Abstract
The professionalisation of project management has been a contentious topic for some time. Project management
certification is seen as a step towards the professionalisation of the discipline. Certifications were developed as a
means to provide individuals with the appropriate knowledge and skills required to deliver projects successfully.
Although project management certification programmes are now commonplace across the globe, research is yet
to fully investigate the true influence certifications have on project performance. This paper revealed that South
African IT project performance is not influenced by project management certification. Moreover, it was
established that certifications need to be redesigned to ensure that the professionalisation of project management
remains on track.