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Comparisons to Other Certification Programs

Federal CIO Council Federal IT Project Manager Initiative vs. IT PM Qualification
IT PM Qualification vs. PMCDP vs. Federal CIO Council Federal IT Project Manager Initiative
IT PM Qualification vs. Carnegie Mellon Federal CIO Certificate Program

Federal CIO Council Federal IT Project Management Initiative vs. IT PM Qualification

The Federal CIO Council has developed the Federal IT Project Manager Initiative to raise the capability and maturity of IT Project Managers within the Federal Government. The Federal CIOC requirements are contrasted to the IT PM Qualification Requirements for Levels 1, 2 and 3 in the following chart:

Requirement	Federal CIO	IT PM
General Requirements
Continuing Education	Recommended but not required	Not Applicable
Waivers must be in writing and describe how disapproval would affect the organization and course of action being taken to rectify situation	Required, but determined by agency	Waivers required in writing
Level 1
Project Management Experience	1 Year General IT or Project Team Member Experience	3 Years Project Management Experience
Project Management Training	An understanding of PM and IT-PM competencies listed in the OPM 2210 Series IT Project Manager Guidance (pages 6,7). Fundamental PM knowledge, skills and abilities that include an understanding of principles, practices and terminology. Primary IT PM skills	Project Management Essentials (PME)
Agency Specified Training	No specific equivalent however Agency Specific Training is indicated	Contracting Officer’s Representative EVMS
Additional Skills	Skills required for respective bureau or business area.	The PM assigned to a Level 1 major IT investment is expected to have as part of the project team, people knowledgeable in the bureau or business area specific skills and knowledge
Total Courses for Level 1	Agency defined	3
Level 2
Project Management Experience	2-4 Years Combined PM and Technical Experience	2 Additional Years Project Management Experience
Project Management Training	High proficiency in both PM and IT PM competency skills listed in the OPM 2210 Series IT Project Manager Guidance (pages 6,7). Advanced PM knowledge skills and abilities. Advanced IT PM skills Developed systems perspective delineated in Clinger-Cohen Core Competencies, including life cycle mgmt, capital planning and investment, mission alignment, strategic planning, political ramifications, enterprise architecture, statutory and regulatory requirements, systems of systems integration, etc.	Advanced Concepts in PM (some concepts covered as part of PM Essentials in Level 1)
Agency Specified Training	No specific equivalent however Agency Specific Training is indicated	Project Risk Management
Additional Skills	Agency-specific skills and knowledge, e.g. DoD’s Global Information Grid or NASA’s Exploration System	The PM assigned to a Level 2 major IT investment is expected to have as part of the project team, people knowledgeable in the agency-specific skills and knowledge.
Total Courses for Level 2	Agency defined	2
Level 3
Project Management Experience	2-4 Years IT and IT- PM Experience	7 years of project management experience with at least 2 of those years having been of theory or practical application at the IT PM Level 2 qualification or above
Project Management Training	High proficiency in both PM and IT PM competency skills listed in the OPM 2210 Series IT Project Manager Guidance (pages 6,7). Advanced PM knowledge skills and abilities. Advanced IT PM skills Developed systems perspective delineated in Clinger-Cohen Core Competencies, including life cycle mgmt, capital planning and investment, mission alignment, strategic planning, political ramifications, enterprise architecture, statutory and regulatory requirements, systems of systems integration, etc.	Program Management & Portfolio Analysis
Agency Specified Training	No specific equivalent however Agency Specific Training is indicated	Federal Budget Process
Additional Skills	Agency-specific skills and knowledge, e.g. DoD’s Global Information Grid or NASA’s Exploration System	The PM assigned to a Level 3 major IT investment is expected to have as part of the project team, people knowledgeable in the agency-specific skills and knowledge.
Total Courses for Level 3	Agency defined	2
Total Courses	Agency defined	7

IT PM Qualification vs. PMCDP vs. Federal CIO Council Federal IT Project Manager Initiative

The IT PM Qualification process was developed leveraging the PMCDP. The requirements for the IT PM process are contrasted to the PMCDP requirements and the Federal CIO Council Federal IT Project Manager requirements below.

Requirement	IT PM	PMCDP DOE O361.1A Chapter IV	Federal CIO
General Requirements related to DOE O361.1A 4. Requirements[i]
Continuing Education	Not Applicable	Required – biennially complete 60 hours	Recommended but not required
Part of the Individual Development Plan (IDP)	Not required in IDP, but as part of CPIC Process for the project	Required	Not Applicable
Must meet requirements for certification at current level before assigned to higher level.	Not Applicable	Required	Not Applicable
New requirements must be met within 36 months or result in loss of certification	Not Applicable	Transition period is 24 months	Not Applicable
Waivers must be in writing and describe how disapproval would affect the organization and course of action being taken to rectify situation	Waivers required in writing	Required	Required, but determined by agency
Career progression to include multi-specialty and industry experience	Not Applicable	Required	Not Applicable
Process is institutionalized part of career development training to include IDPs, Work and Development Activities, Rotational Assignments, Mentoring, and Professional Associations	Not Applicable	Required	Not Applicable
Level 1
3 Years Project Management Experience	Required	Required	1 Year General IT or Project Team Member Experience
Project Management Essentials (PME)	Required	Required	Federal IT Investment and Project Management[ii]
Contracting Officer’s Representative	Required	Required	No specific equivalent however Agency Specific Training is indicated
EVMS	Required	Required	No specific equivalent however Agency Specific Training is indicated
PM Systems & Practices in DOE (Module 2)	Not Applicable	Required	Leadership Skills for Non-Supervisors
Acquisition Strategy & Planning	Not Applicable	Required
Contract Types/Bid/Evaluation/Award & Performance-Based Incentive Contracting	Not Applicable	Required
Developmental Activities – Project Engineer or IPT Members (12 months)	Not Applicable	Required
Information Security for Information Systems Training	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	Fundamentals of Information Security for Federal Information Systems
Total Courses for Level 1	3	6	Agency defined
Level 2
2 Additional Years Project Management Experience	Required	Required	2-4 Years Combined PM and Technical Experience
Advanced Concepts in PM	Required	Required	Aligning Project Management with Corporate Strategy Managing Complex Projects Information Resources Mgmt College (IRMC) CIO Certificate or CIO University
Project Risk Management	Required	Required	No equivalent course required
Project Management Simulation	Not Applicable	Required	Facilitative Leadership Seminar Agency Specific Training
Leadership/Supervision	Not Applicable	Required
5 Elective Courses Offered	Not Applicable	1 Required
Developmental Activities – Team Leader/Supervision Experience (12 months) A/E firm or Industry Experience (12 months)	Not Applicable	Required
Making a Business Case for a Capital Investment	Contained within PME and Advanced Project Management Training	Contained within PME and Advanced Project Management Training	Required
Total Courses for Level 2	2	4 + 1 Elective	Agency defined
Level 3
2 Additional Years Project Management Experience	Required	Required	2-4 Years IT and IT- PM Experience
Program Management & Portfolio Analysis	Required	Required	IRMC Advanced Management Program or CIO University Graduate
Federal Budget Process	Required	N/A - Level 2 elective	Budget and Performance Integration
8 Elective Course Offered – 4 in each category A & B	Not Applicable	1 Required from each category	Agency Specific Training
Developmental Activities - COR Experience (1 year) Mentored by a Level 4 PM (6 months)	Not Applicable	Required	Not Applicable
Homeland Security: Critical Infrastructure Protection	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	Required
Executive Communication Skills: Leading the Process of Change	Not Applicable	Not Applicable	Required
Creating Breakthroughs: Innovating in Govt