A project is a timely limited undertaking in order to produce unique products, services or results. Important factors are defined start, defined end and usually limited budget, although they are not literally mentioned in the definition.
Project management consists of 5 processes, some of them running in parallel:
- Initiation
- Planning
- Execution
- Monitoring and Controlling
- Closure
Within these processes project management has to make sure that all core areas are processed in an adequate volume. All of them are essential for the project success, but detailing is driven by size and complexity of the project. The 9 core areas are:
- Integration (superior steering over all core areas)
- Scope (content and definition of what is not part of it)
- Time (timely effort, duration and due dates)
- Cost (cost and budget)
- Quality (quality assurance and quality control)
- Human Resource (staffing and human themes)
- Communication (information exchange within and outside the team)
- Risk (qualitative and quantitative risks)
- Procurement (purchasing and associated contracts)
The basis for all is formed by the Triangle of project management. Are you changing eg. the scope it has automatically effects on time and cost. Are those not adapted a negative impact on quality is the consequence:
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Source: 123rf.com
Certification
To be Project Management Professional (PMP) you need a lot of experience as project manager and a short-term passed training. The examination consists out of theory, calculation examples and ethics questions. The certification is current for 3 years, during this time 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) need to be collected for continuation.
On the homepage of the Project Management Institute (PMI®) anything around the certificate, comprehensive knowledge bases can be found as well as the account can be managed there (profile, PDUs etc.).
PDUs are collected via work as professional, visit of chapter meetings, further education or transfer of own knowledge. For further education there are trainings from PMI certified organizations and several provider of webinars, some of them offer webinar recordings even for free.
You would like to know more about it? Get in touch with us via projectmanagement@maierctm.com.