Driving Projects to Success with the Project Management Institute

For ambitious, excellence-driven organizations, strengthening their professional project management tools and skills is one of the top plans of action to ensure business success. In this endeavor, leading teams in various industries, fields of practice, government agencies and institutions turn to the Project Management Institute (PMI) as the only association that will arm them with global project management competency standards.

In the field of project management, PMI is considered the premiere membership organization for professionals. All over the world, its members and credential holders that number to half a million are recognized as top movers and shakers of their chosen profession, backed by experience and training from research programs and development opportunities offered by PMI’s products and services.

PMI offers non-profit training for global standards to professionals and organizations in 185 countries worldwide. By promoting organizational competency through globally-recognized practices, the association helps in the development of business and governments towards further progress and accomplishment.

Excellence and Expertise

PMI promotes excellence and expertise in the project management field through certification programs, training and education, and research.

Currently, five certifications are recommended to professionals to boost their credentials and professional qualifications in leading projects from concept to winning delivery. Practitioners of project management can ensure project success with education and competency programs namely the Project Management Professional, Certified Associate in Project Management, Program Management Professional, PMI Scheduling Professional, and PMI Risk Management Professional.

With the highly demanding and competitive industries today, it is said that 80% of organizations trust only a certified project professional with their ventures. Furthermore, it is confirmed that PMI certificate holders are presented with high salary rates and more career opportunities than their non-certified counterparts.

Opportunities for strategic learning and focused training for all levels and educational background are also offered by the association. From seminars, to e-learning courses, to global events and professional congresses, practitioners to college-level/undergraduate career seekers can reinforce their skills through continuous development and accreditation programs given by PMI educators.

Meanwhile, project management trends are reported and existing knowledge base is strengthened through the Research Program. Scientific research, survey and data can help practitioners and organizations enrich their competencies in project management, helping advance the profession in general. This knowledge is shared by the association to its members and affiliates through research projects, symposiums, publications, conferences and working sessions.

Networking and Community

Aside from various resources for professional development, PMI membership also offers an opportunity to connect with the project management community, from PMI volunteers that help design and standardize global models, to fellow organizations and stakeholders who are similarly interested in improving their expertise.

PMI is a highly mobile and dynamic association, and its activities are held in more than 250 geographic chapters in America, Europe and Asia Pacific. In these events, members get to meet new contacts, network with the community, and exchange knowledge and ideas.

Aside from location-based encounters, online interaction is also an active mode of communication for PMI members. There are communities of practice available for members online to chat, collaborate and share resources. Through blogs, shared documents, announcements, wikis, webinars and other virtual activities, members are able to participate with PMI discussions about professional issues and updates. A member directory is also available for ease in further communications.

With the extensive and encompassing products and services by the PMI, global practitioners and organizations can sharpen professional skills, strengthen community networks, and share project management knowledge and resources. Business solutions, extensive knowledge base, guides to global standards, and industry certifications from PMI are important keys in supporting both individual and collective goals and aspirations of excellence in project management.

PMBOK Guide for your Definite Marked Advantage

Some people want to enter a career in Project Management because of its classy and inviting environment. However, not everyone can be a Project Manager or a Project Associate. The truth is that it is not enough to know how to handle people, to work as a team, or to deal with challenges, and common sense is not enough to land a job in this field.

It is equally important to know the processes and tools involved in Project Management. There are many people trying their luck in this field, and it is hard to evaluate a person on his knowledge and skills in Project Management based on a summary statement or a Curriculum Vitae. It is for this very reason that a Credited Associate in Project Management (CAPM) and Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications are much necessary to bring you ahead of other candidates for employment.

These two credentials are the key to startup or boost your career in Project Management. Because of its significance, to be a holder of any of the two, it is required to be knowledgeable of the twelve chapters of Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide. It is a recognized standard resource, created and produced by Project Management Institute (PMI). It is intended to give a thorough understanding of the subject matter with procedures, practices, and techniques to make a project effective and successful. Most of the questions in CAPM and PMP exams are derived from PMBOK Guide. Therefore, it is mandatory to be well-aware of the facts and information presented in this book.

PMBOK has almost everything one needs to know about Project Management such as the framework, standards, and knowledge areas of the profession. It shows and educates readers of the good and responsible processes in the industry. It presents processes that are categorized into five groups. These are:

• Initiating
• Planning
• Executing
• Monitoring
• Closing

These are the major processes involved in Project Management. Each sub-processes under these five categories, are presented with different tools and techniques. There are 49 processes in total.

With PMBOK Guide, one will be made aware of the proper management of the nine knowledge areas namely: Quality, Risk, Scope, Cost, Project Integration, Time, Communications, Human Resources, and Procurement. These are discussed clearly in each chapters of the handbook to show the importance of all in order to achieve the best results in Project Management. Although it is necessary to be familiar with all these, being a professional in the field still requires a lot of expert experiences and acquired trainings.

PMBOK is also designed with a common vocabulary and terminologies used in the industry to give a universal meaning and understanding of Project Management globally. To have a CAPM certification, one must know and memorize terminologies and definitions of the basics of the field. On the other hand, being a PMP requires not only memorization but also superior comprehension and skills of the different practices involved. Unlike the CAPM that is intended for starters, PMP credential is for people with extensive years of experience in Project Management. These are the people who are already Project Managers or Team Leaders working for at two to three years in the field who understand Project Management not only from the book, but also from their past experiences. Regardless of the differences of CAPM and PMP exams, they are still both patterned after PMBOK.

Now on its fourth edition, PMI believes that a continuous update on the guide is essential in improving the profession. Although the latest edition is aligned with the previous one, and that there is not so much changes with regards to the content, there are still a couple of additions and deletions that need to be recognized. Therefore it is a must to always be updated with the newest edition to date.

So whether a person is just starting his or her career in Project Management or just merely adding a credential under his name, the PMBOK guide is surely your best resource. It is meant to present and expound on the general guideline in managing winning projects to boost not only your business, but also your career. Familiarizing with PMBOK Guide is the best preparation for a person to have a definite marked advantage.