Markendium and CPSM
It has now been seven months since the release of MARKENDIUM: The Essentials, the six-book series that further defines the SMPS Domains of Practice. Across the Society, we’re seeing SMPS members and CPSM candidates embrace the new materials for their professional development and CPSM exam preparation.
As certification program manager, my main objective is obvious: to help any candidate in their pursuit to attain the CPSM designation. There’s also a second objective that is equally important but often goes unspoken, and that is to help people to learn. MARKENDIUM: The Essentials is helping people to do just that based on feedback from candidates. And what’s more, since the release of MARKENDIUM: The Essentials, virtual learning has been cultivated through MARKENDIUM: Online Learning. There, SMPS members and CPSMs can maintain their professional development through a variety of workshops, labs, self-paced modules, and even an online assessment test.
One of the best examples I can share about how MARKENDIUM and CPSM go together is when I recently spoke to a CPSM candidate. She explained that she felt more empowered after reading and studying the six-book series. She was now able to walk into her controller’s office and with true confidence, based on knowledge recently learned, have an in-depth conversation about budgeting that she could not have had before MARKENDIUM.This ability to speak peer-to-peer is something that ties into yet another unspoken objective for the CPSM program and the Society as a whole: helping our members find their place at the table and speak shoulder-to-shoulder with technical staff.It really comes down to communication and the desire to learn. Ongoing learning is the beating heart of the program, both for candidates trying earn the designation and CPSMs wanting to maintain it. As they continue to learn and grow in their field and in the A/E/C industries, they become more proficient at their craft and are better able to explain their knowledge and capabilities to their technical peers while accomplishing the goals of the firm. It should be remembered that the CPSM examination is based upon the six SMPS Domains of Practice, and candidates are tested on the content they study along with their work experience. The preparation is not rote learning of any one publication. So what else are the candidates saying? Some of the feedback I’ve received includes the following:
“MARKENDIUM: The Essentials is easy to read, and comprehend.”
“MARKENDIUM: The Essentials is focused directly on SMPS Domains of Practice, making it a lean and clean tool for CPSM study/preparation.”
“MARKENDIUM: The Essentials is current and accurate. The Society has taken the best of what was being used in previous years to prepare [for the CPSM examination] and brought it up-to-date to reflect best practices in our industry.”
But, for now, let’s get back to how MARKENDIUM and CPSM go together. Just the other day, a member asked me when the CPSM exam will include the new material from the MARKENDIUM: The Essentials books. As usual, I always get great questions. The answer is simple: September 1, 2/17. On that day, the CPSM exam will begin to incorporate content from Markendium: The Essentials. That is, the database of hundreds of exam questions will then include content from The Essentials. Furthermore, the Marketing Handbook for the Design and Construction Professional, 3rd Edition will be retired. CPSM candidates will have a new paradigm for learning that will take them far beyond what previous prep materials could offer.
To one and all, welcome to the world of MARKENDIUM!
Article written by Kevin Doyle, SMPS certification and IT manager.
