Project Management

is my passion.

So I decided that I wanted to be a Project Manager, but I needed to learn HOW to be an effective one.

 

 

Starting with the Project Management Institute (PMI), I went about finding different courses, books, and trainings that would direct my learning.

 

PMI has four "tiers" of certifications depending on your experience level:  0-3 years, 3+ Years, Specialization, and 8+ Years/Senior Level Practitioner.  Beginner Project Managers can get started with any of the following certifications:
 

PMI Project Ready - Targeted towards students

CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) - PMI's "traditional" starting certification

PMI-ACP (PMI Agile Certified Practitioner) - For new Project Managers looking to learn about Agile in general
DASM (Disciplined Agile Scrum Master) - Learn about Scrum and Agile fundamentals the PMI way

 

PMI offers an online course that will take you through the topics covered in the CAPM prep you to sit for the examination.  This course satisfies the learning requirement to qualify.

 

Google also has a relatively new professional certification in Project Management.  It covers the foundations of each step of Traditional Project Management as well as cover the basics of Agile methodologies.  While it technically will satisfy the requirements to sit for the PMI CAPM exam, I found that it was focused more on the practical skills needed to be a successful Project Manager while the CAPM is very vocabulary and recall heavy.  Google's course does not use all of the same terminology that PMI uses and thus will not fully prepare you for the CAPM exam.

 

In Traditional Project Management, a Project Manager is typically expected to lead 1 or maybe 2 projects at a time.  Product Managers lead several, and Portfolio Managers are in charge of several Products.  Here is what I was given as a suggested career path for Traditional Project Management:

 

  • Begin your Project Management journey with a CAPM and Google Certified Project Management Professional
  • Begin applying your understanding and ideally get experience as a Project Associate or Junior Project Manager
  • Train for the Project Management Professional (PMP) examination to show general mastery over the concepts.
  • Consider the Axelos Prince2 Project Management Certification as an add-on
  • Consider specialization in a particular business application such as Risk Management, Scheduling, Citizen Developer, Organization Transformation, etc.
    • If you want to apply your leadership skills in technology, consider the Axelos ITIL certification path.
  • Learn to apply your skills at scale as a Portfolio Manager and get the PgMP (Program Management Professional) certification.
  • Further expand your range as a Program Manager and get the PfMP (Portfolio Management Professional) Certification.

 

For Agile Certifications, there are two organizations that specialize in Scrum:  Scrum.org and ScrumAlliance.org

Scrum.org has a higher passing standard (85%) and your Professional Scrum Master certification does not expire.  ScrumAlliance.org has a lower passing standard (74%), but requires you to complete continuing education credits in order to retain your Certified Scrum Master certification.

 

Other Agile-centric organizations who offer certifications include:
 

International Consortium for Agile (ICP)

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

Axelos (ITIL and Prince2-Agile)

 

PMI also offers their version of Agile Project Management, and some organizations may rate these certifications highly.

 

For an Agile focused career, here is the general path that was recommended to me:
 

  • Start with your introductory Scrum Master certification
  • Begin applying Agile and Scrum to your work and ideally get experience as a Junior level Scrum Master.
  • Based on your experiences, decide what career path is best suited for you.  Here are a few examples: 
    • Agile Team Coaching
      • ICP-AT (Agile Team Facilitation), ICP-SYS (Systems Coaching) or SAFe5-SA (SAFe Agilist) or SAFe5-SPC (SAFe Program Consultant), SAFe5-For Teams, Prince2 Agile Foundations/Practitioner, CTC (Certified Team Coach)
    • Product Ownership
      • ICP-BAF (Business Agility Foundations), ICP-SYS (Systems Coaching), Prince2 Agile Foundations/Practitioner, CSPO (Certified Scrum Product Owner)
    • DevOps
      • ICP-FDO (Foundation of DevOps), SAFe5-DevOps, CSD (Certified Scrum Developer)
    • Business Agility and Leadership
      • ICP-BAF, ICP-SYS, SAFe5-SA, SAFe5-SPC, Prince2 Agile Foundations/Practitioner
    • Enterprise Coaching
      • ICP-BAF, ICP-ENT (Agility in the Enterprise), Axelos AgileSHIFT, CEC (Certified Enterprise Coach)
  • Once you have established yourself as a leader within your industry, consider teaching others how to further themselves as a trainer.

 

 

For me personally, I am currently doing the following:

 

  1. Complete the Google certification as well as the CAPM to get a foundation of both practical and theoretical knowledge of Traditional Project Management.
  2. Opted for the CSM by Scrum Alliance as I believe that continuing education is a must with the ever-changing landscape of businesses and enterprise environments.
  3. Learn how to scale my knowledge of Agile and lead teams as an Agile Coach.

 

While the above information may help give suggestions on where to start, it is by no means the end-all-be-all when it comes to career learning and advancement.  Everyone learns differently and may find opportunities along the way that lead to different avenues and certifications.

As a final note...yes...these courses are EXPENSIVE and not everyone belongs to an organization that can help fund their career goals and education.  Believe me when I say that it is daunting and a little frustrating to find that the gateways to success are locked behind a paywall.

HOWEVER!  Don't give up hope and lose focus of your goals.  Reach out to the certifying organizations about scholarships, talk to your local library about resources they may be subscribed to, or find local professional groups to seek help.