The Certified International Project Manager

By Zulk Shamsuddin

The Certified International Project Manager ® (CIPM®) is a world-class certification that demonstrates the attainment of a defined level of technical knowledge and experience in project management, professional practice and ethical behavior. It forms the basis of the assessment that applicants must pass to gain the Certified International Project Manager status and inclusion in the Register of The American Academy of Project Management ® (AAPM) Chartered Professionals. Individuals with several years of experience in project management are encouraged to acquire this prestigious certification.
This book shall guide you to prepare for the Certified International Project Manager ® examination that can be taken online via GAFM Academy Certification services besides providing a good source of reference for a professional to work towards becoming a Certified International Project Manager.
Stand proud above the rest with this exclusive globally recognized Certified International Project Manager ® certification.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 28, 2019
• ISBN: 9781794833951

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

The Certified International Project Manager ® (CIPM®) is a world-class certification that demonstrates the attainment of a defined level of technical knowledge, in project management, professional practice and ethical behavior. It forms the basis of the assessment that applicants must pass to gain the Certified International Project Manager status and inclusion in the Register of The American Academy of Project Management® (AAPM) Chartered Professionals. Individuals with several years of experience in project management are encouraged to acquire this prestigious certification. This book shall guide you to prepare for the Certified International Project Manager ® examination that can be taken online via GAFM Academy Digital Certification services besides providing a good source of reference for a professional to work towards becoming a Certified International Project Manager. 

Stand out above the rest with this exclusive globally recognized Certified International Project Manager ® certification.

Benefits of becoming a Certified International Project Manager

Personal recognition from your peers in project management and other professions.

Enhanced CV to stand out in the job market.

A framework for the development of your career.

International recognition.

Assurance for clients of high standards and ethical practice.

Use of the post nominal CIPM® or Certified International Project Manager®

Increased understanding, helping you to work more effectively.

Introduce yourself with this exclusive membership card during networking, business events, conference, anywhere. Membership has its privileges.

A Certified International Project Manager® is an experienced Project Manager who has earned the accredited gold-standard Certified International Project Manager credential from The American Academy of Project Management ®. This credential is offered to the individual with several years of experience specifically in project management across any industry.

Certified International Project Manager Responsibilities

The Certified International Project Manager decide and develop the most appropriate economic models and engineering methods for projects. They work in a variety of fields such as information technology, engineering, telecommunication, construction, logistics, hospitality, and others. Certified International Project Managers are normally onsite during an engineering project to supervise all stages of work and provide solutions. Most Project Managers work full-time alongside a wide number of team mates, such as site managers, surveyors, site engineers, to ensure a project runs on schedule and that materials are sufficient. Successful Certified International Project Managers are comfortable working in fast-paced environments.

Although a Certified International Project Manager’s day-to-day duties and responsibilities are determined by where they work, there are many core tasks associated with the role. Based on our analysis of job listings, these include:

Create Project Execution Plans

Deciding on proper management techniques and milestone sequences for each project stage is the most important role of a Certified International Project Manager. They set targets for activities based on each phase of a project plan and ensure it meets the client’s specifications. Certified International Project Managers make estimations for timescales and costs using specialized design software packages.

Project Monitoring and Reporting

Certified International Project Managers monitor day-to-day work progress for a project and provide accurate weekly and monthly reports by swiftly communicating potential progress delays or project slippages. Tracking and analyzing field results is another key responsibility. Certified International Project Manager s continually make comparisons between planned progress and actual progress and report any differences to their lead project manager. They also study the impact of alternative approaches.

Perform Project Coordination

Certified International Project Managers analyze expenses and identify opportunities to save costs. They make sure complex projects are handled on time and budget by overseeing the project planning, inventory services, cost control, team leadership, and project management.

Manage Stakeholder and Team Communication

A Certified International Project Manager works closely with others involved in a project and directs the daily workload of subordinate team members. They attend crucial meetings and provide current status updates to vendors, supervisors, and other stakeholders.

Drive Process Improvement

Driving continuous improvement by working with leadership teams is a key duty for Certified International Project Managers. They identify gaps in key performance areas and plan activities to increase overall project efficiency.

CERTIFIED INTERNATIONAL PROJECT MANAGER QUALIFICATIONS

Certified International Project Managers should be self-motivated, extremely organized, and have strong communication and project management aptitude. Employers typically seek candidates with a bachelor’s degree, project management certification, and the following skills:

Project Management skills – Certified International Project Manager need a strong understanding of project management body of knowledge and the processes

Strategic planning – the primary job of Certified International Project Manager is determining the necessary path for a project to get completed on time

Risk management – skills on the application of risk management processes to manage threats and risks in the project

Teamwork – Certified International Project Manager interact effectively with cross-functional team members and external stakeholders at various levels of responsibility

Analytical skills – high levels of analytical and problem-solving skills are critical to the performance of this role

Communication skills – Certified International Project Manager need strong verbal and written skills to provide reports to clients and stakeholders as well as articulate complex project plans to team members

Interpersonal skills – listening, leadership, empathy, and dependability

Computer skills – Certified International Project Manager use specialized computer software for project management purposes, and also to produce visual presentations, using bar charts and graphs to explain work schedules

This chapter provides an overview of project management, its characteristics, the organization and the people behind a project, the project management life cycle and a summary of the five phases of initiation, planning, execution, control, and closing. We will also examine the project management competency areas that will be applied during the various stages of the life cycle processes. The information you will learn in this chapter not only will help you to succeed in passing the examination but also guide you in managing a project regardless of your project experience. This reference guide has been prepared from the perspective of professional industry experts in the field of project management.

