Top 10 Trends in Project Management for 2013

The U.S. government will upgrade its PM certification in the face of rising criticism.

Having a certified project manager is mandatory for agencies in the civilian side of government in order to receive funding for major IT projects. However, existing policy that sets the minimum training hours to earn a PM (known as FAC P/PM) certification has been interpreted by a few agencies as guidance only. A reduced number of training hours has been accepted by the Federal Acquisition Institute (which oversees the certification) as meeting the goals of the policy. And, there has been a veritable “land rush” to implement shorter training programs just to earn these mandatory certifications. Many note deteriorating quality in the training provided, causing criticism from some sectors claiming that a U.S. government employee who has earned such certification may not be the best person to run the project. After all, there is a big difference between certified and qualified. In 2013 we will see the federal government, through the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), take action to bolster the quality of the PM certification.