At the mid-summer point we begin to think about September and going back to school. Thomas Jefferson once said, “I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led.” Many of us don’t pursue further education until it is absolutely necessary. In today’s work environment with so many changes happening, being content with our knowledge base is a gamble. Developing project management skills isn’t just for PM’s. If your business engages in projects today then learning the project management methodologies is an excellent idea. Even if you don’t actually manage the project, understanding the processes will help the team.
In many of my classes, PMP’s ask me over and over again, where can I get my PDU’s? (Professional Development Units) PMI’s certification process includes accumulating 60 PDU’s over a three year term. Training programs are a quick way of obtaining 45 PDU’s and learning a new skill at the same time. Just getting through and passing the PMP exam is only the beginning of your project management career. In the last four weeks I have been asked if Logixsource can deliver a project using the Prince2 delivery methodology. We have also trained project management group courses on Agile project delivery as well.
As a rule of thumb I recommend taking a related course once a year. These could be PM skills courses such as MS Project, Visio training or Powerpoint. This might also meet PMI requirements in such courses as Agile project management, Human Resources Management, Schedule Management or Cost Management courses. A nice addition to your portfolio of education might be Leadership courses. These programs will assist you with your ability to manage larger more complex projects with special consideration around team building, negotiation, or conflict management and expose you to more strategic projects within your organization.
Learning is improving. We all have project management skills that we don’t excel at. I find it interesting that within the certificate program I teach, most students choose the Cost Management module to take last in the series of four options. Saving the best for last possibly?
If you take the initiative to add a new skill to your resume you offer potential employers more reason to choose you over another applicant. You stand out because of your skill set. If you schedule the course for the same time each year it will become a target rather than a task. Don’t wait for the “need” to drive the desire.
If you are interested in learning more about how Logixsource can assist you with professional development, contact Heather Cartwright at hcartwright@logixsource.com or Scott Savage at ssavage@logixsource.com.
