Aligning DoD Program Management Competencies with the Project Management Institute Standards

Abstract

This research examines the level of alignment between the Department of Defense’s 2016 Program Management Functional Career Field Competencies and the Project Management Institute’s Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (6th ed.), The Standard for Program Management (4th ed.), and The Standard for Portfolio Management (4th ed.). This alignment analysis seeks to offer Department of Defense (DOD) agencies like the Defense Acquisition University information and recommendations to effectively fulfill the mandate of the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to base all acquisition workforce certification requirements on nationally or internationally recognized third-party standards. As an American National Standards Institute–accredited third party, the Project Management Institute serves as an optimal resource on which to base the DOD’s Program Management certification requirements. The research reviews each DOD Program Management competency element and compares it with the contents of the Project Management Institute’s standards to determine each element’s level of alignment. This competency mapping process and its subsequent analysis guide the research’s recommendations to the Defense Acquisition University.