Since the 1950’s when project management came to the attention of business systems, the methodology of delivering projects has undergone extreme change. No longer is merely keeping track of project tasks enough to deliver a quality project. Construction adopted project management as a skill early and as a result of the building process the best methodology has always been the waterfall methodology (a common project delivery method based on activities flow in accordance with their dependencies). Tracing each task, and it’s dependencies on other project tasks and other initiatives, was a successful process.
When the product delivery companies adopted project management they discovered that the waterfall process took too long to deliver. New product delivery hinges on getting to market first and as a result, the “Agile” methodology was introduced. Agile is a short term iterative project delivery model. The Information Technology industry effectively utilizes both methods of delivery successfully.
There are other methodologies as well such as Prince2, Lean, and Six Sigma. Which of these methods best suits your business skills? That is truly dependent on the delivery cycle, client needs and the training level of the team. How to choose? Hard to say but consider your added value if you have more than just one discipline under your belt. If you look at the PMI.org website you will see that PMI now has nine certifications for you to choose from including the newest addition concentrating on Business Analysis, (PMI-PBA)SM.
Many companies that are searching for project management resources request the (PMP)® certification as part of their hiring criteria. Unfortunately the PMP certification is not enough to make you a good project manager. Many of the colleges have certification programs that teach you how to deliver the essential documentation and processes necessary to be a good PM.
Retraining and certifications are essential in today’s business world. Expanding your breadth of knowledge, and learning new business ideas will keep you in the forefront of your chosen profession. There are many free webinars as well as registered courses at the college level as well as private industry. Logixsource provides training programs for you and your teams. We offer everything from custom programs on executive management to structured PMP Pre-exam review courses. Keep learning.
PMP Preparation training is one of the offerings provided by Logixsource. This training concentrates on both hard skills (estimating, scheduling etc.) and soft skills (communicating, negotiating etc). Contact Heather Cartwright or Scott Savage to learn how you can prepare for your PMP certification.
