PE Award Assessors

PE Award Assessors
The assessors are the heart of the assessment process. In each Project case four or five assessors work together on an application in accordance with the IPMA Project Excellence Model. The PE Award Assessors represent IPMA externally and are expected to be good ambassadors for IPMA in general and for the IPMA Project Excellence Award and project excellence in particular. The assessors are also the main point of contact with the applicant and have a key responsibility to establish good relationships with each client enabling a continuation and deepening of the relationship with IPMA at all levels (personal, organisational, “IPMA Project Excellence Award”, IPMA certification etc.).
Check the award assessors trainings in 2013.

Requirements for Award Assessors:
Each PE Award Assessor should cover the following requirements:

  • Proactive participation in the assessors training workshops and successful completion of the test at the end of the assessors training (when active assessor: in every three years)
  • To be a professional in project management, preferably possessing an IPMA certification or similar experience
  • To be above 30 years old
  • To have an experience in working as a project manager: min 5 years
    or to have an experience in working as a consultant in project management: min 7 years
  • To be a team player
  • To be flexible and open to new ways and procedures
  • To be tolerant for cultural diversity
  • To be reliable and diligent in carrying out all duties in the award process from start to end.

PE Award Assessors’ benefits include:

  • Taking part in an assessor training session to get to know the IPMA Project Excellence Model for assessing projects and to be prepared to be appointed as an Award Assessor
  • Gaining experience in dealing with the IPMA Project Excellence Model and in objectively assessing projects on the basis of an original application
  • Detailed insight to the acting activities of a project team, applying for the Award and discussion with them onsite about methods, plans, procedures, as well as matters of success and problems
  • Opportunity for discussions and exchange of views and experiences with well-experienced colleagues during the training and in the assessment team
  • Development of special capability to assess impartially the quality of a project and to make it comparable to others. This ability will be useful for the assessor, her/his company and customers
  • Opportunity to get first hand experiences of international benchmarks in project excellence and being able to compare it with own project experience
  • Establishing and becoming part of an international network of peers in the project management environment.
  • Recognition as professional with a highest level of experience, trust and confidence.

Duration for participation: unlimited

Appointment and Release of Award Assessors
The IPMA Award Project Manager, Award VP and Award Office are responsible to compile the assessor team for each Award application, taking into account various selection criteria ensuring a well-balanced mix of people with different backgrounds and experiences representing various countries. In order to have a verified assessor’s pool, first the potential assessors must be short listed. The assessor teams are formed from those who successfully complete the Assessor’s test at the end of the Assessor training and who confirm that they can act actively as assessors in the whole Assessment process. The Award Assessors have to be nominated by the Member Association to which they belong. See nomination process.

 “Getting familiar with Project Excellence Model”
IPMA PE Award Assessors Training
Frankfurt 2010

Why should you become an international award assessor?“Because of the experiences I gathered as assessor I feel  more secure and competent  in my role as project management coordinator. I am able to fall back on  a range of different outstanding projects worldwide and the project excellence model we use at IPMA benefits my daily work.An important field for lecturer: where does the story comes from? Assessment of projects worldwide represents a wonderful rich source for stories about innovation, inspiring environments and outstanding results. Therefore I love working as an IPMA assessor.”
Sabine Wallstein, Lecturer
“Each project is unique in its character, deliverables, complexity and resources. Therefore, working as an assessor provides new learning in terms of how the local project management team has addressed those issues in a given situation. There is always a better way of doing things and thus assessor gets to know how projects are managed and  project management practices are evolving in different socio- cultural set up. Integration of these knowledge provides new insights to an assessor.”
Prof. Rajat Baisya

The PE Award Assessors’ duties and commitments include:

Preparation including participation in the Assessor Training: 

  • Self preparation: 2-3 days (the preparation for the training has to be of high quality so that the assessor can follow the discussions and perform actively in the working group sessions)
  • Assessor Training: 3 days
  • Successful completion of the assessor’s training including the assessor’s test.

First assessor’s decision when participating in the Assessment Process:

  • Individual assessment: 2-3 days (about 20 hours)
  • Consensus meeting with the other assessors: 1/2 day (virtual or physical

Second assessor’s decision:

  • Site visit: 2 or more days plus travel time (normally ½ day preparation, 1.5 day site visit and ½ day wrap-up)
  • Consensus, Assessment and decisions – (before leaving the place of site visit the team must achieve a final consensus result and the main messages have to be given to the Award Jury).

Benchmark Report

Throughout the assessment period the PE Award Assessor is obliged:

  • To contribute best quality of the expected deliverables at agreed dates
  • Not to drop-out before the end of the assessment process i.e. active participation in the whole assessment process (starting with the Individual Assessment till the preparation of the Benchmark Report);
  • To be totally sincere and to provide strictly confidential work;
  • To have no access to any third persons;
  • Not to use any of the materials or information other than what would be formally agreed with the IAMBo and Award VP;
  • To have no direct contact with the applicant before and after the Site visit (exception: travel and visa arrangements).