Certification and Project Management
Certification and Project Management
By Kerry Wills
It is always interesting to see how people feel about being certified as a Project Manager. On one hand I like having a standard set of criteria to normalize a base foundation of understanding PM principles. On the other hand I strongly believe that it is really the empirical background and work style of a person who makes them a successful Project Manager.
With over one million people certified it seems to have a lower standard since it would appear that most people can get their certification – and clearly PM certification is a business that needs customers. Most resumes that I see, people call themselves Project Managers and have the certification. However when I read the bullets the experience is pretty weak. I think these resumes are the ones that give certification a bad name and a reputation as being “watered down.”
So I would propose that we take it in context. For people who want to enter the PM practice, looking at certification may be a good foundation for understanding the principles. But the focus should be on gaining “real world” experience and possibly getting mentoring from a seasoned Project Manager.
Kerry Wills is a proven Program Manager/Portfolio Manager with an extensive background in Project Management, consulting, and application development. Kerry has consistently demonstrated the ability to plan and implement large and complex projects on time and on/under budget. Kerry runs a blog, Adventures in Project Management.
Amen, brother Kerry.
AMEN!
Certification is a business ecosystem, with a myriad of training organization surrounding and supported by a near monopoly at the center of the system. And in PMI’s case, a successful one, convincing the masses that three little letters on your resume actually mean something.
Sure it’s a source of education on the basics, but they are so damn protective of their body of knowledge, they come down on anyone who publishes something based on it without their permission. A number of years ago, I wrote a big piece on my site showing how the Critical Chain Project Management approach mapped to the PMBOK, and was sent a “request” to take it down. If they were really interested in education and dissemination of info about the field, they would be far more open to the use of “their” information.