General Certification Rules

General Certification Rules

(IPMA Levels A, B, C and D)

Contents

1. GENERAL PROVISIONS…………………………………………………………….………………2

2. CERTIFICATION ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE BODIES…………….………….3

3. ANNOUNCEMENT OF PROGRAMME AND APPLICATION………………….………………..3

4. FEES, COSTS BORNE BY THE CANDIDATE……………………………………………………3

5. ELEMENTS OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE…………………………………………….3

6. CERTIFICATION PROCESS………………………………………………………………………..4

7. EVALUATION OF CANDIDATE PERFORMANCE………………………………………………5

8. CONDITIONS FOR PASSING AND RETAKING CERTIFICATION……………………………6

9. CERTIFICATE AND RECERTIFICATION…………………………………………………………8

10. APPEALS…………………………………………………………………………………………….8

11. COMPLAINTS……………………………………………………………………………………….8

1. General provisions

The PMAC-AMPC Certification Body (PMAC-AMPC CB) operates based on:

• the present Rules
• the Certification Guidelines
• European standard ISO/IEC 17024 for certifying persons
• IPMA Competence Baseline (ICB)
• IPMA Certification Regulations and Guidelines (ICRG)

and provides individuals working in project management in Canada with an internationally recognized qualification.

PMAC-AMPC CB certifies at levels A, B, C and D in accordance with the universal system of the International Project Management Association (IPMA) with the following four levels:

IPMA Level A

The Certified Projects Director is able to coordinate and control all projects of a company, a division or of a programme.

IPMA Level B

The Certified Senior Project Manager is able to manage complex projects him/herself.

IPMA Level C

The Certified Project Manager is able to manage projects of limited complexity him/herself and to assist the manager of a complex project in all elements and aspects of project management.

IPMA Level D

The Certified Project Management Associate has adequate knowledge in all elements and aspects of project management and the ability to apply it.

Project complexity is indicated by the number of: interrelated subsystems/subprojects, elements and context relations; companies and/or organizational units involved; different professional or technical disciplines; different project phases of minimum duration, and by the varied application of practical project management methods, techniques and tools.

To achieve certification the candidate must demonstrate the requisite knowledge, skills and practical experience. Certificates must be renewed at specified intervals (recertification).

The goals of certification are:

• to provide private and public sector employees and self-employed persons with recognition of their knowledge and practical capability in project management,
• to facilitate the selection by companies and administrations of successful and reliable project management staff.

Generally at least one certification programme is carried out each year at each level.

1. Certification organization and administrative bodies

The governing body, which is also responsible for certification, is the Executive Board of the PMAC-AMPC CB (Association for Certification in Project Management).

The management of the certification office and the directors of the certification divisions are responsible for organizing and coordinating the certification process.

The assessors and the PMAC-AMPC CB office are responsible for carrying out certification.

Assessors are appointed by management upon application by the director of the certification division.

The IPMA Levels in which they will be involved will be determined at the time of the appointment. General assessors may work on all IPMA levels.

1. Announcement of programme and application

Certification programmes are generally announced at least four months before they take place. The announcement includes the deadline for application, the application office and the deadlines for each stage of the certification process.

Candidates apply in writing for admittance to the programme by submitting the Application for Certification form, which is available on the PMAC-AMPC CB website at

1. Fees, costs borne by the candidate

The fees for certification and recertification and the fees for individual documents and services are set by management in the Schedule of Fees after consultation with the PMAC-AMPC CB Executive Board.

• Certification fees are published with the announcement.
• The fees are invoiced to candidates for each individual certification stage.
• If a candidate withdraws before or during certification, fees are refunded only in exceptional circumstances. A candidate must explain the reason for withdrawing in writing to the office, with supporting documentation.
• Candidates who do not receive certification, fail to meet the deadlines without valid excuse or are excluded from the process lose all claims to a refund.
• The fees for candidates repeating certification are the same as the certification fees.
• Candidates are responsible for the costs of travel, accommodation and meals during the certification programme.
• There is no additional fee for issuing the certificate (one copy) and announcing accreditation.

1. Elements of knowledge and experience

The competence elements for which knowledge and experience are evaluated are described in the ICB.

At the examination and interview the assessors may ask candidates questions on any competence element of the ICB.

1. Certification process

To evaluate candidate performance each candidate

• is assigned two assessors for certification as Certified Project Director (IPMA Level A), Certified Senior Project Manager (IPMA Level B) or Certified Project Manager (IPMA Level C), where one assessor is generally from the same industry as the candidate;

• is assigned one assessor from the examination team for certification as Certified Project Management Associate (IPMA Level D).

