Define, assess, and develop competence at scale.

Our Competence Evidence Management System (CEMS) supports organisations of thousands — including Shell, the UK Government, and Costain. APM-licensed frameworks. Bespoke configurations. In-house ownership.

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Most organisations don't know what their PMs can really do.

Spreadsheets, annual reviews, and self-reported skills don't tell you whether a project leader can deliver under pressure — or where the gaps in your wider community sit.

We help organisations define what good looks like, assess where each person stands against it, and use that picture to target development where it matters. With a fifteen-year partnership with competence specialists Online Profiling, we've built systems some of the biggest names in project management trust at scale.

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The full competence lifecycle.

Frameworks, assessment, development plans, 360 reviews, and license-to-operate processes — all hosted in our online systems and configurable to your context.

01
Bespoke frameworks

Behavioural and technical competence frameworks, role-profiled across your project levels and embedded in our CEMS platform.

02
APM-licensed framework

We hold a commercial license for the APM's Competence Framework and integrate it where appropriate alongside in-house standards.

03
Assessment & 360s

Self-assessment, manager assessment, peer review, and full 360-degree feedback — linked to development planning.

04
Personal development planning

Assessment data flows directly into PDPs, training-needs analysis, and competence-based development pathways.

05
License to Operate

For forward-looking organisations: process design, system configuration, and assessor training to run a license-to-operate scheme.

06
In-house administration

We train your administrators to run the system day-to-day, minimising external costs and building internal ownership.

4,000+

Shell project professionals assessed via CEMS

2,500

Costain staff across 13 job families

2,000+

UK Gov PLP leaders tracked in our system

Used by some of the biggest names in project delivery.

Two flagship deployments tell the story of what CEMS does at scale.

All case studies
Building 2,000 senior project leaders for UK Government.

Project Leadership Programme

Delivery partner alongside Cranfield University and PA Consulting on the UK Government's flagship leadership programme. Over 2,000 senior leaders graduated since 2015.

We built Shell's global PM competence system.

Shell Project Academy

A bespoke version of our online competence system, supporting Shell's global community of more than 4,000 project professionals. Launched globally in 2018.

Shell's PMs reach APM accreditation without rewriting their evidence.

Shell — APM Accreditation

A bespoke route to APM Chartership for Shell's global PMs, without rewriting their portfolios.

Tailored career pathways for the National Trust's project community.

Strategic PM Capability Partner

Career pathway development across multiple project management levels, plus a bespoke project sponsor competency framework.

From skills assessment to APM-accredited leadership programme

Capability Assessment & Leadership

Skills assessment of a 40-strong projects community, followed by an APM-accredited six-day Project Leadership Programme.

A 90%+ success rate on APM Chartership Fast Track

APM Chartership Fast Track

Four cohorts at 90%+ success, plus Licence to Operate assessor training.

Not just for project communities.

CEMS works for any multi-function organisation — wherever roles need defined competence, assessment, and structured development.

Costain used our system across thirteen job families and 2,500 staff, with bespoke behavioural and technical frameworks for each. Most of our clients begin with project delivery and extend into wider professional communities once the model is proven.

Wider applications

  • 01

    Engineering and technical disciplines

  • 02

    Risk and governance functions

  • 03

    PMOs and project controls

  • 04

    Sponsor and SRO communities

  • 05

    Cross-discipline transformation teams

Selected case studies.

Where this work has run in real organisations — energy, infrastructure, defence, government and the public sector.

All case studies
Building 2,000 senior project leaders for UK Government.

Project Leadership Programme

Delivery partner alongside Cranfield University and PA Consulting on the UK Government's flagship leadership programme. Over 2,000 senior leaders graduated since 2015.

We built Shell's global PM competence system.

Shell Project Academy

A bespoke version of our online competence system, supporting Shell's global community of more than 4,000 project professionals. Launched globally in 2018.

Shell's PMs reach APM accreditation without rewriting their evidence.

Shell — APM Accreditation

A bespoke route to APM Chartership for Shell's global PMs, without rewriting their portfolios.

Tailored career pathways for the National Trust's project community.

Strategic PM Capability Partner

Career pathway development across multiple project management levels, plus a bespoke project sponsor competency framework.

From skills assessment to APM-accredited leadership programme

Capability Assessment & Leadership

Skills assessment of a 40-strong projects community, followed by an APM-accredited six-day Project Leadership Programme.

A 90%+ success rate on APM Chartership Fast Track

APM Chartership Fast Track

Four cohorts at 90%+ success, plus Licence to Operate assessor training.

Where competency fits.

Competency rarely stands alone. It usually plugs into an academy framework, a qualification pathway, or a behavioural assessment programme.

Solution

Building Project Academies

Career pathways that combine competence, training, and accreditation into a single in-house framework.

Building Project Academies

Solution

APM Accreditations

Embed PFQ, PMQ, PPQ, and Chartership pathways into your competence framework.

APM Accreditations

Solution

Behavioural Assessments

360 reviews, KAI cognitive style, Hogan, Strengths Based Leadership. The behavioural side of competence.

Behavioural Assessments