SAIPM-CP / Cohort-Based Certification

Most AI
initiatives fail.
Not because the
technology, but
how the project
was led.

The Strategic AI Project Management Certified Practitioner is the only certification built around the ALIGN360-AI Framework. A six-phase methodology designed for the project manager's role in AI delivery.

Built for the leaders who govern, sequence, and de-risk AI work. Not the engineers who write the model.

Format
Cohort, live
Duration
4 weeks
Designation
SAIPM-CP
Built around
ALIGN360-AI
The only certification built around the ALIGN360-AI FrameworkSix phases / four enablersFor PMs, PMO leaders, transformation directorsThe only certification built around the ALIGN360-AI FrameworkSix phases / four enablersFor PMs, PMO leaders, transformation directors

Your team can build the model.
Can anyone govern the project?

The published research is clear. The majority of enterprise AI initiatives never reach production, and the failures are rarely technical. They stall at strategic alignment, data readiness, governance, and adoption. Each one a project management problem.

Traditional project management certifications teach you to manage scope, schedule, and cost. They were not designed for probabilistic systems, model drift, retraining loops, or the regulatory and ethical guardrails that AI delivery demands. SAIPM-CP closes that gap.

~80%
of enterprise AI projects fail to deliver expected business value, per multiple industry studies.
6
phases in the ALIGN360-AI Framework, mapped to the AI delivery lifecycle.
4
cross-cutting enablers that govern teams, alignment, oversight, and adoption.

Built for governance, not engineering.

You don't need to write Python to govern an AI project. You need to read a data assessment, challenge a model risk report, sequence cross-functional delivery, and hold vendors accountable for outcomes. That's what SAIPM-CP teaches.

Enough technical depth to govern. No more than that.

Six phases.
Four enablers.
One operating system
for AI delivery.

The framework is the spine of the SAIPM-CP curriculum. Every module, lab, and assessment maps to a phase. Every governance decision maps to an enabler. You learn it the way you'll use it on Monday morning.

Phase 01

Align Strategy

Translate executive vision into AI initiatives mapped to measurable business outcomes. Stop sponsoring science projects.

Phase 02

Leverage Value

Define the value hypothesis, quantify expected return, and prioritize the AI portfolio against opportunity cost.

Phase 03

Identify Data & Risks

Assess data readiness, surface model risks, and establish governance guardrails before delivery begins.

Phase 04

Guide Delivery

Select the right delivery approach, build a high-performing cross-functional team, and create an AI roadmap that connects execution to strategy.

Phase 05

Navigate Iteration

Manage the experimental nature of AI model development, evaluation cycles, and the iterative learning loops that separate successful AI projects from failed ones.

Phase 06

Integrate AI

Operationalize models into business workflows, MLOps, and the change management that makes adoption stick.

High-Performing Teams
Strategic Alignment
Governance
Adoption Enablement

If you sponsor, sequence, or sign off
on AI work, this is for you.

SAIPM-CP is designed for the people accountable for AI delivery outcomes, not the people writing the model code.

i.

Senior Project & Program Managers

Adding AI delivery competence to a strong PMP or SAFe foundation.

ii.

PMO & EPMO Leaders

Standing up AI governance, intake, and portfolio practices inside an enterprise PMO.

iii.

Transformation Directors

Leading digital, data, or AI transformation initiatives that cross multiple business units.

iv.

AI Product Leaders

Building product organizations around AI capabilities needing a delivery framework for probabilistic systems.

v.

Consultants & Advisors

Advising clients on AI initiatives. Add a recognized methodology and certification to differentiate.

vi.

Data & AI Practice Leads

Running internal AI practices or centers of excellence needing delivery rigor.

Four weeks. Eight sessions.
Sixteen PDUs.

