PMcrunch

In our increasingly matrixed world, the job of the project manager does not always involve having complete control of project resources – requiring some unique skills.

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I had the pleasure of listening to Ted Fatteross at the PMINJ meeting last night. Although there were many messages throughout Ted’s presentation, one stood out: “Don’t let yourself get too comfortable.”

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We never really arrive at the end of the road in our quest to become leaders. We may achieve [tag-tec]leadership[/tag-tec] status in some way but it is always a moving target. Indeed, I believe it is our own movement on a continuous basis that can enable us to maintain ourselves as a leader. One way that we can do this is by continuously evaluating our own leadership capabilities.

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Most of the focus of individuals in the project management profession is on improving their own ability and that of others to execute well on projects. Typically, we are able to measure our progress in that regard by measuring performance and results on these projects. There is a process called “projectization” that refers to the general capability of people and organizations at large to manage projects effectively and predictably. Let’s take a look at how this is done at an organizational level.

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We heard it said many times that people skills are very important. However, we do see a great emphasis, whether it is in project management frameworks, or MBA programs, or Six Sigma, or any other approaches that there is a noticeable lack of people skill development embedded in the program.

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Networking, to me, is a fun thing to do. Over time I have gotten to meet many people, many different situations — and I love learning about what people do, how they think, what they have experienced, and what their perspective is. However, what I’ve also found is that the approach that you take to networking can bring about very different results from another approach. Let’s take a look at this topic.

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The PMI virtual community project is a major initiative aimed at bringing together the many different facets of the overall PMI members. I am not sure whether non-members will gain access, but I understand that there is a membership fee to get into this virtual community. I have some thoughts, or more to the point, questions as my curiosity about this has been piqued. Let’s take a look.

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Candidates for the PMP exam usually have some level of project management experience career; indeed, it is required in order to qualify to take the PMP exam. However there are many structures, terms and concepts that are part of the PMP exam that PMP candidates need to master. These are the things that you will learn and this is the growth you will experience that takes you beyond your project management experience base. Let’s take a look at some keys for a project plan to pass the PMP exam.

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It is actually very easy for serious professionals to earn PDUs and maintain PMP and PgMP certification. The PMI provides many opportunities to earn the required 60 PDUs every 3 years, such that it really can be accomplished fairly easily doing many of the things a project management or program management professional would be doing regardless of the requirement! Here is a short summary of the key points related to PMP and PgMP credential maintenance and earning PDUs.

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The Certified Assoicate in Project Management (CAPM) certification credential from the Project Management Institute (PMI) does not require ongoing education to earn PDUs, but it does not last forever. Reviewing the renewal requirements, however, one would think that any candidate who is working in the project management field should strongly consider going for the PMP certification, and renew the CAPM as a second resort.

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