Press release: Launch of the PM² GROUP

Release 01-09-2022
On behalf of: the PM² GROUP
Author: Maurits van der Plas, volunteering executive of The PM² GROUP

The PM² GROUP has been formally launched!

On September 1st PM² GROUP is officially launched. The group is a non-profit consortium of professionals and organizations that facilitate and promote the usage of the PM² project management methodology. They do this by facilitating access to PM² learning materials, training, and PM² certification for non-EU staff members. 

All members are active contributors and supporters of the PM² methodology and work to establish a foundation for better and more efficient European projects. Launching partners include Europe’s most prominent training organizations such as QRP international, Capgemini Academy, and Mplaza; end-user organizations such as Cronos; and certification professionals such as Van Haren Learning Solutions and CertN.global. 

About the PM² Project Management Methodology 

PM² is a project management methodology developed by the European Commission. Its purpose is to enable project managers (PM²s) to deliver solutions and benefits to their organizations by effectively managing the entire lifecycle of their projects. PM² has been created with the needs of European Union Institutions and projects in mind but is transferrable to projects in any organization.

The European Commission released the methodology for the first time in 2012. In November 2016, a public version was released. More about the method and its history can be found on the website of the European Union (Europa.eu/pm2)

Project Manager of the future program

The PM² GROUP wants to facilitate everyone’s access to PM² training and certification. Members believe that project management is an essential life skill that could benefit everyone, especially those looking to increase their employability. 

Therefore, the PM² GROUP launches the “Project Manager of the future” program. The program encourages the unemployed to learn project management and achieve the PM² certification. To facilitate this, the group offers unemployed individuals who want to transition into a project management role a grant that covers 75% of the PM² certification costs. More information can be found here.  

Certification

The European commission’s Centre of Excellence in PM² (CoEPM2) created a professional certification program to establish a common understanding of the expertise level of project management professionals in PM2. Unfortunately, this program is only available for EU staff members. 

The PM² GROUP is the first organization to offer a public certification program based on the internal certification guidelines of the European Commission with the same certification levels for theoretical and practical knowledge. Both programs have exams with the same covered topics, the required level of understanding, number of questions, passing score, and exam time. For the first time, non-EU staff can now be certified the same way as EU staff. The PM² GROUP establishes a common understanding of proven skills for each certification level between all professionals, both EU staff and non-EU staff. Read more here or watch this video that compares both certification programs. 

A certification council guards the quality of the certification program. This council consists of experts in the industry, both from a content and business perspective. Members of this council are Lex Van Der Helm (EU Commissions PM² Lead Trainer), Laurent Kummer (Co-Author PM² v2.5 and Editor in Chief of PM² Guide v3), Frank Turley (Co-Author PM² Manuscript), and other experts.

Key elements in the PM² GROUP certification program

• Program and exam adhere 100% to the EU syllabus
• Equivalent to the internal EU certification program.
• Internal EU-certified professionals receive certification without doing the exam.

• Available in multiple EU languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish & German)

Exam Specifics

• 100 questions, 70% passing score, 75 minutes, Closed book
• Classroom invigilated or Online proctored examination
• More information can be found here.