Importance of a Project Management Certification for IT professionals

The challenges within IT project management are many and the need for a standardized way of managing projects is becoming even more important with the growing number of digital transformation projects that has fundamentally changed the pace and complexity.

Language skills are important for all project managers in all sectors but particularly important for IT project managers. English is the main language for all the different abbreviations and terms used on daily basis by people working within IT and Tech, regardless of if the company is based in the UK, Europe or India or elsewhere. Also the most important certificates for IT project managers are only obtainable through standardized tests, also in English, and require a good level of understanding to be completed. A certified IT project manager can, via the standardized methodologies, set up step-by-step instructions that guide the teams to be able to deliver projects successfully; regardless of if the team is working remotely or locally. Certifications also help to set a global standard for project managers and enable quality assurance for both companies who offer IT project management services as well as for the customers buying their services.

A central challenge for IT project managers is the ability to lead a group that will dissolve as soon as it reaches its goal and quickly establishes a pace for the work that needs to be done. Leading the project group in its temporary constellation with an assignment that hopefully is clearly defined is another.

• The IT Project Managers role is to direct, manage, monitor and control the project, the team, and the various stakeholders through the change.
• The project manager must have the ability to lead the project participants through all project phases without losing track of all the phases and at the same time balance several parallel agendas.
• The project manager should also be in control of the project group and make sure that they deliver results according to a time schedule.
• At the same time, the project manager also needs to be able to read between the lines when communicating with the different stakeholders in the project and most importantly communicating with the customer.

The ability to clearly separate the customer’s wish list from the requirements that must definitely be fulfilled in order for the project to be fulfilled is another important part of the project management; otherwise, there is a risk that the project will grow out of control and eventually become almost unmanageable. The ability to capture the needs the customer has not yet put into words is another central ability for the overall success of any project manager; misunderstandings, different sets of expectations or general communication errors costs time, effort and money and can, in the worst case, lead to failed projects. It is, therefore, an important part of the project managers’ work to make regular reconciliations with the customer that ensure the project is on the right track.

Projects also have all types of activities at the same time that needs to move forward collectively to be integrated at the right time. Being cost- and time efficient when working with a project with various stakeholders and team members that might not work in the same place does not just mean maintaining budgets and schedules for delivery, it also means understanding how to apply best practices throughout the process to create a smooth project from start to finish. Managing various, and sometimes very complex, integrations is a lot about developing the project plan to create a safe and fast solution while also managing parallel activities, provide compliance with customer needs. Managing IT projects is therefore increasingly about quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control and therefore the need for a common language and terminology is of even greater importance to set a high standard. IT projects also often involve specific deliverables that need to meet the overall project objectives to reach these quality standards. IT project management methodologies can, therefore, benefit from being seen as a system of practices, techniques, procedures, and rules, supported by one common language and a set book of rules.

The many challenges and possible pitfalls in projects and the threat of “beginner’s mistakes” mean that many companies rather hire IT project managers that have a PMI certificate to avoid the most common mistakes when IT projects are rolled out. Also, the fear of unpredicted cost or loss of cost-control is an important parameter. The ability to fix problems from scratch is crucial for a project manager. Problems that appear in a project may seem to be isolated phenomena but they are often symptoms of a structural problem that needs to be addressed in order to avoid recurring problems during the course of the project. A proven project methodology can be regarded as a basic factor in successful project management but it is also necessary to sometimes dare to deviate from the project methodology when required. The deviation is also a part of keeping the overall balance in a project and can be crucial to the success and survival of a project is taken into account.

It is also becoming more and more common to train online before attempting to do the tests to get valid PMI certifications. There are different models for online education that can help project managers reach their certification goals. In some cases, it is good to start with a simpler set of videos that you watch whenever it suits you, and in other cases a more “hands-on” layout where you video chat with a private teacher and get customized training according to your particular needs. For people setting out to become professional IT Project Managers however it is important to make sure that the education and training are relevant and follows the standardized guidelines that PMI has set out for the certification.

Project Management Institute®, PMI®, which has its headquarters in the US, has been a certified project manager for almost 20 years. Currently, about 500,000 people have been certified according to this standard and can call themselves Project Management Professional (PMP) ®. Among others, PMP Certification Houston is offering a great education for project managers looking to be certified. In the certificate program, there are 9 main parts that are necessary to master before a student can take the test and become certified. These areas are the following;

• Integration Management
• Scope Management
• Schedule Management
• Cost Management
• Quality Management
• Resource Management
• Communication Management
• Risk Management
• Procurement Management

About the certificate

Project Management Professional (PMP) ® certification is the most distinguished professional qualification for project managers offered by Project Management Institute (PMI) ®. The certification is relevant for professionals who are seeking to advance their career by completing the PMP® certification exam that is based on Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, (PMBOK®  Guide)—Sixth Edition, Project Management Institute, Inc., 2017.

More information; https://www.knowledgehut.com/project-management/pmp-certification-training-houston

Kim Nanna Lehult

Curious, Creative, Author, Copywriter, Digital Marketing/Strategy expert, Fun-loving, Travel addicted, Digital native & nomad @ home in London