Maria Starkova, Program Portfolio Manager, International Programs Platform House of Knowledge
It’s great when everything works out in a project – within budget, with the required quality and on time. No stress and no conflict in the team. And without any problems after the delivery of the result to the customer.
And after that you still have to wake up and get on the burning bike again to deal with the upcoming technical, financial or organizational issues – after all, we are professionals 🙂
Back in the 70s, due to the mass of variables in the daily work of project managers, they began to be singled out as a separate category, and the criteria for good project management began to be defined as best practices. Due to the uniqueness of the projects, what was good for one project can damage another, and the requirements for the knowledge and skills of managers were expanding (and are expanding to this day), and today in project management there are more certifications than in many other professional fields.
There are already more than a dozen world-renowned certifications alone – and that’s not counting project management programs from Ivy League universities, business school courses, local certifications and certifications with a narrow specialization and scope.
They are based on different approaches to project management (from a process-description approach to a competency-based approach) – and the following criteria are often should be considered when choosing certification:
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Today in Ukraine, two project management accreditations are available and widely known – the American one from the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the European one from the International Project Management Association (IPMA). Theoretically, it is possible to obtain also other certifications remotely, such as, for example, APM or Prince2, but their recognition in the world and recognition in our country is somewhat lower than that of the first two, and the procedure for certification is often much more complicated.
And of course, there are agile certifications and specifically scrum certifications that you can always add to core certifications.
The differences between the PMI and IPMA certifications were laid exactly during founding of these organizations, including and are reflected in their approach to how and what they evaluate.
PMI was founded in 1969 as an institute, with a classic (at that time) American approach to teaching, in which certification from the institute was focused on testing primarily knowledge. The founders of the institute followed the path of creating a good systemic basic education in project management, and PMBoK, or the body of knowledge in project management from PMI, is still one of the most complete, classic and constantly updated training and certification manuals in the world. In my personal opinion, thanks to PMBoK, it became possible to gain the most in-depth knowledge for those who are just starting to immerse themselves in the basics of project management – from defining tasks in a specific project process to drawing up a purchase agreement in it.
Through history and approach, PMP’s PMP certification focuses on testing theoretical knowledge, understanding the rules, and being willing to comply with them.
IPMA was born in 1964 as a community of professionals and practitioners who were looking for solutions in large international projects that spoke different languages at that time. It was not so much about a language barrier or little experience, but rather the difference in experience, approaches and glossaries within a project that covered several parts of the world. The community turned into an International Association, which at first brought together leading institutions, organizations and outstanding project managers who were ready to share their experience in solving complex projects. A unified conceptual framework, a unified glossary and a unified standard for managers of large projects were created.
As Association grew, its members began to organize themselves at the level of countries and the International World Association itself found its name – IPMA.
Based on the history of creation, the approach of certification created by IPMA is also clear. Initially, it focused on practitioners and managers, analyzing the business qualities of candidates, behavior and decisions in different situations, their result and further application of the results of retrospectives – the accumulated practical experience. This is how the global standard for assessing competencies was born.
Today, among the levels of this certification, in addition to the standard status of Project Manager, there are also management levels – from Senior Project Manager to Portfolio Director, which confirms the knowledge and skills of candidates not only in the project, but also in the broader management sphere.
Geography of origin also influenced the certification. At the end of the text, I will gladly give a scheme for choosing a certification (initially presented by Roman Reznikov) – it also takes into account mentioned variables. Briefly about the criterion of geography – the differences begin at the level of the exam language (for example, you can take all IPMA levels in all languages of Europe, while part of the PMI exams can only be taken in English). If you plan to work only on American market – first look at the PMI levels. Planning a career in British projects – Prince2 can be your choice. Targeting Europe and other countries of the world – IPMA.
When comparing different types of accreditations, it is necessary first of all to answer the question why exactly you need certification.
In addition to the obvious – getting the “paper”, it is important to understand the added value that certification can bring and whether it will be beneficial for you.
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For example, within the Program and Project Management program, Senior Project Managers and Programme Directors systematize knowledge both in terms of a process approach (from start to completion of a project) and competencies (risk management, financial management, solving “technical” and “human” problems). Students of this program are managers with experience in large companies and projects (the criterion for obtaining certification starting from Senior Project Manager). And an absolute advantage is the experience of colleagues in the class, which student uses when analyzes projects and business cases. And, of course, a significant result is consolidation through the application and hone of knowledge with the help of a real project, which PMs defend in the final certification to IPMA. The program takes place every year in the spring with the start in April – May, and if you are reading this article from December to May, have read this to that point and have relevant experience, you should definitely clarify the details and dates of the next start of the program here.
Systematic training in preparation for certification allows you to make a sober revision of your own knowledge and skills, add new project management tools, and the right community to see new solutions and take new approaches.
Choose certification and accompanying training, invest in yourself – and along the way, we wish you not only the desired results, but also to get pleasure from this process!
Here is the certification charter promised earlier ☺
