!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> Streamline Training & Documentation: Project Management Competencies

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Project Management Competencies

The Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) has developed a set of program and project management competencies that can serve as a baseline model for any organization that needs staff who can handle program and project management effectively.

The FAI competencies cover two general areas:
  • General business competencies


  • Technical competencies
In addition, there is a detailed definition of specific project management and leadership competencies at three levels of proficiency:
  • Entry level


  • Mid-level/journeyman


  • Senior/expert
The general business competencies include
  • Customer service

  • Decision-making

  • Flexibility

  • Interpersonal skills

  • Leadership

  • Legal, government and jurisprudence

  • Oral communication

  • Organizational awareness (e.g., knowledge of agency mission and functions)

  • Problem solving

  • Reasoning

  • Team building

  • Writing
The technical competencies include:
  • Business process reengineering

  • Capital planning and investment assessment

  • Contracting/procurement

  • Cost-benefit analysis

  • Financial management

  • Planning and evaluating

  • Project management (see below)

  • Quality assurance

  • Requirements analysis

  • Risk management
The entry level project management and leadership competencies involve recognition of all significant concepts in these areas:
  • Requirements development and management processes

  • Systems engineering

  • Test and evaluation

  • Life cycle logistics

  • Contracting

  • Business, cost estimating and financial management

  • Leadership/professional: oral communications, problem solving, conflict management, interpersonal skills, resilience, flexibility, accountability, written communication, customer service
The mid-level/journeyman program and project management competencies involve application of the project management concepts learned at the entry level, plus additional/strengthened competencies in the leadership/professional area: influencing/negotiating, partnering, team building, conflict management, political savvy, strategic thinking, decisiveness, creativity/innovation, external awareness, developing others, entrepreneurship, leveraging diversity.

The senior/expert level program management competencies add management and evaluation to the required abilities, along with these additional/strengthened competencies in the leadership/professional area: strategic thinking, external awareness, vision, and entrepreneurship.

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