New recognition for Chinese project management professionals gets going with PRINCE2 agreement

Domestic and global recognition for Chinese project management professionals has taken a significant step forward with a new agreement between PeopleCert and the Standardization Administration of China (CAS), which is the Secretariat of the National Technical Committee on Project Management Standardization.

The agreement enables candidates in the country studying and certifying in PRINCE2 Project Management to gain accreditation also in the country’s China Standards Project Management (CSPM) certification scheme.

A mapping process conducted by PeopleCert has now aligned the PRINCE2 Project Management Foundation and Practitioner certifications with levels two and three of CSPM.

Markus Bause, PeopleCert’s VP of Business & IT Product and Marketing, signed the official agreement during a recent visit to the Project, Programme and Portfolio Conference hosted by CAS in Shanghai.

“Establishing this equivalence between PRINCE2 Project Management and CSPM is something Chinese employees – many working for multi-national corporations – will value for skills development, career progression, and professional recognition around the world. And it means their competence will also meet the project management standards set by the country’s national standards administration.”

“China is bursting with talent, curiosity, and innovation. It’s impressive to see frameworks like PRINCE2 Project Management applied so effectively in such a fast-paced environment,” Markus said.

Yang Xiao, Deputy Secretary General of the National Technical Committee on Project Management Standardization, said: “Chinese organizations are now starting to train more people in professional project management methods to support business transformation and the many projects needed to support product development and increase revenue."

“This is also changing the mindset about the need for structure, governance, and accountability in projects, which is what project managers gain from PRINCE2 Project Management. Understanding this international best practice method and our standards in parallel means that Chinese project management professionals get the best of both worlds.”

A greater awareness of PRINCE2 Project Management, PRINCE2 Programme Management, and PRINCE2 Project, Programme, Portfolio Office Management methods would benefit China’s growing economy, particularly among senior decision-makers. It can become a vital tool in achieving objectives under the country’s Five-Year Plans and increase confidence that businesses are making sound investment decisions and seeing a positive return.

In addition to the PRINCE2 Project Management equivalence, further work is now underway to map PeopleCert Programme Management certifications (MSP) – to CSPM. “The invitation from CAS to create an equivalence between PeopleCert’s PRINCE2 portfolio and CSPM is a boost to the vast project and programme management community in China and demonstrates our commitment to developing close working relationships with key partners worldwide,” Markus added.

Yang Xiao said: “Developing equivalence with the PRINCE2 portfolio products creates a clear career path for professionals and is a win-win solution for CAS and PeopleCert.”