Controls professionals, skills, competency & training

Location:  PMKI > Project Controls and Scheduling > Controls professionals, skills, competency & training
The PMKI Library

PMKI Index
Download
the PMKI
Taxonomy

The future of project management is predicted to be one that focuses on the ‘soft skills’ including; communication, motivation, and leadership. Uncertainty will be recognized as normal and skills for managing uncertainty will become essential for successful project delivery. Consequently, the skills needed by project controls professionals, including schedulers will be focused on using the schedule to assist in the effective use of the available time and resources to achive the project's objective, by supporting the PM Team with useful information. This paradigm emphasizes:
- Collaboration and agreement
- Coordination and timely information, and
- The ability to adapt to changing circumstances quickly.
This subject looks at the skills and competencies needed by effective controls staff and the various qualification frameworks.

Topics included in project controls professionals, skills, competency & training:

- Project control competencies and skills
- EVM and CPM schedule training
- Scheduling and controls certifications
- External Web-links & Resources

Other related sections of the PMKI:

- Competencies & Interpersonal Skills
- Communication Management 


Project controls competencies and skills

For the last 60+ years, planning and scheduling has been a craft either self-taught or occasionally by the transfer of knowledge from ‘masters’ to ‘apprentices’. In the last 40+ years, many people have confused learning to use a scheduling tool, with learning how to make use of the tool to develop effective schedules that have a positive affect on project outcomes. As a consequence nearly 50% of projects finish late! The core competence of a project controls professional is creating useful information that is used by management to improve project outcomes.

DP: The Roles and Attributes of a Scheduler considers the personal skills and competencies needed by a person to be an effective scheduler and describes the various 'roles' a scheduler will have during the life cycle of a typical project including the difference between planning and scheduling and the scheduling value proposition. Open the paper.

See also: The problem with CPM.

Top


EVM & CPM Schedule Training

CPM Training Easy CPM is a course-in-a-book designed to provide practical guidance to people involved in developing, or using schedules based on the Critical Path Method (CPM). The book is designed to act as a reference and practice guide for people implementing CPM scheduling after they have learned to use the CPM scheduling software of their choice.

Easy CPM is compatible with PMI's Practice Standard for Scheduling, and is a suitable study resource for the CPM component of the PMI-SP and PMP exams.

$35.00 AUD (Plus GST, Australian customers only). Size: 295 pages, 120 questions, file size 22 Mb.

Open the Book2Look preview to see the full table of contents, sample pages, and sample questions & answers. Open Book2Look preview


Developing an Effective CPM Schedule
1-Day workshop designed to augment Easy CPM. This workshop focuses on developing an effective schedule in any software tool. It is designed to help project managers and schedulers lift their scheduling practice to the next level. See more.

_____________________________
 

Easy EVMEasy EVM is a self-paced course-in-a-book, supported by Mosaic Project Services Pty Ltd. Its purpose is to provide practical guidance to people, and organizations, involved in either implementing an earned value management system, or using information created by an earned value management system. The book provides guidance on the concepts, responsibilities, integration, and processes, required for the implementation and use of earned value management based on ISO 21508: Earned Value Management in Project and Programme Management. Easy EVM, and ISO21508, are compatible with PMI's The Standard for Earned Value Management (ANSI/PMI 19-006-2019), and is a suitable study resource for the EVM component of the PMI-SP and PMP exams.

$35.00 AUD (Plus GST, Australian customers only). Size: 240 pages, 100 questions, file size 14 Mb.

Open the Book2Look preview to see the full table of contents, sample pages, and sample questions & answers. Open Book2Look preview


Earned Value Management for Business
. This workshop is designed to provide students with an understanding of the power of using Earned Value as a practical control and monitoring technique to deliver added value and insight from their overall project control process. The approach adopted is to assume everyone uses some form of software for EV, therefore rote learning of the formulae is pointless. What’s needed is an appreciation of the terms used and the value of the information created by the tools. Workshop available in half-day, one-day and two-day formats: view course details.

