I was at the PMI Global Conference this last October, speaking with a presenter afterwards, and the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification came up. The tones are fairly hushed. It is a PMI sponsored event. But the consensus seemed to be it just doesn’t make you a better PM. It’s an opinion I’ve heard often, both in those who have and haven’t earned their certification.
My original reply to this was it’s not the content, it’s the journey. An example is n(n-1)/2, the formula of the number of communication channels in a team. With a team of 4 people there are (4×3)/2 or 6 communication channels, in a team of 8 there are (8×7)/2 or 28 different communication channels. I’ve never had a reason to use this outside of the PMP.
However, the point of the formula is important. There is a lot of communication in the team a PM doesn’t have visibility to. That communication gets much bigger very quickly as the team gets bigger. Even if a PM doesn’t hear every conversation, they need to be paying attention to everything they do hear, to see if there are underlying issues that need addressed.
Then this last week, I had my first student fail the exam on their first try. They had done everything right, taken the practice tests, regularly scored over 80%, knew the formulas, memorized all the names, and on some exams they would have been just fine. However, this exam focused heavily on monitoring and controlling. If everything goes south, what do you do. If you lose your key resource, if the client won’t sign off on the end product, if the vendor doesn’t deliver, if life happens (as it always will), what do you do?
It gave me a better appreciation of the value of the PMP. The exam is meant to be a recipe book of what a successful PM needs to consider. It provides all of the pieces that should be considered beforehand, how the planning needs to happen, the importance of risk, of vendors, of resources, of timing, and thinking about them before the project ever starts. Most importantly, it then provides a framework for what to do when things go wrong.
When I interview a PMP and ask them how they handle disasters, the answer is follow the plan. A PM should have analyzed key risks beforehand. It’s true, and it’s a good answer. But even with a good plan, unexpected things happen. In that case, the PMI answer is look at the impact first. Don’t panic. Don’t run to your sponsor (yet). Don’t start a change request. Understand the impact.
Once you understand the impact, you can start looking at options. You’ll have some ready to be able to calmly discuss with your Sponsor (if needed). In a project world where everything always is different that you planned it, having a good plan in place, thinking about risks, and then knowing how to calmly walk through the steps when the unexpected happens means, when it really counts, you don’t have to panic. You look at the impact, look at your options, find the best answer, and fix the problem. As a PM, I can’t think of a skill that matters more.
I know the PMP is a lot of work. I work very hard to provide the most efficient way to prepare my students for the exam, and still tell them to plan on 80-100 hours of studying. However, it’s not much more effort than a three credit college course, and I don’t know any course that is nearly as recognized in the industry.
I know there are a lot of things like n(n-1)/2 or Herzberg’s Theory that you don’t see the reason for studying, and don’t ever think you’ll use. However, PMI has worked to find the best PM experts in the world, and find the best concepts needed to be successful in project management. It may be worth looking at the underlying principle.
I realize there are PMs who have earned their PMP, but may not have learned how to apply the principles yet. Learning where to apply the principles is what makes project management both an art and a science.
So earning your PMP won’t guarantee you’re a good PM, but it’s a good place to start.