APM Project Management Qualification
(APM PMQ)

WHAT TOPICS WILL THE APM PMQ COURSE COVER?

Course Introduction - An overview of the course syllabus, assessment criteria and the exam arrangements.

Situational Context of Projects - Projects are not delivered in isolation; they need to fit within the overall business, legal and political environment. In this session, we explore how projects transform ongoing operations and how projects support strategic change as part of a coordinated programme or portfolio of projects. We, also, discuss the impact of a volatile, uncertain, ambiguous and complex world on project delivery. We will also examine relevant legislation that applies to projects includinghealth and safety, environmental, employment and contract law.

Organisations and Project Structures - Projects need to work with a wide range of different organisations and cultures. To be effective a project team needs clear roles and responsibilities. In this session we explore the different types of organisation and the key responsibilities of the project manager, sponsor, user and the project office.

Project Lifecycles - In this session, we explore the APM project lifecycles and the benefits of adopting a range of lifecycles for a project, including a standard project lifecycle, along with iterative and hybrid approaches. This includes the importance of project reviews and benefits of capturing lessons learned from projects.

Communications - The key to good communications is the identification and management of stakeholders. In thissession, we explore the processes for managing stakeholders, the contents and structure of a communications plan and the factors affecting communications in a project environment.

All projects have periods of conflict, and resolving these conflicts by negotiations is a critical skill for many project managers. In this session, we look at the different approaches to conflictresolution and the stages in the negotiation process.

Leadership and Teamwork - People deliver projects and so in this section we look at how to develop and lead successful project teams. This includes discussions on the leadership qualities of a project manager, the principles of motivation, the impact of leadership on team motivation, the advantages of adopting situational leadership models and the benefits of effective teams and team working in virtual teams.

Scope Management - In this session, we will define scope in terms of outputs, outcomes and benefits and explain how to manage scope through requirements management and configuration management for both linear and agile project approaches.. We will also look at the different stages in change control and the relationship between change control and configuration management. Finally, in this session, we explain the advantages and disadvantage of a change control process.

Planning for Success - Planning projects relies on a clear understanding of the project outcome, business benefit anda structured project management plan. In this session we explore the first stages in planning a project from the business case to the project management plan. We will explain the purposeof a business case, benefits management and describe the authorship and ownership of a business case. We also explore the importance of payback, internal rate of return and net present value for project business cases.

In this session, we will also explain project information management and a typical project reporting cycle, the purpose of the project management plan and the authorship and ownership of the project management plan. We will look into more detail at the management of stakeholders and the use of stakeholder maps and discuss the links with the communications plan. Finally, a range of estimating techniques will be explained, together with the problems of trying to provide an accurate estimate and the concept of the estimating funnel.

Scheduling and Resource Management - Planning and controlling activities and resources is a vital part of project control. In this session, we look at detailed project planning explaining techniques such as dependency networks, timeboxing, critical path and critical chain analysis, and the process of creating a schedule.

In this session we also explore the management of resources, including categories and types of resources used by projects and how resources are applied to a scheduling process. This will include differentiating between resource smoothing and levelling. Cost is also an essential aspect of project control, so in this session, we will explain budgeting and cost management, including the use of earned value management.

Risk Management - Every project is a risk. In this session, we look at a proactive risk management process. This includes examining the stages in a risk management process, risk response planning, the benefits of risk management and the difference between risk and issue management. In this section, we will also examine the importance of the risk and issue escalation process.

Quality Management - Poor quality management leads to poor customer satisfaction, additional cost and project delay. In this session, we look at the elements of project quality management including quality planning, assurance and control. In particular, we look at the practical application of quality management in the project environment.

Procurement - Most projects involve selecting and working with suppliers. Finding the right supplier and then working with them constructively to complete the project is vital to project success and the quality of the future relationship. In this section, we explore the role of a procurement strategyin project delivery and the different forms of contractual relationships and payment types as described in the APM Body of Knowledge.

The final session is a tutor lead exam preparation followed by the exam.

WHAT IS THE EXAM LIKE?

The APM Project Management Qualification is a three-hour written exam and with 10 questionsfrom a choice of 16. The pass mark is 55%. The results are published in 10 to 12 weeks.

The APM PMQ exam can be sat in a classroom environment, or online via an Online Proctoring service. We can arrange your exam for both of these options, so please contact us for more details.

What's Included in the Distance Learning Package from Parallel Project Training?

For the distance learning course, Parallel worked in partnership with the APM to write the official study guide for this qualification. Our distance learning course is presented by the authors of the study guide (John Bolton and Paul Naybour). As with our APM PMQ classroom course, we include a wide range of learning materials, providing with you with a flexible approach to your study. You can study in print, on-line, or as you travel in the car or the train.

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  The Parallel Project Management Qualification study guide written by Parallel Project Training

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  Eight on-line e-learning modules which are closely integrated with the study guide

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  Twenty-five podcasts which you can download and listen to as you travel

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  An on-line tutor support via our study group

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  A full sample exam paper

If I study distance learning... How Do I Take the Exam?

Once you have completed the APM PMQ distance learning course, listened to all of the podcasts and feel confident to take the exam, you need to purchase and register on oneof our APM PMQ Exam Prep and Exam days. These exam days can be sat in person in a classroom environment, or online via an online exam proctor. The exam format will be the same for both exam formats, and the marking scheme is also unchanged.

As part of the exam prep day you will work closely with a tutor (either through an online webinar or classroom) to practice exam technique, typical questions and timing. You willalso have the opportunity to work through topics you are feeling less confident about. You will then sit the exam in the afternoon.

These classroom exam events are hosted every month in various locations including Reading and London, or you can book onto an online exam day which are also hosted once a month.

The online exam portal has strict requirements for web browser, webcam set up and internet connection, so please read the guidance below before booking an on-line exam. Guidance can be found here The APM PMQ Classroom Course and Exam Like?.