The APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) was formerly known as the APMP and is designed for those who see project management as a key part of their role. It establishes a solid foundation in project management behaviours, skills, processes and tools in any industry. It is ideal for those with a few years’ experience in project delivery, who are seeking to consolidate a structured method of project management in their company with a best-practice approach from the Association for Project Management.
At the end of the APM PMQ course, you will:
Gain a recognised qualification from the Association for Project Management to enhance your career prospects as a project professional
Be able to apply the principles of project management to your company projects including:
Be equipped with the practical skills and knowledge to successfully deliver benefits to your organisation through well-managed projects.
Explain the benefits of project management to your organisation
Confidently sit the APM PMQ exam (formerly APMP) with a clear understanding of what is required to pass
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.
Leadership, Communications And Team WorkCommunications - 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.
Planning For Success And Scope ManagementScope 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.
Exam Prep And ExamThe final session is a tutor lead exam preparation followed by the exam.
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.
Classroom Course | Distance Learning | Exam Prep and Exam Day | |
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Cost | £1650 | £300 | £550 |
Delivery method | 5 Days of Classroom Training | 1 Day Exam prep and Exam | |
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The 5 day virtual classroom course, the 6 week virtual course and the distance learning course all offer the same end goal, achieving the APM Project Management Qualification, but which learning method is best suited for you? 5-Day Course
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.
Course ran in a relaxed and considered environment. Good mixture of characters and professions. Excellent venue. Topics covered at good pace. Instructor Adrian showed excellent depth in his knowledge with easy to understand practice examples. I will personally recommend course, venue and instructor.
Karl Wellburn - Project Engineer, Section Engineer at Doosan Babcock
Mar
09
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APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) Virtual Classroom 5 days, spread across 3 weeks SessionsDay 1 - Webinars 1 to 4Tue 09 Mar 09:00 - Tue 09 Mar 17:00
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Day 2 - Webinars 5 to 8Wed 10 Mar 09:00 - Wed 10 Mar 17:00
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Day 3 - Webinars 9 to 12Tue 16 Mar 09:00 - Tue 16 Mar 17:00
Online
Day 4 - Webinars 13 to 15Wed 17 Mar 09:00 - Wed 17 Mar 17:00
Online
Day 5 - Exam prep and examWed 24 Mar 09:00 - Wed 24 Mar 17:00
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Apr
14
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APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) Virtual Classroom 5 days, spread across 3 weeks SessionsDay 1 - Webinars 1 to 4Wed 14 Apr 09:00 - Wed 14 Apr 17:00
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Day 2 - Webinars 5 to 8Thu 15 Apr 09:00 - Thu 15 Apr 17:00
Online
Day 3 - Webinars 9 to 12Wed 21 Apr 09:00 - Wed 21 Apr 17:00
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Day 4 - Webinars 13 to 15Thu 22 Apr 09:00 - Thu 22 Apr 17:00
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Day 5 - Exam prep and examWed 28 Apr 09:00 - Wed 28 Apr 17:00
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May
10
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APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) Virtual Classroom 5 days, spread across 3 weeks SessionsDay 1 - Webinars 1 to 4Mon 10 May 09:00 - Mon 10 May 17:00
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Day 2 - Webinars 5 to 8Tue 11 May 09:00 - Tue 11 May 17:00
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Day 3 - Webinars 9 to 12Mon 17 May 09:00 - Mon 17 May 17:00
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Day 4 - Webinars 13 to 15Tue 18 May 09:00 - Tue 18 May 17:00
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Day 5 - Exam prep and examMon 24 May 09:00 - Mon 24 May 17:00
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Jun
28
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APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) Virtual Classroom 5 days, spread across 3 weeks SessionsDay 1 - Webinars 1 to 4Mon 28 Jun 09:00 - Mon 28 Jun 17:00
Online
Day 2 - Webinars 5 to 8Tue 29 Jun 09:00 - Tue 29 Jun 17:00
Online
Day 3 - Webinars 9 to 12Mon 05 Jul 09:00 - Mon 05 Jul 17:00
Online
Day 4 - Webinars 13 to 15Tue 06 Jul 09:00 - Tue 06 Jul 17:00
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Day 5 - Exam prep and examMon 12 Jul 09:00 - Mon 12 Jul 17:00
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Online | View |
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.
The Parallel Project Management Qualification study guide written by Parallel Project Training
Eight on-line e-learning modules which are closely integrated with the study guide
Twenty-five podcasts which you can download and listen to as you travel
An on-line tutor support via our study group
A full sample exam paper
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?.
These are presented a short bite-size presentations by the authors of the study guide (John Bolton and Paul Naybour) of the course contents. They cover all the areas required in the APM Project Fundamentals syllabus and are fast paced and engaging. Topics included are:
During the course we will follow a new project manager, called Jayne, as she seeks to apply project management to her first project. You will meet the rest of her team, including the sponsor and venture capitalist, Zac Shallow, the IT manager, Karim and the operations manager Colin. In twenty-two short episodes you can follow Jayne each step of the way during the project life cycle. Watch as she:
Sorts out the roles for the project including the project sponsor and user.
Prepares and presents a business case for the project.
Works with the team to define the project management plan.
Manages the risks and issues that emerge along the way
Deals with changes introduced by the project sponsor.
This case study brings the application of project management to life.
During the course we also invite you to consider the implications of what we have learned and how you can apply these lessons to the projects you manage day to day. For example:
Considering the questions we would ask a sponsor at a start up meeting?
Considering the success factors, benefits and KPI for the case study project and how these apply to your project?
Analysis of the different stakeholder's in a project?
Considering the best structure for a project management plan?
Considering how to respond to a risk or and issue?
The aim of these reflection exercises is to help you think about the ways in which you can apply the key learning points from the course to the projects you manage day-to-day.
Our e-Learning system will support the following browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer 9+, Microsoft Edge, Safari and Safari on iPhone iOS 8+ (iPhone 4s through current), Safari on iPads with iOS 8+ (iPad 2 through current) and Chrome on Android. We do not support IE8 which is no longer supported by Microsoft. For the exam you will need a web cam as well.
You will gain access to our e-Learning System for six months, but if you need to extend the access for a further six months at any time then please do get in touch. There is no time limit on you taking the exam, although we may ask for a small additional payment to cover any change in the exam fees by the APM.