IPMO-Practitioner Certification (IPMO-P)

IPMO-P 500X500
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The International Project Management Officer (IPMO)® certification is the most important industry-recognized certification series for project management officers and professionals working in, or associated with, PMO activities and related services. There are three core certifications reflecting the level of competency: Foundation, Practitioner, and Expert, three foundational certifications, and a specialist PMO certification series reflecting the unique demands on PMOs that bridge projects, programs, and portfolios, including the operational environment.

Certified IPMO Practitioners have demonstrated, through a combination of formal training and competency assessment, that they have an in-depth understanding of PMO principles and practices, including the design, implementation, and operation of a single PMO at any level or construct within an organization. This certification builds on the IPMO-F® foundation certification.

COURSE OVERVIEW

Since PMOs began to appear in organizations, academic researchers and project management practitioners have been asking how to best structure PMOs in terms of services, roles, governance, culture, and leadership styles to provide maximum sustainable benefit. This in turn drives the perceived value of PMOs across the organization.

The problem is that majority of recommendations to date have created confusion and resulted in piecemeal approaches. The problem is that less than 33% of PMOs reach the full potential (PMI®, 2013), which indicates a limited understanding in how PMOs should be defined not only at the project, program, and portfolio levels but also what they do, how they do it, and their configurations that optimally support the organizational needs of today, and tomorrow. AIPMO and its partners’ experience confirms that vast majority of PMOs are only offering about a third of the PMO services they should be offering. High-performing PMOs are more than three times as likely as their low-performing peers to reach their full potential in contributing business value to their organizations (PMI®, 2013). This course brings together the latest in academic research and expert practices from the international experts who have also contributed to international standards in the domains of PMOs, projects, programs, and portfolios. The IPMO-P certification will ensure that you have the competencies to bring your PMO into the high-performing PMO category.

The course covers topics of strategy formulation and execution, success factors, success criteria, PMOs and their services, assess-ment of the current PMO setups in terms of SWOT and then a roadmap to strategically design and implement a PMO using an integrated approach to ensure PMO alignment with organizational objectives. The content of AIPMO’s Body of Knowledge is covered, which will comprise of a series of books covering PMO Principles, Portfolio, Program, and Project Principles, PMO Techniques and Tools, PMO Services and Capabilities, plus references to other books.

COURSE MODULES

As a PMO Practitioner, you will be able to design, establish, or revalue your PMO, i.e., a set of services within the context of your organization and the projects you support. You will understand the key PMO documentation, how to define and measure PMO performance, PMO success, PMO benefits and PMO value, and link these to the latest thinking in AIPMO’s new principle-based PMO maturity model. In doing so, you will have the opportunity to find out why some PMOs might perform below expectations and learn how to improve individual and collective PMO performance in an organization to achieve the maximum sustainable benefits.

This course is also designed to be hands-on and encompasses the day-to-day operational aspects of PMOs by detailing the challenges and good practices to improve communication and optimize service utilization. You will take away key documents from the course that can be used immediately at your workplace to carry out PMO strategic and operational reviews, as well as the day-to-day activities.

What You Need to Know

Duration

In-Class: 5 Days

Virtual: 30 Contact Hours

 

 

Assessment

Exam

 

 

Certification

IPMO-P Certificate

Key Takeaways

  • Understand the importance of a Strategic PMO Lifecycle framework to design and run PMO services to achieve maximum sustainable benefits
  • Describe the different roles of PMOs across different levels of the organization
  • Hands-on workshop experience in applying the Strategic PMO Lifecycle framework to your PMO with an outcome of an aligned set of PMO services that address your organization’s challenges
  • Gain experience in establishing the mandate for PMO implementations
  • Understand the  drivers of PMO change and how to see the signs
  • Understand PMO success and how it is measured
  • Understand the similarities and differences between organizational project management maturity and PMO management maturity
  • Understand your own PMO improvement plan
  • Learn new techniques and tools never used before in the PMO arena

Who should attend

  • PMO directors/PMO managers
  • Project/Program Management Professional®
  • Consultants (involved in projects and/or organizational change)
  • Project/program/portfolio managers with expertise in PMOs
  • Experienced PMO Core team

Teaching Approach

In-Class training approach includes:

·        Lecture

·        Team exercises and one-day workshop

·        Group discussions on pertinent topics

·        Detailed case study

·        Presentations and role play

·        Personal coaching (if time allows)

Virtual Course teaching approach (delivered through AIPMO’s Learning Management System) includes:

·        Lecture

·        Team exercises, polls, breakout rooms

·        Group discussions on pertinent topics

·        Detailed case study

·        Presentations and role play

·        Personal coaching (if time allows)

 

Pre-requisites

  • 3 year plus experience in project and/or program management
  • 3 year plus experience as a PMO member or higher, i.e., PMO manager
  • Ideally IPMO-F, SC-IPMO, and TT-IPMO
  • Ideally a formal PM certification such as PMP®, Prince II®, or IPMA® (Levels C or higher, i.e., B or A)
  • Educated at degree level or similar

Exam

  • The exam is moderated by the instructor at the end of the course
  • Open book exam, 75 multiple choice questions
  • Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes.

How the Certification Differs from the IPMO-Expert™ Level

Both IPMO-P and IPMO-E certification courses follow similar outlines utilizing AIPMO’s “PMO Strategic Lifecycle Framework.” But they address different needs: IPMO-P is focused on the lifecycle for one PMO irrespective of its location in the organization. IPMO-E covers all existing PMOs and potential requirements for new PMOs within the organization and/or partner networks.

The IPMO-E course employs organizational re(design) techniques with respect to PMOs and PMO services, hence the use of the AIPMO terms “PMO topology” and “PMO Services topology.” IPMO-F certification is for the junior PMO and project team member who need a foundation in both worlds of projects and PMOs. IPMO-F provides overviews of the AIPMO frameworks and terminology, project management terminology, techniques, different methodologies (traditional and Agile), and then covers “a week in the life of a PMO team member.” The PMO Services Lifecycle is explained, where the PMO services identified will determine the competencies required for every PMO team member.

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