Project Management Certifications: An Overview

The projects can be of both short term as well as long term. Projects are designed to meet the organization’s goals and objectives so that they serve better in the long run. The project management forms an integral part while implementing the projects. The reason is that the projects are often complex and require careful planning and execution. Often projects require multiple stakeholders which are quite challenging to manage. The Strategic Alignment is also required to establish so that both the clients and the project team operate effectively. Therefore, a well-qualified project manager ensures that the project is able to meet the desired expectations within the established timeframes and the risk is managed properly.

According to research by Hive, 77% of high performing projects use Project Management Software. This shows that Project Management has proved very helpful in giving excellent performance.

Wondering what is Project Management? Go through the rest of the article to know about Project Management and the popular Project Management Certifications.

What is Project Management?

According to PMI, project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements. The project management processes fall into five groups:

• Initiating
• Planning
• Executing
• Monitoring and Controlling
• Closing

The project management knowledge draws on ten areas: Integration, scope, time, cost, quality, procurement, human resources, communications, risk management, Stakeholder management.

THE POPULAR PROJECT MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATIONS

Below listed are the popular project management certification that professionals consider:

• Project management professional(PMP)

The project management professional(PMP) is a globally recognized certification for project managers. This certifies the professionals on the basis of their competency to handle projects. The employers, clients as well as the own business organization thereafter trust the professional with their abilities and they get golden opportunities.

The criteria that the Project Management Institute requires are:

• Four Year degree/ Secondary degree (High School Diploma, Associate’s Degree or the Global Equivalent)
• 36 months of project management experience/60 months of project management experience
• 35 Hours of project management education or CAPM Certification.

Professionals can complete their PMP certification in Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, or sitting in any other city as it is proctored online.

• Program Management Professional(PgMP)

The Program Management Professional is for those project managers who manage multiple projects at a time. The challenge here is that multiple projects are strategic and requires careful implementation.

The criteria required to apply for the certification is that the candidate should be graduate, should be having 48 months of project management experience or PMP and 48/84 months of Project Management experience within the last 15 years.

• Portfolio management professional(PfMP)

The Portfolio management professional is certified to those individuals who have competency in handling multiple portfolios. Since portfolio management takes some time to build up efficient skills, this certification makes a professional appear more competent and trustworthy.

• Certified Associate in Project Management(CAPM)

The CAPM demonstrates the person’s knowledge of the basics of processes, terminology, and the methods used to handle projects. This serves as an initial step for the professionals looking for getting certified in PMP.

The criteria required to fulfill in order to appear for CAPM are:

• • A secondary degree or graduation in any stream
  • 23 hours of project management education completed before you appear for the exam

• PMI Professional in Business Analysis(PMI-PBA)

The PMI- Professional in Business Analysis(PBA) demonstrates the professional’s expertise in Business Analysis. The business analysts are supposed to figure out the business requirements of stakeholders, what output is expected from them, and the planning required to bring out efficient solutions.

• PMI Risk Management Professional(PMI-RMP)

The PMI Risk Management professional certifies the candidates on the basis of their capability to identify business risks. The RMP then figures out plans to deal with the risks and also utilize the opportunities to their best possible ways.

The criteria required for the PMI-RMP professional are

• • Graduation in any stream
  • 24/36 months of project risk management experience within the last 5 years
  • 40/30 hours of project risk management education

•  CompTIA Project+

The CompTIA Project+ certification is provided to those candidates who have at least one year of project management experience. This certification demonstrates the basic capabilities of the professional to complete projects within the established timelines, follow the standards, and within the established budget. It focuses mainly on communication skills and business development.

• Certified Project Manager(IAPM)

The Certified Project Manager is the global certification provided by the International Association of Project Managers. This is the mid-level certification that demonstrates the candidate’s capabilities in handling the various aspects of the project including, finance, IT, HR, Marketing, Operations, communications, etc.

• Master Project Manager(MPM)

The American Academy of Project Management(AAPM) offers the MPM certification for project management which includes the business as well as technical management skills. The criteria required to apply for MPM are the three-year of experience in project management along with the required graduation.

• Certified ScrumMaster(CSM)

The Certified ScrumMaster is offered by Scrum Alliance which demonstrates the professional’s capability to handle complex business problems. Scrum, an agile framework is used for solving challenging business situations. It is an entry-level certification that is used for demonstrating the knowledge of basic scrum principles and methods.

• Agile Certified Practitioner(PMI-ACP)

The Project Management Institute’s Agile Certified Practitioner(PMI-ACP) is the certification that demonstrates the capabilities of professionals to handle business challenges using agile principles and tools such as SCRUM, XP, LEAN, Kanban.

•  PRINCE 2 Certification

The Projects in Controlled Environments (PRINCE 2) certification is offered on the foundational and practitioner levels, by the ILX group. This certification tests the person’s knowledge on the basis of all the phases of the project on pre-project, initiation, delivery, final delivery. So the foundational certificate is based on the professional’s capability to handle business projects using fundamental principles and concepts. The advanced PRINCE 2 certification is based on the advanced techniques and concepts and requires PRINCE Foundation certification as a prerequisite.

Conclusion

The project management certifications play an important role in delivering high-quality output to the clients. As a result, the professional gets the opportunity to grow in multiple areas. Therefore, these people are often seen as trustworthy and smarter. They are able to make a positive image of the organization itself. The very important thing is to have the right skills and concepts. It all starts with learning about project management. So, if you are the Project Manager who has at least one year of experience or the one who has several years of experience, then you must enter into the world of challenging business roles and opportunities. Start the process of certification by taking up a course in Project Management that will help you to learn even in your busy schedules.