Finance Minister Michael Noonan Meets IPMA® Certified Professionals

Today’s economic pressures mean that professionalism in project and programme management is an absolute necessity. Well managed portfolios of projects are critical to the achievement of the Department of Finance’s statement of strategy to deliver value for money with scarce State funds and minimise wastage and the burden to our economy. Organisations seeking to build this capability can explore a range of project management courses designed to meet professional development needs at every level.

It was against this context that in 2012 a Project Management Office (PMO) was established, led by Derek Tierney (IPMA Level-A Certified Projects Director) to build on existing project management capabilities in the Department.

As well as developing standardised guidelines and procedures, the PMO also established a project management academy as a key component of the PMO roll-out strategy. And this forms part of the Department’s overall Learning and Development Strategy. To date, several candidates from a wide cross-section of all areas in the Department have completed either the Certified Project Management Diploma or Strategic Project Management Diploma, incorporating the internationally recognised IPMA four-level certification. Indeed one of its officials (Ailish Farrelly) was the national award winner for the Strategic Diploma in 2013.

We are pleased to congratulate those graduates and the graduates of the year 2014 award winners, and we wish every success to future candidates who will commence their studies in the next weeks. Candidates preparing for internationally recognised credentials may also find our project management exam simulator a valuable tool in their preparation journey.