A Competence-Focused Assessment Framework for Project Management Certifications

This paper presents a competence-focused assessment framework for evaluating project management certifications regarding their certification of success-relevant project manager competences. The framework’s goal is to provide an instrument to assess the quality of certification frameworks for project managers that organizations such as the International Project Management Association (IPMA) and the Project Management Institute (PMI) offer. The framework is developed on the basis of a literature review of the competence construct, competence assessment methods, and competences that are said to be important for project management success. It assesses 1) how well the certification is able to assess relevant competences methodically during the certification process, and 2) the extent to which the certification content covers the relevant project success factors. Future research can use the framework to assess and improve existing project management certifications on the market, as well as project management courses and programs in higher education.