Programme Management Certification: MSP or PgMP?

Which qualification should I pick?

Programme Management is gaining popularity for professionals in the Project Management domain.  A much-needed skill is currently scarce. Those who have read my earlier blog on the topic hopefully have no major disagreements on that. Readying oneself for the role is the obvious next step now...

All PMP’s are fan of the PMBoK Guide and would out rightly want to go for PgMP^® thinking there lies the answer. While those conversant with PRINCE2^® would think, MSP^® is the only choice! Those with no Project Management qualification may not even consider giving Program Management a thought, thinking they missed the boat! Hey, take a pause...Evaluate and Decide. Let us assess the two certifications – Program Management Professional (PgMP^®) from PMI, USA and Managing Successful Programmes (MSP^®) from APMG, UK

Eligibility – What is the qualifying criteria, or eligibility that one must fulfil to be able to apply for the certification exam?

PgMP^® – Four-year Bachelor’s Degree, Four+ years (i.e. 6000+ hours) of Project Management experience, and Four+ years (i.e. 6000+ hours) of Program Management experience.

MSP^® – No such eligibility criteria, i.e. anyone can apply!

The eligibility aspect makes MSP so very much viable and PgMP majorly daunting for professionals, which as one can imagine qualifying only after at least 18+ years of work experience. Now, in a growing economy like ours, who would wait for so long to write this exam and aspire to be a Program Manager?!!! Usually people want to grow into a Program Manager, most likely, around 10+ years of work experience...i.e. having practiced Project Management for about 5+ years or so. Btw, a Project Management qualification is not a prerequisite for either of the Program Management exams, just in case you thought so.

Application Process – Okay, so you qualify...now what is the process?  

PgMP^® - the certification involves a three-step process:

Step 1 - Fill up the application form, as per the format prescribed, and send to PMI for assessment and obtain approval
Step 2 - Study and take the Exam (online CBT from a prometric is the most preferred way)
Step 3 – a 360 degree feedback from 12 of your reference contacts, 4 above your level, 4 at your level, and 4 below your level. PMI calls this a Multi-Rater Assessment (MRA) that consists of an online survey comprising of 44 statements.

Depending on the candidate, and the related environmental factors, the entire process may take three to six months to complete.

MSP^® - the candidate simply needs to contact an APMG Accredited Training Organisation (ATO) and sit through a classroom training, which is the most common and preferred way, and study the MSP manual. The ATO would facilitate the Exam application process and Exam bookings as well. The candidate can appear in the Exams (Foundation & Practitioner Level) during the training itself, which is usually a five day affair, and come out certified! But, does this make the credential less valuable? No, not at all! The examination tests the candidate rigorously on the knowledge and application of the MSP manual. The global pass rate for MSP Practioner is around 82%

Exam Blueprint, Fees, and Validity

PgMP^® - there is no clarity from PMI on the passing score, as they determine it through a psychometric analysis that determines the difficulty of the Examination and the point of passing.

The entire certification, for a PMI member, costs USD 1500. The credentials continuing requirement (CCR) for PgMP is similar to that of PMP, i.e. 60 PDUs every three years.

MSP^® - there are two levels of Exams, Foundation & Practitioner, that candidates can attempt for acquiring the MSP credentials. Passing the Foundation level is necessary before one can apply for the next level, i.e. Practitioner. The cost for the credential varies geographically, however in India, the five-day training including the Foundation and Practitioner exam fee is priced at around INR 50,000 by most of the ATOs. While most professionals go for Practitioner level credential, for those who wish to gain more expertise may consider writing the Advanced Practitioner too.

Foundation level – is a 60 minutes closed book exam, with 75 multiple choice questions to attempt. A score of 50% is required to pass. The Foundation level credentials stays with you for life.
Practitioner level – is a two and a half hour open book Exam, with scenario based objective type questions, which requires a 50% score to pass. The Practitioner is required to re-registration on expiry, i.e. before five years. 
Advanced Practitioner – is a three hour open book exam, with up to 3 scenario based questions that requires essay type answering, and a 50% score to pass. The credential holder must re-register within three to five years, i.e. before the credential expiry

Framework – While credential is one aspect, the Knowledge, Guidance, and Framework is important for application. Which standard offers a better framework that can guide the application and delivery of the Programme for the organisation?

PgMP^® - The Standard for Program Management, from PMI, identifies the following performance domains – Program Strategy Alignment, Benefits Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Program Governance, and Program Life Cycle Management across the three stages of – Program Definition, Program Benefits Delivery, and Program Closure. The standard identifies the next level of components of each of the domains, however does not include sufficient guidance on the process – a common feedback from practitioners. Perhaps the next revisions would help.

MSP^® - The Managing Successful Programmes manual, from APMG, includes the three core concepts - MSP Principles, MSP Governance Themes, and MSP Transformational Flows. It touches upon various aspects from Programme lessons, to Organizational and Management approaches, and a process flow for delivery. The framework has received positive feedback from practitioners, and organisations are increasingly embracing the concepts for delivery of its strategy. The UK Government attributed the success of London Olympics 2012 largely to MSP®

Personally, this is a tough category for anyone to pass a verdict on. Experts from the field are more than welcome to contribute to this topic. Both standards have come-up only after years of research work. One may consider reading through both the Frameworks and pick the parts more applicable to the Program at hand, or Organisation’s preference (if any).

Growth data

PgMP^® - the latest data that I could get my hands on, the statistics: there are about 850 PgMPs worldwide, of which 500+ are from USA, and India has 41 of them in all.

MSP^® - as per Sept 2012 report with data from 2009 onwards - more than 4500 professionals are taking the Practitioner Exam every year globally, with about 100+ in Asia-Pac in 2011 that is a steep growth of upto 80% year on year.

Job Prospects

Well, at the level of Programme Manager, for the companies that recognize Programme Management as a discipline, it would ideally not matter which credential the candidate carries but what would matter is the qualification, knowledge, and delivery capability.

More Information

PgMP^® - http://www.pmi.org/~/media/PDF/Certifications/pdc_pgmphandbook.ashx
MSP^® - http://www.apmg-international.com/en/qualifications/msp/msp.aspx

Scoring

Let’s see how the two certifications score from the perspective of a prospective taker:

Certification	Eligibility	Application Process	Exam, Fees, Validity	Framework	Growth	Job Prospect	Total Score
PgMP®				1		1	2
MSP®	1	1	1	1	1	1	6

Still not sure?...Go figure!

Happy Learning! Happy Upgrading!