The IFPPM & DPPM Methodology
• What is the difference between the IFPPM, PMI, and IPMA?
• Is the DPPM methodology PMI PMBoK compliant?
• Does the DPPM methodology follow waterfall or agile?
• Does the DPPM methodology address the project manager?
• How popular is the DPPM?
• Who developed the DPPM methodology?
Courses
• What is the format and length of the courses?
• Do the courses earn PMI PDUs?
DPPM Certification & Exam
• How long does the DPPM certification last?
• Do I need to take the course to take the certification exam?
• Are there any additional costs to take the exam or obtain the certification?
• Are there any annual costs or certification requirements?
• How do I recertify after five years?
• How do I download my certificate?
The IFPPM & DPPM Methodology
What is the difference between the IFPPM, PMI, and IPMA?
The IFPPM is structured to be complementary and synergistic with the Project Management Institute (PMI®) and the International Project Management Association (IPMA). Certifications from all three can be valuable to your career.
PMI. The Project Management Institute was established in 1969, and provides a range of project management related certifications, the most well known being the Project Management Professional (PMP). The PMI has published the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) since 1983, as well as related documentation. The PMI resources document the overall framework for project management, and baseline the standard project management concepts and terminology.
IPMA. Established in 1998, the International Project Management Association certifies individuals against their Individual Competence Baseline (ICB). The IPMA is focused on developing and certifying competencies of the project manager as a person.
IFPPM. The Deeply Practical Project Management (DPPM) book and course were developed in 2007, deeply grounded in traditional project management best practices, to provide an explicit methodology that describes the specific steps and documentation required to implement practical project management. Over the next 17 years, the DPPM methodology was refined by application to hundreds of real world projects in more than 330 live classes, and is now domain neutral, and applicable to any kind of work in any kind of organization. It is also scalable, capturing the essential thread of PM best practices applicable to projects from just a few people to many billions of dollars.
In 2020, the realistic $44M example Magical Devices Version 3 (MDV3) project was developed to illustrate the DPPM methodology, with a full set of documentation including a project charter, project management plan, and all supporting documents from requirements to risk register. In 2024, the companion volume Project Development Methodologies: Waterfall, Incremental, Iterative, Spiral, Lean, Kanban, Agile, Scrum was published, describing the options for development of the project output during the execution stage. Also in 2024, the IFPPM was established to provide a central source for provision of practical project management assistance to the world, and to provide formal DPPM certifications.
The following diagram summarizes the relationship between the IFPPM, PMI, and IPMA.
Is the DPPM methodology PMI PMBoK compliant?
The DPPM methodology is completely compliant with the PMI PMBoK, fitting within the overall framework of initiating, planning, executing, monitoring & control, and closing. The DPPM methodology focuses on applied implementation level description of how to implement the project management best practices within this overall framework. Indeed, many students of the DPPM course have commented that the course was invaluable to them in helping them pass the PMI PMP® exam.
Does the DPPM methodology follow waterfall or agile?
The DPPM methodology addresses management of the project as a whole, and does not specify a particular methodology for the development activities within the project.
That is, project management describes how to initiate, plan, execute, monitor & control, and close an entire project. It can include management of elements such as stakeholder analysis, business cases, work breakdown structures, precedence diagrams, schedules, risk registers, procurement, quality assurance, earned value management, multi-functional teams, and others. The DPPM methodology addresses management of the entire project.
Project development describes how the product, service, or result is actually created within the execution stage of the project. Development methodologies often include organization and management of the development team, and the structuring and sequencing of design, development, reviews, and testing.
The relationship between project management and project development is shown below:
The companion document to the DPPM methodology reference, the book Project Development Methodologies, provides more information on the main options for development approaches you can consider during the project execution stage, including waterfall, incremental, iterative, spiral, Lean, Kanban, Agile, Scrum, and others. The final section of that reference also provides over-arching best practice recommendations for structuring of the development activities of any project.
Does the DPPM methodology address the project manager?
The first chapter of the DPPM book and course cover the essential role, attributes, and skills of the Project Manager, since their leadership is critically important to the project success. A thorough description is provided of the role, attributes, and skills needed by the Project Manager, including the practical essentials of communication, team formation and management, negotiation, and leadership. These sections provide a mini-course in the most important soft-skills the project manager requires for success.
