SECTION TWO

The Profession of Project Management

Introduction

THE GROWTH OF THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSION

Project management has evolved from the “accidental profession” of years ago—when no one actually planned to become a project manager, but just happened into the position—to a profession based on formalized bodies of knowledge, such as the Project Management Institute’s Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide) and those developed by other professional organizations—the International Project Management Association (Europe) and the Association of Project Managers (UK), among others.

Where once project management was merely an add-on to the role of a civil engineer or systems engineer, today it is more commonly identified as a career choice in and of itself. The rapid growth of the discipline’s primary professional organization—the Project Management Institute (PMI)—from less than 15,000 members when the first edition of this handbook was published in 1993, to well over a half-million members and credential holders (and increasing), gives us a good indication of the rapid “mainstreaming” of the project manager role.

Since formal certification programs appeared in the 1990s, more emphasis has been given to seeing project management as a profession—something that has a defined body of knowledge based on specific principles and is subject to qualifications and knowledge testing based on a formal process. There is an evolving trend toward developing professional certification that is not only knowledge based but also competency based, thus taking into consideration experience records and other formal professional qualifications.

PMI increasingly has focused on certification as the primary benefit to its membership, offering additional targeted certifications, such as the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), designed to be a stepping stone to Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or a terminal certification for project administration roles, the Program Management Professional (PgMP) for program managers on the more experienced end of the scale, and, most recently, a certification in Agile methods.

Many companies require certification for advancement or recognize certification as part of the advancement path in careers. In formal bidding processes for professional services related to projects, client organizations often call for certified project professionals.

Professionalism is a personal commitment, but it must be supported by institutions, including professional societies, educational institutions, and the organizations that employ project managers. It also requires a great deal from the individual. The more seriously an occupation is taken as it moves into the category of the professions, the more serious are the implications of unprofessional or unethical behavior on the part of the practitioner.

This section of the handbook focuses on the career of project management. First, what must one do to become a certified project management professional? In Chapter 18, Theodore R. Boccuzzi takes us step by step through the various stages of qualification. What competencies are required of the project manager, and how are these developed? What does the new project manager have to look forward to in the course of his or her career? In Chapter 19, J. Kent Crawford and Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin discuss project management competencies and career paths. What are the ethical issues facing project managers? In Chapter 20, Thomas Mengel, a visiting professor of management at a number of Canadian universities, explores this topic and provides thought-provoking ethical cases for your consideration. Is project management in fact a profession? If not, what must we do to ensure that it becomes one? In Chapter 21, Janice Thomas addresses these issues. In Chapter 22, Deborah Bigelow Crawford (herself a former Executive Director of PMI) provides a look at how project managers today can ramp up their careers by developing business acumen.