Top


Scheduling & controls qualifications

Until recently, certifications in scheduling were focused exclusively on senior schedulers and had very little effect on the profession and practice of scheduling. These factors have now started to change - new ideas and paradigms are emerging that will change the way people advance their careers in planning and scheduling. Initiatives by The Guild of Project Controls, and Planning Planet are focused on delivering a career framework for professional ‘Time Managers’, taking people from novice, to a practitioner skilled in the art of planning and scheduling.

Prs: Should your schedulers be certified?  This paper focuses on these initiatives to revitalize our industry by creating a career path for planners and schedulers as well as clearly identifying the benefits of certification for organizations that employ planners and schedulers. The answer to the question posed in this presentation’s title is YES!
Download the presentation
.


PCI-AusAustralian Diploma in Project Controls. This qualification has been designed to help you or your team gain the capabilities needed to coordinate all aspects of project controls through the project lifecycle.

Course Outline
• Delivery method: This course is delivered via a blended method (virtual/classroom lectures).
• Duration: The course duration is 12 months. Also, Diploma of Project Controls consists of
   four terms per year, each lasting up to 11 weeks, with an average of 14 contact hours per week.
• Units: Student must complete 11 units (9 core units and 2 elective units).
- download the course details.
PCI offer courses globally, click through for more information.


GPCGuild of Project Controls. Offering standards and certifications based on proven competency. The Guild was been formed at the request of the members from Planning Planet the worlds' largest Project Controls community with 150,000+ members. Free access is provided to the Project Controls Compendium and Reference (GPCCaR).

 

PMI-SP The Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP) certification recognizes the need for a specialist role in project scheduling. Click through for some general information on the PMI-SP exam. Successful PMI-SP candidates typically use multiple study aids including, self-study and will spend many hours to prepare, the resources on this web site are consistent with the examination.

 

AACEI PSPAACEi PSP. Planning & Scheduling Professional (PSP) A PSP is a skilled planning and scheduling professional with advanced experience in project planning, and developing, monitoring, updating, forecasting and analyzing integrated project schedules.
AACEi also offer the Certified Scheduling Technician (CST) for people who do not meet the PSP requirements.

AACEi EVP. An Earned Value Professional (EVP)  is a practitioner of Earned Value with demonstrated mastery of contract language as it relates to Earned Value application, the organization of a project’s scope into meaningful structure for execution; planning scheduling and budgeting the project work from initiation through close out using an integrated cost/schedule tool; highly proficient in monitoring project progress for performance measurement; an earned value management system (EVMS). The experienced EVP will have broad experiences in the interpretation of the EV data/metrics and possess the skills to provide coherent, relevant communications (oral and written) to all levels of project stakeholders (internal and external).

Top


Useful External Web-links & Resources

Access the Guild of Project Controls Body of Knowledge. A suite of process-based documents which define Project Controls (membership required): http://www.planningplanet.com/guild/GPCCAR-modules
 

PMCOSProject Management College of Scheduling (PMCOS). An organization of professionals dedicated to advancing the practice and profession of project planning and scheduling, and promoting the implementation of accurate, ethical schedules throughout the World: https://pmcos.org/  
 

iAPSCCinternational Association of Planners, Schedulers, and Cost Controllers (iAPSCC). An international chapter-based organization advocating for the professional designation and value-contribution recognition for maintenance and project planning, scheduling, and cost control individuals: https://iapscc.com/ 
 

CPMCollege of Performance Management (CPM). a global, non-profit, professional organization dedicated to developing and disseminating the principles and practices of earned value management and other project performance management techniques: https://mycpm.org/    

Top

Easy CPM

EVM Work Sheet
Work Performance Management


Easy EVM

Stakeholder Work Sheet


Work Performance Management

Communication Plan


Easy CPM

Easy EVM