For anyone who is looking to become an effective project planner, the Association for Project Management (APM) approach to Project Planning and Control™ (PPC) is an essential course that can help you fully understand all the tools and processes needed for this role and other related careers where APM PPC accreditation is valuable.
The training itself provides a step-by-step controls guide from project initiation all the way to execution. It will also provide those involved in project planners with a holistic overview of all of the interdependencies that there are between both the planning and the control functions. Perhaps most importantly, it can also be a very practical companion for any professional in a project-related role.
The guidance within the Project Planning and Control is specifically aimed at those who are employed in the following roles:
· Planning Managers
· Planning Engineers
· Project Control Managers
· Project Control Engineers
However, anyone who is considering any of these roles could undertake the training in order to help improve their knowledge, understanding and skills in order to help them apply for the relevant roles.
It can also be useful to anyone who is looking to undertake the following roles:
· Cost Engineers
· Project Managers
· Project Support Team Members
What does the APM PPC examination require?
There are two different levels of the course available with the foundation PPC specifically geared towards:
- Planning Managers & Engineers
- Project Control Managers & Engineers
- Cost Engineers
- Project Managers
The examination for this level is relatively simple and takes the form of a multiple choice question paper with just 50% required for a pass. The examination is designed to test the knowledge of candidates with regard to their understanding of the definition of a project, the necessary approaches that are required to plan and close a project, scheduling techniques, how to monitor and take proactive control of a project and good record keeping and feedback.
There is also a practitioner level of the PPC, and whilst this is also geared towards the same careers as the foundation level, it is more complex in its nature. It provides a greater depth of understanding on a wider range of project management topics that will not only further your knowledge of project management but will also show potential employers that you have received a professionally recognised qualification.
The practitioner qualification examination is a complex multiple choice paper with 8 questions, each worth 10 marks. Again the pass mark is 50%.
There is a wide range of careers within the project management field that the APM PPC can lead to. It may be that you are already working in that role and are looking to gain the qualifications to help you further your career or are looking to change your career path and move into one of the roles we have already mentioned. Either way, it is a highly-regarded qualification from the Association for Project Management.
