outputs and outcomes that are acceptable to relevant stakeholders.  However, the context in which these results are produced may differ: some projects are inherently harder to manage than others.  A project manager who is competent to manage an easier, less complex project may not be competent to manage a harder, more complex project.

GAPPS has developed an approach to categorising projects based on their management complexity. The GAPPS framework uses a tool called the Crawford-Ishikura Factor Table for Evaluating Roles, or CIFTER. The tool, named after two major contributors to GAPPS, is used to differentiate project manager roles based on the complexity of the projects managed. For more information about project complexity click here.

There are six (6) units covered by the GAPPS Project Manager Standard. They are;

PM01 Manage Stakeholder Relationships

PM02 Manage Development of the Plan for the Project

PM03 Manage Project Progress

PM04 Manage Product Acceptance

PM05 Manage Project Transitions

PM06 Evaluate and Improve Project Performance  

The GAPPS Project Manager Standard can be used in many different ways. These include using,

• The mapping of GAPPS to other national and global standards to understand how the different standards compare in terms of the content they cover.
• The GAPPS standard as the basis for creating a new customised standard for your organisation or nation
• The GAPPS standard for conducting assessments of individual project managers
• The GAPPS standard for reviewing the content of training courses being offered to ensure they include all the aspects of competency a project manager should possess

To Download GAPPS Project Manager Standards, please click on Downloads in the Side Bar Menu