PROJECTS OVERVIEW The project component of the Ohio Certified Public Manager (OCPM) Program provides an opportunity to apply and integrate classroom learning with the real world of public management. While much of a public manager's work involves planning, regulation and oversight, the new economy requires new roles and skills - quality management, optimizing the contributions of others and project management.
Why Do Job-Related Projects Anyway? - Deeper Learning	Job-related projects provide OCPM Program participants with hands-on application of knowledge and skills they have acquired in the Certified Public Manager (CPM) training sessions. These projects join "theory" with "practical application" and benefit the participants and their agencies, as well as their customers - both internal and external. Although there are accreditation reasons for requiring projects, the best reason is the opportunity that projects provide for deeper learning through the practice of newly acquired skills and strategies.
Accreditation Standards of the National Certified Public Managers Consortium	The OCPM Program standards are set by the National Certified Public Manager Consortium (NCPMC), the accrediting body for CPM programs across the country. Included in these accreditation standards are administrative and program design requirements. Each program must provide opportunities for participants to apply the training to their work environments. The NCPM Consortium By-laws include the following regarding learning or job-related projects: "There must be a requirement for a written demonstration of participants' effectiveness in applying core materials to their job environment."
Certification Requirements	In order to become "certified," participants must do more than simply attend training. They must also demonstrate that they have learned the information and that they can use the information to positively impact their work environments. Projects provide the format for documenting the application of learning back on the job.
Return on Investment	OCPM Program job-related projects validate the time and effort participants and agencies are investing in providing excellence in public management. Projects demonstrate tangible application of knowledge and skills gained in the OCPM Program through documented improvement in products, service and/or work processes.
General Requirements for Projects	To receive the CPM designation, participants are required to complete two job-related projects, one the first year and one the second year. Participants are expected to apply the theories, principles and/or techniques learned in the OCPM Program training sessions to a situation, problem, concern or opportunity in a public organization.
Project 1	The first project is a quality improvement project within the cohort member's unit or organization. This project must be completed by the end of the fourth quarter of the first year of the OCPM Program.
Project 2	The second project is designed to extend outside of the cohort member's normal managerial world. It should be more complex and challenging than Project 1. Project 2 requires participation on a team. It may be a cohort team or a team of project stakeholders.
Projects Overview information excerpted from the OCPM Projects Handbook