One of the questions constantly asked by both organizations and individuals concerns what project management framework to adopt. This question is triggered by various factors that range from choosing a career path in project management, to up-skilling oneself to successfully manage high profile and value projects. Plus, the market place in the Middle East, especially UAE is looking for competent project managers to manage several of the projects that are ongoing, in the pipeline, and halted projects, across various industries and sectors.
This article aims to provide advice to both individuals and organizations in their pursuit of adopting a right project management framework. Also, this article is one article from a series of articles on project management, so watch this space for more advice and help on project management!
For an individual who has recently graduated and who wishes to pursue a career in project management, I would advise studying Managing Successful Projects, a publication owned by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), UK. And if you wish that someone would help you in understanding this framework, I would recommend attending a PRINCE2 Foundation Certification Course, which is offered by several training institutes. This would not only help you get an insight into effective project management, but also would help in obtaining a certification, which is a proof to employers that you know the framework.
On the other hand, if you are an individual with several years of experience in project management and you are involved in tactical project management and wish to fine-tune your skills in project management, I would recommend studying the Project Management Book of Knowledge, popularly called as PMBOK. This is a book owned by the Project Management Institute (PMI), USA. My recommendation would be to attend a training course in Project Management Professional (PMP), which would help you gain insight into effectively using project management tools. Also, the training would help you prepare to obtain a PMP certification, a sought-after certification in the region, and a proof to the employer that you are a seasoned project professional.
But, if you are a project professional involved in directing your projects and involved at a strategic level of project management, I would recommend pursuing a certification in the PRINCE2 Practitioner Course, which would help you develop advanced skills in managing your projects.
And finally, a tip for organizations: If your organization wishes to up-skill resources at a tactical level of project management, I would recommend training them on Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), and if the organization wishes to up-skill resources at a strategic level and management, especially staff working within the PMO, I would recommend training them on Managing Successful Projects.
In my next article, I will be talking about the context of project management – where does project management fit within an organization?
