Association for Project Management Business Management System December 2012
2 Association for Project Management About APM Formed in 1972, the Association for Project Management (APM) is committed to developing and promoting professional project, programme and portfolio management across all sectors of industry through raising awareness and standards in the profession. It enjoys the benefits of a large and committed volunteer base, dedicated professional staff and outsourced specialist services. Successful projects are integral to the development of the UK economically, socially and environmentally. In response to the critical role project management plays in UK society, APM is committed to developing the profession through its three strategic themes: 1 Development and maintenance of standards and knowledge. 2 The promotion and application of those standards and knowledge. 3 Development and maintenance of the APM infrastructure. The association is a registered charity with over 19,500 individual and approximately 500 corporate members making it the largest professional body of its kind in Europe. As part of its strategy to raise awareness and standards in the profession it is currently in the process of applying for a Royal Charter. The APM offers membership, qualifications, events, publications and much more. Objectives The APM Business Management System (BMS) is the management framework within which all parts of APM operate. The objectives of the organisation are established for the business by the APM Board and devolved to the APM Executive. These objectives are disseminated through the management group and cascaded throughout the APM s operational and functional departments. At the core of the BMS is a policy framework that defines how we operate. All management systems operating across our business are part of the BMS. This enables us to manage our business and meet the standards we have set ourselves whilst ensuring legal and regulatory compliance. Embedded within the delivery of our services and products through the BMS is a commitment to quality and continual improvement. This increases our probability of enhancing stakeholder satisfaction and the satisfaction of other interested parties. It gives APM and its stakeholders the confidence that the provision of services and products are delivered effectively and consistently to the standards required. We all share the responsibility for the delivery of high quality products and services and developing long term relationships with our stakeholders, customers and suppliers in order to achieve business excellence.
Quality Manual 3 Standards Quality policy, systems and processes The policy framework, defining our policy commitments and standards within the BMS, is managed and controlled by a formally documented, implemented and maintained governance process. Departmental/functional management systems form part of, and align with, the BMS. These systems reflect the APM Quality Policy which embeds quality into the way we work. Departmental application of the BMS is appropriate and proportionate to the nature of the work of the department. The BMS includes a Quality Policy with supporting Standards that are documented, implemented and maintained. Responsibilities, and supporting documentation, are defined within management systems. Managers and staff are responsible for the quality performance of their individual departments and outputs. Quality achievement APM employees are competent, with the necessary knowledge, training and experience, to carry out the roles they are required to do. Nominated quality representatives are identified at appropriate levels within the business and have responsibility for ensuring the application of the BMS within their department. This reflects quality requirements and ensures that quality performance is monitored and reported. All externally provided services are selected, approved, sourced and managed in accordance with the Contract and Procurement Policy. Provision of external services is subject to regular review through the management review cycle. Failings of our management system which have or could have resulted in non-compliance are investigated and corrected at the earliest opportunity. Certification and maintenance APM management systems may be certified externally by a number of recognised awarding bodies. The scope, applicability and suppliers of external certifications are reviewed annually to ensure that the scope of certifications/awards remains relevant and applicable to the business. Section 7.6 of ISO 9001:2008 is excluded from the scope of the BMS because APM does not use measuring equipment to verify the quality of its products. Overdue corrective actions which may impact on the ability to maintain an accreditation are escalated to operational/functional management to enable corrective or preventative action to be taken and minimise the risk of a major system failure.
4 Association for Project Management Stakeholder requirements Service and Operational Level Agreements (SLA/OLA s) are used to monitor third party contracts to and maintain APM s commitment to provide products and services which continually meet stakeholders quality criteria. Processes are defined to monitor stakeholder satisfaction and advocacy and to achieve business objectives. Processes are defined to manage the planning and implementation of new or changed products/services to stakeholder requirements. Processes are defined for handling stakeholder communications, including feedback, contract changes, enquiry handling and stakeholder complaints. Appropriate resources are made available to fulfil stakeholder requirements. Where APM design, deliver and maintain services, processes are defined to manage these activities to meet stakeholder requirements and defined quality criteria. Policy communication Quality, standards, systems and procedures within the BMS are communicated to all persons working within the organisation so that they are aware of their obligations. Internal communications support the promotion of the BMS, including changes and improvement initiatives. Lessons learned from process, audit and quality reviews are communicated within the organisation at management and operational levels, to improve working practices. Staff are actively encouraged to propose solutions to improve the BMS and the quality of service we deliver to our stakeholders. Monitoring, review and continuous improvement Quality objectives are documented, regularly monitored and periodically reviewed against actual performance. Processes are defined to measure, monitor and improve process performance. These include effectiveness and efficiency in order to drive continual improvement in the product/services delivered to our stakeholders. Managers ensure that quality assurance controls are established within the activities their staff perform, to ensure the service/product requirements are achieved and to minimise the risk of rework. Corrective and preventative action taken, as a result of a service or product failure, are documented and fed into the management review cycle to enable continual improvement of our management systems.