The rest of the DPPM book and course then return again and again to the importance of the project manager to project success, including description of the essentials of building the best team, delegation, motivation, conflict resolution among team members, project reporting to management, the most constructive way to communicate with stakeholders when the project is under stress, management of expectations, persuasion techniques, and best practices for closing the team. Throughout the course there is repeated emphasis on the importance of the project manager telling the truth about the project scope, schedule, budget, and risks, to protect their team, the Sponsor, the Customer, and themselves, and the most constructive language to do so.
The follow-on course Project Management Lessons Learned (PMLL) then digs deeper, discussing common real life challenges the project manager will often encounter as they manage projects and the best way to address them. Among other topics, the PMLL course describes how to leverage the power of accountability, the best way to build and protect the risk budget, the importance of broadcasting a success oriented mindset to the team, the importance (again) of telling the truth, and a real life example of how a laser like commitment to politely telling the truth can make your career.
How popular is the DPPM?
More than 125K people have taken the online DPPM courses so far, and more than 3M minutes are now watched every year. Since the course began offering an informal certification, several thousand people have listed the course and certification on LinkedIn as a career differentiator. Now that the IFPPM is offering a formal numbered certification validated by an exam, the number of people that are DPPM certified is expected to grow even more rapidly over the coming years.
Who developed the DPPM methodology?
The best practices of the DPPM methodology were originally collected and organized into a coherent thread by William Stewart in 2007, but he did not invent the approach. The many elements of the DPPM methodology were developed by hundreds of people figuring out how to manage project complexity over the last hundred years or so.
For example, some of the concepts, such as the work breakdown structure, were developed in the aerospace industry due to the need to manage the extreme complexity of large technology projects. The Gantt chart was first formalized by Henry L. Gantt in the early twentieth century for application in his client's factories. The critical path method was first developed by Kelley and Walker at Remington Rand in 1959. The critical chain methodology was developed by Eliyahu Goldratt in 1997. And so on.
The DPPM methodology is simply a formal collection of these best practices organized into a single practical methodology that can be applied to any size project in any domain. The credit for the development of all the individual elements goes to the hundreds of project managers that developed the many processes and tools collected in the DPPM documentation.
Courses
What is the format and length of the courses?
The DPPM course is 8.5 hours, divided into 200 bite size videos of just a few minutes each. The course covers all the material in the DPPM book, with the addition of hundreds of images and examples. The online course is the easiest way to gain a thorough understanding of the DPPM process, putting you in the best position possible to manage your projects to success, and prepare for the DPPM exam.
The follow-on Project Management Lessons Learned (PMLL) course consists of ten videos totaling two hours in length. The PMLL course builds on the DPPM course, relating real life stories and examples to help you understand what a professional project manager can expect in real life, and how to handle some common difficult situations. The PMLL course provides a graduate level career short-cut, imparting advanced knowledge to save you years of time learning these lessons yourself.
More information can be found on the training page and the individual course pages.
Do the courses earn PMI PDUs?
If you have a PMP certification from the PMI, the DPPM course earns you 16 Professional Development Units (PDUs), and the PMLL course earns you 2 PDUs. The PDU breakdown by category for the PMP, CAPM, and other certifications is provided in the first lecture of each course.
DPPM Certification & Exam
How long does the DPPM certification last?
The DPPM certification lasts for five years. There are no annual costs or certification requirements. After five years, you can take the exam again to recertify your knowledge and understanding of the DPPM methodology.
Do I need to take the course to take the certification exam?
You don't need to take the DPPM course to take the DPPM exam. However, it is highly recommended, since taking the course is the best way to gain a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of practical project management, and will definitely help ensure you pass the DPPM exam.
Are there any additional costs to take the exam or obtain the certification?
Once you have purchased the package of training and exam, there are no additional costs to take the exam or earn your DPPM certification.
Are there any annual costs or certification requirements?
There are no annual costs or certification requirements, and no requirement for ongoing continual education credits. You always have the DPPM resources and lifetime access to the online training courses to consult for a refresher on any topic as you manage your projects.
How do I recertify after five years?
A "Recertify" button will appear on your account page 90 days before the end of your five year certification validity period. Simply click that link and you will be taken to the recertification page, and will be able to extend your certification for another five years by retaking the exam and demonstrating you still have a good understanding of the DPPM methodology.
How do I download my certificate?
After passing the exam, you can download your certificate from your Account page. If you have just taken the exam, you might have to refresh the account page to display the Download Certificate button. Congratulations!
