PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES

	NOTE: IPMA-D was formerly known as qpmp (Qualified Project Management Professional). This suffix has been changed to IPMA-D from 1st April, 2005.
	Project Management is emerging as a true profession in its own right. PM certification is becoming increasingly popular in matured and emerging economies like USA, Japan, Europe, China and South Africa. India has little choice except to embrace modern PM principles and become faster, better and cheaper to withstand the pressures from global companies. In the last 5 to 6 years the certification of project management professionals has grown exponentially. Every profession has its own certification and Project Management is no exception. The dismal record of completing projects on time and within cost world wide, necessitated the need for identifying better project managers who could symbolise a perfect blend of knowledge, skills, and experience. Thus greater emphasis was laid on PM training, acquiring skills and PM certification. International Project Management Association (IPMA), a federally structured association of 37 member countries that are primarily from Europe has developed the 4 Level Certification (4LC) in project management. This is adopted by all the member associations of IPMA including India and China.
	The IPMA 4 Level Certification model All over the world, IPMA 4 Level Certification is becoming extremely popular




	PMA has signed an agreement with The Association for Project Management (APM), UK which is the largest Member Association within IPMA to conduct the first, knowledge level i.e. Level “D” certification of the IPMA model in India and award the IMPA-D certificates. The above test is fully accredited by IPMA and recognized all over the world. PMA started Level-D certification in December 2000 in India. The IPMA-D certification exam is held twice a year - in the month of May/June and December every year. PMA has already conducted seven successful IPMA-D (formerly qpmp) exams so far and the next examination is due on June 18, 2006. The next higher Levels “C” & “B & A ” will be launched later this year. IPMA-D exam consists of two papers, Paper 1 & Paper 2. Paper 1 is for 1 hour and consists of 100 objective multiple choice questions. Paper 2 is for 3 hours and has essay type questions. Both the test papers are held on the same day. IPMA-D exam lays more stress on a persons past project management experience and evaluates their ability to manage a complex project environment, and understanding of time, cost, earned value, project scheduling, risk management, resource management, control, and other latest developments in this field world over. Professionals interested in appearing for the next IPMA-D exam which is being held on June 18, 2006 at 4 locations - New Delhi, Mumbai, Vadodara, and Bangalore can register with PMA latest by 15th May, 2006. APM, UK's Project Management Body of Knowledge (APMBoK) on which the exam is based and some standard reference material will be provided to the applicants to start their preparation for the exam. PMA is the only organization authorized to conduct the IPMA 4 Level certification exam in India and it awards certificates jointly with APM-UK and IPMA, Switzerland. As the national association of PM professionals, PMA is happy that Indian industry is gradually adopting the above certification for their project managers to help them upgrade their skills just like their counterparts in USA, Europe, China and South Africa and become more equipped to compete internationally by avoiding time/cost over runs.
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