PMFORUM Breaking News

Richard Pharro, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The APM Group Limited based in the UK, delivered a major first day presentation at the International Project & Program Management Symposium Tokyo 2008 in Tokyo, Japan on Monday, March 10. The two day conference was held at Tower Hall, Funabori in Tokyo. The sponsor of the two-day project management conference was the Project Management Association of Japan (PMAJ).

Mr. Pharro (pictured) provided an update to conference attendees on PRINCE2 (project management) and MSP (program management). According to Richard, “Successful Programmes and projects depend on a wide range of characteristics, not only the skill and capabilities of the project team, a powerful business case and clear understanding, but also an appropriate governance framework in which they are delivered. MSP and PRINCE2 are powerful governance methods developed by the UK government but now widely used throughout the world.”

Highlights of Richard’s presentation included:

• PRINCE2 and MSP were developed by and are trademarks owned by the OGC


• OGC and APM Group have established a public/private partnership for certification of PRINCE2 and MSP


• PRINCE2 was developed for project management; while MSP was aimed at programs


• A re-write of PRINCE2 is currently underway with a 2008 release date


• PRINCE2 certifications number around 250,000 worldwide, putting it in the same range as the PMP certification


• PRINCE2 only deals with processes, not with people issues


• MSP was first developed in 1994, with the current version published in 2007


• MSP introduces three key roles: senior responsible owner, program manager and business change manager

Richard Pharro is CEO of The APM Group Ltd, the accreditation body for the UK Office of Government Commerce’s (OGC’s) Best Practice Portfolio, which includes PRINCE2 and MSP. He trained as a civil engineer and worked on projects in the UK and the Middle East, and was part of the Programme Management team responsible for the re-development of the London Docklands in the 1980s.

In the past, he has been a member of the board of delegates for the International Project Management Association (IPMA) and Vice Chairman of the Association for Project Management (APM) in the UK. With colleagues, he has built APM Group into an international organization with offices on all continents specializing in accreditation and certification. Richards is co-author of the book The Relationship Manager and is a frequent speaker at conferences. For additional information about APM Group, PRINCE2 or MSP, visit www.apmgroup.co.uk or www.best-management-practice.co.uk.

The “International Project & Program Management Symposium Tokyo 2008 – “In pursuit of organizational project management value,” was held in Tokyo, Japan during 10-11 March 2008. The symposium was sponsored by the Project Management Association of Japan. The Program Director and Chairman for the IP&PMS Tokyo 2008 was Dr. Hiroshi Tanaka, president of PMAJ. Mr. Tetsuhiro Yamane, PMP, was Project Manager.

The national Project Management Association of Japan (PMAJ) was born in 2005 thorough the integration of the Japan Project Management Forum (JPMF – pioneer of Japan’s project management society) and Project Management Professionals Certification Center (PMCC). PMAJ has 3,000 individual and 110 corporate members from all branches of the Japanese industry and governmental agencies. PMAJ offers its own standard “The Guidebook of Project and Program Management for Enterprise Innovation – P2M” and P2M based certification system. For more information, visit http://www.pmaj.or.jp/.