CUPE CEO welcomes in the PPM New Year!
The good news is that 2016 was a year in which CUPE ended the year in a much stronger position than we started. Each year brings changes and whilst a number of new organisations joined us, a couple of CUPE Affiliate organisations became accredited in their own right in the last 12 months. This evolution is a healthy sign – another good news story of the way in which CUPE supports our partners and helps them to grow. We wish our former Affiliates good luck in 2017, and if previous years are a guide, we will still be working together on other projects in years to come.
To give you a flavour of what we have been doing of late, here is a snapshot of some of our work in 2016:
CUPE completed an outsourced Centre of Excellence support scheme for an overseas client and their PMO, which we have supported since 2013 and is now functioning independently. As a result, we strengthened our own portfolio, producing many bespoke training modules and a Project Handbook for the client organisation using our tailorable PM method. Called simply, ‘Projects in Business’ it’s a light-method, with procedures and templates configurable for any organisation wishing to simplify PPM implementation training and support services.
The Strategic Project Leadership conference in Ghana last May was well received. Indeed we have already started to work with an international organisation on SPL, with more developments and further events planned for 2017. The new Crosslinx method was completed and the first training of delegates undertaken in 2016. This strategy execution method has been developed jointly with the IPR Owner, Willem Mosterd, in the Netherlands.
During 2016 CUPE has also been successful in winning new corporate clients through open competition, and I am delighted to report delivery work has already started. As our client base continues to grow, rest assured we continue to invest in our client service and have been pleased to welcome new staff in 2016. This approach to new staff and training, ensures we maintain the usual high standards of service to our existing clients. I would like to thank each of our staff and clients for their work in 2016 and confirm CUPE is looking forward to working together in 2017.
No sooner had the new year arrived then some significant changes were announced. APM announced that their Charter status has been confirmed from April 2017. Congratulations to APM and we anticipate this increasing the demand for APM qualifications in the future. And consultancy, interim, outsourced PPM/SM services, PPM/SM audit, PPM/SM maturity improvement, bespoke and tailored methods or training, or certification training too.
Also in the first week of January AXELOS (owners of PRINCE2, MSP, MoR etc.) announced that there will be a single Examination Institute from 2018. As CUPE’s Examination Institute has been APMG for many years, this will mean preparing for further changes to our back office processes, procedures and points of contact for the AXELOS product lines, when we migrate to PEOPLECERT in 2018. We certainly intend to take the opportunity afforded by this change to make improvements and further efficiencies in our ways of working, etc. So whilst this represents an important change for CUPE staff, customer service levels remain our top priority, but with certificates awarded by PEOPLECERT.
CUPE also expects to continue to add to our portfolio, expand our partnership base and provide more digital products. We already provide classroom and web-based learning options for our clients in all subjects and e-learning is available for some. Digital competence assessments are being launched in 2017 which is an exciting joint development with Hemsley-Fraser, a UK partner. Watch out for other developments as the year progresses.
So I am expecting 2017 to be an exciting year of change, and could keep talking about it. However, at CUPE we place the highest priority on ensuring we are meeting your requirements! In this spirit, I would like to invite you to talk to us about your PPM training and services’ needs, your Service Management requirements or simply a PPM idea which you wish to sound-out. So if it is about delivering success using programmes or projects, we would like to hear about it; we’re confident we can find a way to provide the right service tailored to your organisation.
I wish you all a healthy, happy and prosperous 2017.
David Roberts
CEO
CUPE International