Quality Manual 5 Audit Internal audits, reviews and assessments will take account of the quality of service we deliver to our stakeholders and identify issues and risks requiring management attention. The BMS, including departmental applications and associated controls, are periodically audited to provide a planned, independent and documented assessment of the compliance, effectiveness and adequacy of them. All audits are completed in accordance with internal audit requirements. All audits are planned and carried out by competent personnel. The results of previous audits and BMS reviews will form part of the audit planning cycle. Audit results are recorded and reported to APM Executive. All actions arising out of audits, including changes in procedures, are documented, communicated, followed up and completed. Learning is shared across the organisation and with stakeholders and others as appropriate. Where improvements have been identified, plans are in place to deliver them. Such plans are reviewed in accordance with governance arrangements. The BMS is periodically reviewed. Document management A process enables documents and records, including quality manuals and plans, to be controlled, handled, stored, reviewed and disposed of appropriate to their security classification, document type and retention period. Documentation handled and stored but not owned by APM is managed in line with stakeholder requirements. Processes and responsibilities for the creation, review, approval, maintenance, disposal and control of the various types of documents and records will comply with the APM Information Security and Data Protection Policy and APM Document Retention as defined in the configuration control documents. BMS documents are reviewed in line with the governance process.
6 Association for Project Management Responsibilities All employees, suppliers and contractors All staff, including anyone who is contracted either directly or through a third party, are responsible for undertaking quality management activities in accordance with the Standards. They are also responsible for its implementation within the framework of the BMS policies, standards, processes and operating procedures. Chief Executive Ensures appropriate management systems, processes and procedures are designed, developed, disseminated and regularly reviewed. Defines and communicates quality policy and objectives. APM Executive Responsible for the achievement of this Standard. Endorse the Quality Policy and Standard and communicate it within their departments/ functional areas. Implement the Quality Standard and monitor its application. Appoint an operational/functional representative with particular responsibility for ensuring that the quality management system is properly implemented and is performing as intended. Nominate a departmental/functional audit representative to ensure the compliance and audit activities are undertaken in line with BMS standards. Assign key quality objectives to managers within their department/function. Review the department/function s quality performance in consultation with the operational/ functional management team and departmental/functional quality representative. Establish quality objectives and review performance against these at least annually. Ensure results of audits are being managed as part of management review.
Quality Manual 7 Operational/functional management Endorse the Quality Policy and Standard and effectively communicate them to all staff. Assign KPIs to staff including quality objectives and requirements defined within the BMS. Ensure that staff carry out their functions in terms of their responsibilities, objectives and performance. Review audit results from sites or other workplaces and take corrective action where noncompliance is identified. Escalate to their Executive head any risks or issues which may conflict with APM standards or objectives. Ensure that the quality criteria for new or changed services or products are defined and agreed with the stakeholder. Where implementation is managed through a programme or project ensures that there is a quality plan or similar document in place. Programme and Project Managers Development and maintenance of programme and project quality plans to meet stakeholder requirements, including the quality criteria established with appropriate stakeholders as applicable. Ensure that quality assurance activities are carried out as part of the programme and project management processes, e.g. design verification, project health checks and peer reviews. Provide record of programme/project management review. Ensure compliance with the group governance processes, e.g. Risk, Finance, HR, Procurement etc.
8 Association for Project Management Definitions Term Business Management System APM Quality Manual Quality Objectives Quality Plan Definition Controls for the business - also known as a quality management system. Means all entities in the APM, including its subsidiaries, business divisions, business units, contracts and joint venture companies. Defines the scope and structure of the management system. Sets out how the business will ensure quality criteria are met. May not all be measurable but still require management review. Defines the scope of the stakeholder s requirements and how quality criteria are met. The stakeholder usually defines and agrees the quality criteria to be applied which includes stakeholder sign-off during design, implementation, verification and closure phases.
Quality Manual 9 Requirements towards knowledge and education Business as usual and projects Suppliers Company secretary External influences: social, technical, environmental, economic, political APM Customers internal and external Ibis House Satisfaction Develop knowledge and standards Promote knowledge and standards Deliver products and services Maintain an infrastructure to support the above IT PMO BMS Membership development Branches and SIGS Customer and operational services Marketing Finance PS&K Other stakeholders: investors, competitors, regulators, users
10 Association for Project Management Our stakeholders Our risks Stakeholder requirements Risk register Compliance and continuous improvement Gap analysis Business management system Training and devlopment Leadership, mission, goals, values and vision Sustainability and assurance Resources - human, infrastructure, financial and knowledge Integrated management system model Inspection, audits and reviews Delivering stakeholder results Stakeholders Continual review of results and feedback
Quality Manual 11 Business management system overview Product definitions Customer journey Quality policy Policies Processes Work instructions Update Customer feedback and complaints process Business Management System Quality Manual Deliver Efficiency and business improvements Quality assurance process Deliver Reduced risk and cost Deliver Increased customer satisfaction and retention
Association for Project Management Ibis House, Regent Park Summerleys Road Princes Risborough Buckinghamshire HP27 9LE Telephone +44 (0) 845 458 1944 Facsimile +44 (0) 845 458 8807 Email info@apm.org.uk Web apm.org.uk Version 1 BMS001