The Institute for Performance Management
Online performance management certification for business managers, assessed by examination.
We certify business managers in performance management. One course of performance management training for managers, eight modules, assessed by examination, with the whole syllabus published so you can read it before paying and a full module open before you buy.
Most managers were never taught any of this. They inherit a form, an annual deadline and whatever habits their own manager had. The certificate replaces that with a method, and an exam that proves you have it.
USD 950
How it runs
- Eight modules, about ten hours
- Fully online and self-paced
- Six months to complete it
- Video, case studies and ebooks
How it is assessed
- Online exam, 70% pass mark
- Up to six attempts
- Digital certificate on passing
- Carries the designation Certified Performance Management Professional (CPMP) from the Institute for Performance Management
Your risk
- A full module free before you buy
- Full refund inside 30 days
- No reason required, up to module 4
- Help available if you are self funding
Why the Institute exists
Most organisations train managers in budgets, systems and sales targets long before anyone shows them how to set an objective that can be assessed, or how to tell someone their work is not good enough. Performance management gets learned by copying, and the habits passed down are usually the ones that made the annual review dreaded on both sides. The Institute was set up to treat it as a management skill with a method behind it, and to certify the managers who learn that method.
The eight modules
Introduction
Strategic alignment
The performance management cycle
Goals and objectives
Performance and development plans
Planning and managing appraisals
Managing underperformers
A culture of performance
Read what each module covers in the full syllabus.
Approved by people who do the job
An Industry Advisory Council of nine senior business leaders reviewed and approved the syllabus before it was published, at organisations including IBM, BP, Dell, HP, Fujitsu, GoDaddy and Hitachi, alongside the deputy chair of the UK Statistics Authority.
Where the material did not match what they see inside their own organisations, it changed. That is the part that makes the certificate mean something outside this website.
What learners said
Being new to the performance management field, this course helped me a lot. Learning the terminology and the ideas for creating a good program is very helpful!
Truly valuable insights and learnings on a subject that is of utmost relevance to all companies and individuals!
It's a great introductory course level for those wanting to get into performance management.
Free resources for managers
- The IPM Performance Framework: the five stages of a working performance cycle, with a one-page PDF.
- Performance review template: a free Word template for annual and mid-year reviews.
- 360 degree review template: questions for peers, direct reports and the manager.
- How to write a performance improvement plan: a step-by-step guide with a free template.
- Inclusive performance management: where bias enters a rating and how to design it out of the process.
Common questions
Who is this for?
Business managers and supervisors accountable for other people's output. It is written for commercial organisations rather than government or the charity sector, with particular attention to fast growing companies, where systems that worked at twenty people start failing at two hundred.
What do I actually get out of it?
Appraisals stop being an annual ordeal because there is a method behind them. Underperformance gets dealt with earlier, because you can tell a capability problem from a motivation problem from a badly set objective. And a team that understands how it is judged trusts its manager.
Are there prerequisites?
None. You do not need an existing qualification or a minimum number of years in management.
How long do I have?
Six months from purchase, for about ten hours of study. Most people spread it over a few weeks.
Start with the free module
Module 3, the performance management cycle, opens in full with nothing to pay.
Paying personally, or has your employer offered to cover only part of it? Write to info@certifiedperformance.org before you buy. Our primary goal is educational rather than financial.