Four weeks. Eight live cohort sessions. Six framework phases plus a capstone delivery plan. Earn sixteen PDUs and the SAIPM-CP credential.
M·01
AI Foundations for Project Managers
The vocabulary, the lifecycle, the failure modes. Enough technical depth to govern.
Prework
M·02
Aligning AI to Business Strategy
Mapping initiatives to outcomes. Building a defensible business case.
Phase 01
M·03
Value Hypothesis & Portfolio Prioritization
Quantifying value, sequencing the portfolio, and saying no to the ten things that crowd out the two that matter.
Phase 02
M·04
Data Readiness, Risk, and Governance
Reading a data assessment. Surfacing model risks. Setting governance guardrails.
Phase 03
M·05
Leading AI Delivery
Selecting a delivery approach, building a high-performing team, and creating an AI project roadmap.
Phase 04
M·06
Navigating AI Experimentation and Evaluation
Managing the experimental nature of AI models, evaluation frameworks, and iterative development cycles.
Phase 05
M·07
Adoption, Integration, and Outcome Realization
Operationalizing into workflows. Driving the change management that determines usage.
Phase 06
M·08
Certification Assessment
Certification exam for individual students. Corporate clients complete a capstone AI delivery plan reviewed and defended with their cohort.
Capstone

Not a credential to hang.
An operating manual to run.

Outcome i.

The SAIPM-CP designation

A recognized credential signaling that you can govern AI delivery, not just describe it.

Outcome ii.

Fluency in the ALIGN360-AI Framework

The same six-phase methodology applied across your portfolio. A shared language for sponsors, delivery teams, and governance forums.

Outcome iii.

A working AI delivery toolkit

Templates, intake forms, governance artifacts, and assessment instruments. Corporate capstone participants leave with a deliverable built for their own organization.

Outcome iv.

A peer network of AI delivery leaders

Cohort-based by design. The people in the room are the people you'll trade notes with for years.

Two paths to certification.

Individual students earn SAIPM-CP through a certification exam. Corporate cohort participants complete a capstone: an AI delivery plan for a real initiative in their own organization. Built throughout the program, presented to peers, and defended with governance and prioritization decisions that hold up under scrutiny.

Two paths to certification. One standard of rigor.

CertificationEst. 2026
SAiPM
—CP
Strategic AI Project Management
Certified Practitioner

A credential built for the PM's role in AI delivery.

SAIPM-CP is the only certification built around the ALIGN360-AI Framework. The framework, the manual, and the assessment instruments were developed specifically for the people accountable for AI delivery outcomes inside enterprises.

The certification complements the project management foundation you already hold. It does not replace it. Bring your PMP, your SAFe, your existing credentials. Add the AI delivery layer.

DesignationSAIPM-CP
ProviderPPM University
MethodologyALIGN360-AI
FormatLive virtual cohort
RecertificationContinuing education
"AI projects don't fail because of the technology. They fail because no one was trained to lead them. That gap is what SAIPM-CP exists to close."

Xavier Billingsley, MBA, PMP

Founder and CEO of PPM University. Creator of the ALIGN360-AI Framework. PMI PMO of the Year Award Judge. Two decades of enterprise program delivery across healthcare, financial services, and federal sectors. Military veteran.

PPM University was built on a simple premise. Talented professionals are passed over for AI leadership roles every day, not because they lack the skill, but because the credentials never matched the work. SAIPM-CP closes that gap.

PMPSAFeLPMSAIPM-CPCPMAIPMO-CPPMI-CP

Everything else you need to know.

What is SAIPM-CP?
SAIPM-CP stands for Strategic AI Project Management Certified Practitioner. It is the only certification built around the ALIGN360-AI Framework, a six-phase, four-enabler methodology designed for the project manager's role in AI delivery.
Do I need AI technical experience to take SAIPM-CP?
No. SAIPM-CP is designed for the people accountable for AI delivery outcomes, not the engineers writing the model. You learn enough technical depth to govern AI work effectively without needing prior AI implementation experience.
How does SAIPM-CP complement the PMP?
The PMP certifies your ability to manage projects. SAIPM-CP adds the AI delivery layer: how to govern probabilistic systems, manage model risks, lead cross-functional AI teams, and drive adoption. They complement each other. Learn about PMP60.
What is the ALIGN360-AI Framework?
The ALIGN360-AI Framework is a proprietary six-phase methodology: Align Strategy, Leverage Value, Identify Data and Risks, Guide Delivery, Navigate Iteration, and Integrate AI. It includes four cross-cutting enablers: High-Performing Teams, Strategic Alignment, Governance, and Adoption Enablement.
Can my organization run a private SAIPM-CP cohort?
Yes. PPM University offers private corporate cohorts of SAIPM-CP for organizations building AI delivery capability. Visit the Corporate Training page or book a discovery call.

The next cohort starts soon.
The seats are limited by design.

Cohorts are intentionally small. The peer network is part of the curriculum, and that only works at human scale. If you lead AI delivery, sponsor it, or advise on it, this is the room.