WHITE PAPER. Why is Project Management Such an In-demand Skill Set? by Wayne Brantley, MS Ed, PMP

Transcription

1 WHITE PAPER Why is Project Management Such an In-demand Skill Set? by Wayne Brantley, MS Ed, PMP

2 Why is Project Management Such an In-demand Skill Set? by Wayne Brantley, MS Ed, PMP, Sr. Director of Villanova University Professional Education Online The Skill for All Seasons Most work is accomplished through projects... every time I developed a new course, planned a Special Olympics, implemented a quality initiative, or modified a radar system I was doing a project. I entered the project management profession officially in I was fortunate that my military radar maintenance, leadership, management, quality management, instructor and instructional systems designer backgrounds made me qualified for this career move. Or was it a career move? I discovered I was a project manager by accident. Many of you are probably accidental project managers as well. Most work is accomplished through projects, so every time I developed a new course, planned a Special Olympics, implemented a quality initiative, or modified a radar system I was doing a project. I can even claim the weekend honey-do jobs as projects! What this comes down to is that all work is accomplished through the skill of project management. First, let s understand what a project is: It is a temporary and unique effort. The alternative is operational management; the repetitive daily jobs that are not projects. Projects have a life cycle that is identified by the Project Management Institute (more on PMI later) as: Initiation project selection; go/no-go decision Planning identifying all the work, scheduling, budgeting, and so much more! Execution doing the work building the product Monitoring and Control evaluating and reporting project status Closing handoff project and wrap up

3 Projects come in all sizes. They can cost anywhere from $0 to several billion dollars. They can last anywhere from a few days to several years. Projects involve one person to hundreds (maybe thousands). Some organizations do projects ad hoc and others have matured, defined processes in place. Some organizations see a project manager as a glorified administrative assistant, while others see them as gods (well, maybe it s just us project managers that see ourselves this way). The Top Employee Skill Set As far as skill sets go, project management is consistently seen as the top employee skill set by organizational development specialists. As far as skill sets go, project management is consistently seen as the top employee skill set by organizational development specialists. Some organizations value the project management skill so much that they have made it a requirement for any organization that they work with to have certified project managers Project Management Professionals (PMP ). Some organizations have even made project management a career path. Certification Magazine, an IT magazine, rated PMP as a top-10 certification. This is very impressive when you consider that PMP is not an IT-specific skill. Throughout industry and the government, PMP is an indemand certification. What does it take to become a successful project manager? PMI is the internationally recognized body of governance for project managers around the world. PMI has over 250,000 members and more than 200,000 certified PMP s. PMI has the standard for project management the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK ). The PMBOK identifies the processes, knowledge, and skills that a project manager should have. The PMBOK is a standard, not a text book. Hence the reader will find the PMBOK informative but not instructional. This leaves many readers frustrated and in need of further guidance. The PMBOK identifies nine knowledge areas that a PM should know. They are: Integration Management Scope Management Time Management Cost Management Quality Management Human Resource Management Communications Management Risk Management Procurement Management There are some skills throughout these nine areas that only require familiarity, while others demand mastery. It depends on your function in the profession of project management. Some of these skills are referred to as soft skills, while others are the hard skills or technical skills of project management.

4 A comprehensive educational program should be undertaken to become a competent project manager. A program that covers the nine knowledge areas usually takes several classes; five to eight topical courses from three to five days are the usual design. These programs usually take two to four years for an individual to complete. This is due to difficulty finding the time needed to complete all the courses. The Value of Certification Project managers from all over the world and from major corporations know the value of PMP certification. Whether you re seeking career progression, greater employability, or increased salary... PMP certification is a proven way to reach your goal. Villanova University has developed a bundled learning experience to create an accelerated online-learning program to allow the student to complete the same depth of training in less than six months. This includes the highly successful (over 99.9% pass rate) Villanova University PMP Prep class. Project managers from all over the world and from major corporations know the value of PMP certification. Whether you re seeking career progression, greater employability, or increased salary (PMI s latest salary survey states the medium PMP earns $95k annually), PMP certification is a proven way to reach your goal. About the Author Wayne R. Brantley, MS Ed, PMP, is the Senior Director of Villanova University Professional Education Online. He has taught and consulted project management around the world to Fortune 500 companies. He has over 24 years experience from the Air Force as a project manager for AF technology training and curriculum development programs. Wayne has developed numerous AF and corporate training programs, classroom, multimedia, and Internet-based programs. A dynamic presenter and trainer, Wayne has spoken at numerous conferences such as the Project Management Institute (PMI ) and the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) annual conferences. Wayne is a doctoral candidate with Nova Southeastern University specializing in Computer Information Technology. Wayne has been or is currently an adjunct faculty member at Villanova University, George Washington University and the University of Alaska. PMI, PMBOK, and PMP, are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

5 PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION ONLINE