Acquiring a project management professional (PMP) certification can be achieved through meeting up the professional trainings and its requirements. The certification gives your career a new level if passed but it requires a lot of hard work. Having a PMP certification in your skillset gives you an edge over the other project managers.
To become a project management certified professional, such an individual must pass the PMP exam tests including the five performance domains of PMP – Initiating the project, planning the project, executing the project, monitoring and controlling the project as well as Closing the project.
What really is Project Management?
Project management means applying skills, knowledge, processes, methods and experience into achieving specific project objectives according to the project acceptance criteria within agreed parameters. Project management has final deliverables that are subjected to a finite timescale and budget.
Project management can also be the process of being the lead of a team that is set out to achieve specific goals and meet success criteria at a specified time.
Who is a Project Manager?
Project managers play the lead role in initializations, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling as well as closing projects in any undertaking that has a defined scope, defined start and a defined finish, irrespective of industry.
Project managers always work with a team. They are most often sociable and great team players as well as become the team leader, co-worker, and supervisor at the same time. A Project manager needs to have the ability to adapt to different people, cultures, environments, and situations.
There are quite some numbers of benefits one could gain in becoming a project manager or attaining Project Management professional.
Benefits of Project Management Trainings
- Adds Value
Project management jobs are high in demand. Companies tend to filter out as many people as possible before any project management interview process. This is where the PMP certification proves beneficial because it is one of the most objective ways in which candidates are being shortlisted.
- Industry recognition
PMP is globally recognized and works within any industry and in any location. So, regardless of the professional background and industry, gaining the certification would be an addition to your resume. Companies also recognize that certified project managers are better at completing projects on time and within the budget.
- You learn important skills
Becoming a certified PMP gives you an edge in the job market. It makes your resume more attractive to companies. More significantly, the certification teaches you important skills to excel in your career.
- Higher income
Across the industry, the average salary of certified project managers is considerably higher. Trends indicate that PMP has consistently been the highest paid IT certification as well as the salaries will keep growing in the future.
- Job security
PMP credential can help you fight a potential lay off better than not having one during companies’ downtime because some companies value the core competencies learned through certification.
- Networking opportunities
There are over one million active PMP certification holders across the world. When you become a PMI (Project Management Institute) member, you become part of that club – attending frequent meetings organized by PMI for members in major cities across the world. These communities help in building professional networks which in turn give opportunity to get to know about new job opportunities that are shared by people who value this certification.
- Validates job dedication
A PMP certification symbolizes your drive towards improving your professional abilities, credentials, knowledge. An employee, who invests in learning, becomes a big asset to their company.
- Enhances employment opportunities and growth
Attending the training gives the opportunity of learning techniques like EVM, Critical Path etc. These, in turn, helps in managing, leading and directing projects in a better way. These capabilities, as a certified PMP enable you to contribute to organization’s strategies.
- Efficient Project Management
The PMP certifications make you efficient and effective in execute projects. It will enable you to bring more and more improvement in your project management experiences.
- Evaluation of Team Members
PMP certification enables you to better evaluate your team members. It will give you some very good skills to easily figure out whether or not a potential team member will work with everyone involved.
- International Recognition
Belonging to an international body of project management professional gives you the international recognition because your PMP certification gotten from an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) accredited institute would be recognized worldwide no matter what you country is.
- Effective Communication
You speak the same language and PMI jargon when speaking to clients or other stakeholders. Therefore, you become effective in communication which is important to project success.
- Enlightenment
You become updated and aware of the latest changes and processes used in project management profession, through the body of PMP and their clubs.
- Greater Responsibilities
As a certified PMP, you will have more opportunities to manage large projects and satisfy multiple stakeholders. With such responsibilities, you will acquire vast experience that can help you identify early on any problems of a project–from initiation to completion.
- Advance Risk Management Skill
PMP certification gives you knowledge of advanced risk management skills that can help you identify and assess the probable risks and ways of mitigating them. This increases product quality, which is beneficial for you as a PM, the team, and the organization too.
- Advance Problem-solving Skills
The certification is a proof of proficiency in the field. People will approach you for expert advice, trusting you with your problem-solving skills, imaginative solutions, and innovative approaches that ensure project success.
- Leadership Skills
Attaining the certification makes you an automatic leader. As you lead different project, you get to keep improving your leadership skills.
- Enhances People-orientation and Team Work
The primary responsibility of the project manager is to lead team competently to attain all business objectives. Being PMP certified you will be considered the main force behind successful project completion.
- Mitigate Risks Failed Project
With a PMP certification, a project manager has adequate knowledge and skills needed to successfully manage a project, thus preventing projects from failing.
- Balancing Schedule, Cost, Resources and Budget
The project management certification teaching the skill needed to stay on schedule (finite timescale) and how to keep costs and resources to budget.
If you want to keep growing in your career, you have to become better at what you are doing currently. Experience may help you improve how you manage projects; with a certification you can do the same thing in a lesser span of time and more professionally.