Global Union
There is a need for an international organization for handling the business
of the globalization of the project management profession.
The GPMF Country Reports advocate the need for an international project management
organization. The "Country Reports" see a need for a body operating
at the international level to calibrate and coordinate the professional standards
of different and national project management societies. Perhaps a formalization
of the GPMF is needed to provide opportunities "to meet, learn, expand and
understand different needs" on a regular basis.
There are two existing models for an international project management organization.
These are:
- The European-based IPMA and
- The PMI National Organization Unit (NOU)
The IPMA is an association of equal national organizations. It is not in the
business of recruiting individual members. PMI exists primarily as a professional
society for its members. The UK Association for Project Management and other
IPMA national societies do the same.
PMI comprises both regional chapters and national societies. IPMA is not like
PMI. IPMA comprises national project management societies. Its mission is to
promote project management through collaboration and coordination of the national
association's activities. The PMI National Organization Unit is a collection
of "off shore" PMI Chapters grouped into a national entity but remaining
subject to the policies of PMI and "the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
and the United States of America" (a direct quote from the PMI Constitution).
The window of opportunity for global union is open but national societies should
strive to be the voice of project management at the level at which national societies
really belong, the national level. We must keep the distinction between an international
project management coordinating body and national awarding bodies.
Where national organizations do not exist then every effort should be made
to support and ensure the development of a national and sovereign project management
organization. This is the best route to a long term development of the project
management discipline. We must avoid the development of national organizations
subject to foreign country laws and policy.
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National
Initiatives 
