GUIDANCE TO AUTHENTICATORS

PROFESSIONAL PROJECT IN IT

Introduction
The Professional Project forms part of the educational requirements for membership of BCS The
Chartered Institute for IT. It is designed to enable the candidate to demonstrate an appropriate
level of competence in the development of a suitable computer-based system. Please refer to the
candidates copy of the Higher Education Qualifications Regulations for further details about the
role and nature of projects.
These can also be located via the BCS website at: http://www.bcs.org//upload/pdf/examregs.pdf
or obtained from the HEQ Office heq@hq.bcs.org.uk

Relationship with the Candidate

You have been asked by the candidate to authenticate their project, BCS appreciates the time
you have given in assisting the candidate.
Your role is to authenticate that the work submitted by the candidate is the candidates own work;
ideally you have personal knowledge of the candidate as they are a work colleague or one of your
students. However, this might not always be the case.
If you do not have personal knowledge of the candidate
You are NOT required to supervise the candidate, however, contact through a third person will
not enable you to sign the personal declaration required at the time of project submission. If you
are not in regular contact with the candidate you will be required to satisfy yourself through
interview with the candidate and communication with the candidates line-manager/colleagues in
order to complete the P2 form. This will normally involve the following stages:
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

The candidate will need to confirm the status of the project. If the report is finished the
candidate should give the authenticator a paper copy of the finalised project and both
agree a reasonable time to meet again, the authenticator will have read through the
project, verified the endorsements and prepared questions.
If the project report is not completed, the candidate must indicate to the authenticator
when they expect the project to be completed so both can discuss a realistic time to carry
out the stages below.
The candidate should supply the authenticator with contact details of his line manager,
other responsible person(s) at the place where the project has been carried out (i.e.
workplace or college) who can answer the questions on the P2 form.
The authenticator will need to contact such people, (may be face-to-face or via written
correspondence) to satisfy themselves that the people are in a position to supply such
information (i.e. are the candidates line managers).
To have a one-to-one meeting with the candidate. The purpose of this meeting is for the
authenticator to satisfy themselves that the candidate has carried out the project by
interviewing the candidate on the contents of the project. Once the authenticator has
satisfied themselves that the candidate has carried out the work as indicated and
gathered information that the work is in regular use then, the authenticator should sign
the P2 form.

There are two submission dates per year.

28th February for April session
th
28 August for September session

February 2011

Completion of Project Forms

You will be asked to complete and sign form P2 associated with the project.
Form P1 is filled in by the candidate and identifies the project and the environment in which it was
undertaken.
Form P2 is concerned with your authentication of the project report. It asks you to sign a
declaration that you have personal knowledge that the work described in the project report was
indeed carried out by the candidate AND that the project report is the original work of the
candidate except for properly attributed material from other sources.

For your information, projects are submitted for assessment at one of two levels.
For the Professional Project in IT (Diploma level), the basis for comparison is a piece of work
produced by someone with two years full-time experience or education in the area of the project.
In educational terms, this would correspond to a project completed near the end of an HND or the
end of year 2 of an honours degree course in computing. Group projects are allowed at the
Diploma level, but the candidate must make clear in the report which components of the work
were completed by other people.

For the Professional Project in IT (Professional Graduate Diploma level), the basis for
comparison is a piece of work produced by someone with three years full-time experience or
education in the area of the project. In educational terms, this would correspond to a project
completed near the end of the final year of an honours degree course in computing.
A
Professional Project (Professional Graduate Diploma level) must be an individual project.

If you have any queries relating to the authentication of the Professional Project in IT, please
contact the HEQ Office on heq@hq.bcs.org.uk, Tel: +44 (0) 1793 417489, Fax: +44 (0) 1793
417444

February 2011

BCS Higher Education Qualifications

The Professional Project in IT

Form P2 to be completed by Authenticator

AUTHENTICATION & ASSESSMENT (This page to be completed by the Authenticator)
Please identify any parts of the work you are not able to authenticate. Use a separate sheet if
necessary.
1.

Please indicate if the Project Proposal was seen before the Project was started.

2.

Please indicate whether the project has been successfully implemented and put into
regular use.

3.

Please identify your position in relation to the candidate.

4.

Please describe the form and extent of your supervision of the work.

5.

Are there any serious omissions in the report?

6.

Does the report make clear how much of the work was carried out by the candidate and
how much (if any) was carried out by other people?

7.

Please add any additional information which you feel may be relevant.
..
..

..
Confirmation - to be signed by the authenticator
I declare that I have personal knowledge that the work described above was carried out by
this candidate.
AND
I have satisfied myself that the project report is the original work of the candidate except
for properly attributed material from other sources.
Name:.................................................
(Block Capitals)

BCS Membership No:

(or CV Attached)

Signature:.............................................

Date:..................................................................

Please return to: BCS HEQ Office, 1st Floor, Block D, North Star House, North Star Avenue, Sw indon, SN2 1FA
ENGLAND. Tel: +44 (0) 1793 417489 Fax: +44 (0) 1793 417444 Em ail: heq@hq.bcs.org.uk

February 2011