APM PPQ Introduction

Welcome to Parallel Project Training Podcast

My name's Paul Naybour and welcome to another Parallel Project Training podcast. Today we're doing the PPQ and I'm really delighted that Thomas has decided to join us.

Introducing the New PPQ Program Leader

Tom O’Shea is going to be leading our PPQ programs from now on, and I've known Tom for many, many years. So, introduce yourself. Tom, tell people what you know about the PPQ and your involvement as a sort of PPQ assessor.

Tom's Involvement in PPQ

Yeah, certainly. So I've been involved in PPQ from the outset. I was actually involved in the previous version at this level, which was something called the PQ and that was a two-day assessment center. So fortunately, the PPQ is a little bit easier than that in that it's now just a half-day assessment in effect. But I've been involved from the beginning in the pilot, setting up the process and confirming or evaluating the structure of the assessment and have been undertaking assessments ever since. In addition to that, I also do some guidance and coaching of people through the process and how to present evidence, the kinds of things that are expected of a PPQ care assessment and the best way to prepare.

Understanding the PPQ

Fantastic. Fantastic. So you basically have seen the inside of how candidates do well and not so well and the hints and tips that they can use. So that's what we wanted to capture in this series of podcasts. I suppose we better explain what the PPQ is really. I see it as a bridge between the knowledge and understanding that you get in the project management qualification and that sort of advanced technical knowledge that you need to get your chartered status. So it provides a route to chartered. So I think that's why most people come on this program, that they're looking to work towards chartered status, I think.

PPQ Versus PMQ

Yes, indeed. Although the PPQ is, you know, recognized in itself and is something worth having, just as it almost is a standalone, if you like, to show that you have developed an advanced level of competence and capability in delivering projects. And I think that's the key thing that differentiates it from the PMQ that you mentioned. The PMQ is very much about knowledge. It's about learning some stuff, some theories, and techniques, and tools, and processes, and then being able to write theoretical answers to exam questions. PPQ is very much about application. So within the PPQ, you are expected to demonstrate to the assessors that you can actually run a project by applying your knowledge to the case study. So you have to approach this as a project manager, not as a student candidate in an exam. You have to approach this as if you are actually about to go into this organization or have just gone into this organization to deliver a project.

Case Study Assessment

Yes. So the assessment based on a case study, isn't it? Yes. So you get a case study four weeks before your assessment and you have to put yourself into the feet of the project manager who's coming in to run the case study. And most of them seem to be turnaround situations where the project has not been managed effectively. And you have to think about what steps and measures you would implement in order to bring that project back into control.

Yeah. It's always going to be a situation that a project or projects are not being run well. There's no point in putting somebody into a situation where everything's perfect because all you do is pick up the reins and carry on. What this assessment is looking for is for you to use your knowledge and experience to say, well, I can see what's gone wrong here and what I need to do moving forward. So it is very much about the application.