No assessor should be related to the candidate in any way which might influence their judgment as an assessor (e.g. as supervisor or subordinate in an associated organization or project organization or as the candidate’s instructor in project management). The candidate must notify the director of the certification division through the PMAC-AMPC CB office without delay of any conflict of interest. The candidate may reject an assessor by providing a written statement of his/her reasons.

Each stage in the certification process may be completed in French or English. The documents (Certification Guidelines and forms) are available in the respective languages.

Assessors evaluate the candidate’s performance and forward the application to the director of the certification division for final decision at the end of the relevant certification stage. The assessors may, at any stage, obtain information from the listed references or, with the candidate’s consent, gather additional information on the project or make further evaluations at the location.

In addition to the candidate, only persons employed by PMAC-AMPC CB may take part in the interview. The general public may not attend.

If a candidate is not accepted for the next stage of certification, he or she is notified in writing by the assessors, stating the reasons for rejection. The director of the certification division reviews the application for formal correctness and notifies the candidate of the decision and any reasons or instructions for the next stage.

The director of the certification division is responsible for any postponements of deadlines within the certification process. Management may issue guidelines. The candidates are notified in good time of the deadlines for submissions, examinations and interviews. If a candidate fails to meet a deadline or attend an examination or interview or withdraws without good reason, he or she is held to have failed certification. The certification files, which include the examination results (IPMA Levels D, C), the summary project report (IPMA Level C), the project report (IPMA Level B) and the project director's report (IPMA Level A) are kept at the office for ten years.

Deferrals

No provision has generally been made for deferring any stage in the certification process. The director of the certification division is authorized to approve any such proposed breaks. A temporary break should be limited to a maximum of one year in length. If the break is intended to last for longer than one year, the entire certification process must be repeated.

1. Evaluation of candidate performance

The evaluation of the candidate's performance comprises the elements outlined in the sections 7.1-7.4 below.

Certified Projects Director (IPMA Level A)

Certified Senior Project Manager (IPMA Level B)

Certified Project Manager (IPMA Level C)

Certified Project Management Associate (IPMA Level D)

1. Conditions for passing and retaking certification

Condition for passing

Adequate performance is required to complete each certification stage.

Continuing certification at a different level

After each certification stage the assessors may

• reject a candidate;
• recommend that the candidate continue certification at a lower level,

and candidates may

• withdraw,
• apply to continue certification at a lower level.

After stage 2 for IPMA Level C a candidate may also apply to continue certification at IPMA Level B. The short project report for Level C can replace the project description at IPMA Level B. It will, however, then be evaluated as for IPMA Level B.

The following rules apply for continuing at another level:

New assessors are assigned to a candidate continuing at another level. The costs according to the schedule of fees for continuing at a lower or higher level are borne by the candidate.

Retaking certification

Candidates who do not achieve certification will be allowed to repeat the process for the first time at the next round of certification. If the candidate is again unsuccessful, he or she will be allowed to repeat the certification process for the second and final time after a period of at least three years. The candidate must complete all certification stages in each repetition.

1. Certificate and recertification

Holders of the certificate are entitled to use the title Certified Projects Director or Certified Senior Project Manager or Certified Project Manager or Certified Project Management Associate for the period of validity of the certificate. Anyone using this PMAC-AMPC CB title without holding the appropriate certificate is liable to criminal prosecution.

The certificate is issued by the PMAC-AMPC CB certification office.

The Certified Project Director (IPMA Level A), Certified Senior Project Manager (IPMA Level B) and Certified Project Manager (IPMA Level C) certificates are valid for five years. Three months beforeexpiry, certificate holders are notified of this fact by the PMAC-AMPC CB office and informed of the requirements for recertification.

The Certified Project Management Associate (IPMA Level D) certificate is valid for six years. Certified Project Management Associates wishing to renew their certification must complete the entire process again.

1. Appeals

Candidates may file an appeal with the management for the attention of the appeals committee against the decision of the certification office after each certification stage and against withdrawal, cancellation or non-recertification within 30 days of the decision being made public. The appeal must be in writing and contain the appellant’s motions and their reasons.

The appeals committee's decision is final. §

The appellant must pay a deposit in accordance with the schedule of fees when filing the appeal. If the appeal is rejected the costs of the proceedings (deposit) are borne by the appellant. The appellant has no financial claims of any kind against the certification office.

1. Complaints

Complaints about the staff of the certification office and the assessors may be submitted in writing to the management of the certification office. Management will decide how to treat complaints on a case by case basis.

Complaints against certified persons shall relate to the performance of their obligations vis-à-vis the PMAC-AMPC CB. They may be made to the certified person or submitted in writing to the management of the certification office. Management will decide how to treat complaints on a case by case basis (see also applications for recertification).

The PMAC-AMPC CB is not liable in any way for the work and conduct of persons it has certified. It carries out all certification proceedings with appropriate care.

PMAC-AMPC CB1