How to become a better project manager
Project management skills will help you in any career you choose. To become an effective project manager requires you to learn the best ways to direct project resources so that a project is completed on time and within budget. You will find that this is especially true these days when the economic climate is forcing firms to perform much more with less. While many project management skills can be learned on the job, for many this will take too long and most of us and our companies can’t afford a lot of trial and error. So to really learn project management will require finding and taking specialized courses to improve your career skills and to get your PMP certification.
Project Management Courses
These courses can teach you technical project manager and critical leadership skills. Very few people are born with these stills and the best project managers have all taken the time to learn them just like you will. Project management classes will show you what it takes to lead your team properly. Whether you are looking at a new career or becoming more attractive to your current employer, then finding the right training should be your first step. (Many people will rush to get their PMP certification but that should be secondary as you will see below). See How to Pick a Project Management Course for a guide to picking a project management course provider. There are many options that range from free project management training to paid choices.
PMP Certification
Becoming a certified project manager has many benefits. The most common certification is the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification earned through the Project Management Institute (PMI). The biggest benefit is it shows current and future employers that you are a professional within your field and you have the desire, knowledge and experience to manage projects. See this guide on how to Earn your PMP Certification.
While the PMP certification is a critical step to become a project manager it is not a requirement. In fact you must master the basic project management skills first. This is why taking courses on project management should be your first step if just starting out. Many people rush into the PMP certification process only to be left scratching their heads afterwards. A common statement I hear all the time is, “Ok.. now what?”. The reason is the PMP certification shows that you have an understanding of what project management means but it does not show you how to manage a project. I can not stress this enough because the push by many individuals to get their PMP and employers wishing to have as many PMP certified project managers has lead to two negatives to the profession: (1) Many certified project managers who can’t effectively manage a project and (2) Employers equating poor project management from ineffective PMP certifired managers as indication that project management does not work.
First steps to effective project management
This is why to be effective at managing projects, you should first demonstrate the value of project management first through your skills acquired from project management education and experience; and then validate with PMP certification second.