A project involves a group of inter-related activities that are planned and then executed in a certain sequence to create a unique product or service within a specific timeframe, to achieve benefits.  Projects are often critical components of an organization’s business strategy. Projects vary in size and complexity.

For example, they may: 

Involve changes to existing systems, policies, legislation and/or procedures

Entail organizational change

Involve a single person or many people

Involve a single unit of one organization, or may span cross organizational boundaries

Involve engagement and management of external resources

Require less than 100 hours or take several years

Projects versus Operations

In some organizations, everything is a project. In other organizations, projects are rare exercises in change. There's a fine line between projects and operations, and often these entities overlap in function. Consider the following points shared by projects and operations:

• Both involve employees

• Both typically have limited resources: people, money, or both

• Both are hopefully designed, executed, and managed by someone in charge

So, what is a project-and how do you know if you are managing one? 

A project as 'a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service.' 

Temporary means that the project has an end date.

Unique means that the project's end result is different than the results of other functions of the organization.

Often projects are confused with general business duties: marketing, sales, manufacturing, and so on. The tell-tale sign of a project is that is has an end date and that it's unique from other activities within the organization.

Some examples of projects include:

Designing a new product or service

Converting from one computer application to another

Building a new warehouse

Moving from one building to another

Organizing a political campaign

Designing and building a new airplane

The output of projects can result in operations. For example, imagine a company creating a new airplane. This new airplane will be a small personal plane that would allow people to fly to different destinations with the same freedom they use in driving their car. The project team will have to design an airplane from scratch that may be similar to a car. This project, to create a personal plane, is temporary, but not necessarily short term. It may take years to go from concept to completion but the project does have an end date. A project of this magnitude may require hundreds of prototypes before a working model are ready for the marketplace. In addition, there are countless regulations, safety issues, and quality control issues that must be pacified before completion.

Once the initial plane is designed, built, and approved, the end result of the project is business operations. As the company creates a new vehicle, it would follow through with their design by manufacturing, marketing, selling, supporting, and improving their product. The initial design of the airplane is the project-the business of manufacturing it, supporting sold units, and marketing the product constitutes the ongoing operations part of business.

Operations are the day-to-day work that goes on in the organization. A manufacturer manufactures things, scientists’ complete research and development, and businesses provide goods and services. Operations are the heart of organizations. Projects, on the other hand, are short-term endeavor that fall outside of the normal day-to-day operations an organization offers.

Once the project is completed, the project team moves along to other projects and activities. The people who are actually building the airplanes on the assembly line however have no end date in sight, and will continue to create airplanes as longs as there is a demand for the product.

Project management is the supervision and control of the work required to complete the project vision. The project team carries out the work needed to complete the project, while the project manager schedules, monitors, and controls the various project tasks. Projects, being the temporary and unique things that they are, require the project manager to be actively involved with the project implementation. They are not self-propelled. Project management is comprised of the following ten knowledge management areas:

Integration Management include includes unification, consolidation, communication, and the integrative actions to control project execution, to manage stakeholder expectations, and to meet project requirements.

Scope Management include the process of creating the project scope document that describe the scope of the project and the scope of the product. The key benefit of this process is that it provides guidance and direction on how scope will be managed throughout the project.

Time Management  deals with the ability to plan and finish the project in a timely manner. It involved defining project activities, estimating the resources required to perform the work, estimating the duration of activities, scheduling activities and ensuring adherence to the project schedule.

Cost Management include the processes that establish the policies, procedures, and documentation for planning, managing, expending, and controlling project costs. The key benefit of this process is that it provides guidance and direction on how the project costs will be managed throughout the project.

Quality Management is to ensure that the project outputs are delivered fit-for-purpose. If outputs are not fit-for-purpose there is a possibility that planned project benefits will not be realized, or realized to a much lesser extent. It can be achieved by developing quality criteria for the outputs themselves and by ensuring that all project management processes are conducted in a quality manner.

Human Resource Management involve planning for managing the people, finances, and physical and information resources required to perform the project activities is vital, no matter what the project size or complexity. For small projects, this planning may not be documented, but for large and/or more complex projects, detailed documentation will enable better management of the resources, as well as transparency for the Key Stakeholders.

Communications Management includes the processes involved in developing an appropriate approach and plan for project communications based on stakeholder’s information needs and requirements, and available organizational assets.

Stakeholder Management involve the identification of people or organizations that have an interest in the project processes, outputs, outcomes or benefits, and planning for how their involvement will be managed on an ongoing basis. It may be done very quickly for a small project, whereas a large and/or more complex project will require a formal stakeholder analysis, a Stakeholder Management Plan as part of the Project Business Plan and ongoing monitoring and review of progress. Stakeholder Management is closely related to communication strategy and planning.

Risk Management describe the processes concerned with identifying, analyzing and responding to project risk. It consists of risk identification, risk analysis, risk evaluation and risk treatment. The processes are iterative throughout the life of the project and should be built into the project management planning and activities. For small projects, a brief scan and ongoing monitoring may be all that is required. For large and/or more complex projects, a formalized system for analyzing, managing and reporting should be established, including the use of a Risk Register.

Procurement Management include the processes associated with contract management and change control processes required to develop and administer contracts or