Shawn RainesQueanbeyan East, New South Wales, Australia
What happened to genuine and real project management. Why are we making this sooo difficult? Agile, SCRUM, Prince 2...and the list grows and grows. What happened to having a project, tasks, some financial management and just getting it done without buzz words and conflicting methodologies. Employers are looking for people who have taken courses and certificates in what the current flavour of the day is.
I am not saying that these frameworks and processes don't have value, but as PM pros, are you not frustrated? Having all the certs and quals in the world doesn't make your project team any more effective or lead to any success. Human Resource system projects have a +70% failure rate to completed role out. Is that because quals and certs and the training are too easy to get? I am just ranting because I am very tired of chasing pieces of paper. The work that goes into it is hours lost. We are pros here and let's be honest...not everyone is really cut out to be a PM. You must have the mindset and drive, not just the paper.
So frustrated by the whole discipline :) How about you? Saving Changes...
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Ashleigh Kennett-SmithICT Project Manager| Australian Red Cross LifebloodAdelaide, South Australia, Australia
Shawn, on one level I understand where you're coming from. On another level though having completed courses is also an indicator of a willingness to formally learn new things. Demonstrable experience and success comes with time but that is less easy to prove I guess. There isn't any simple solution to employers seeking some proof of competency. PS I am (also?) one of those people who struggles with formal "learning for the sake of a piece of paper" quite tedious and unfulfilling (as opposed to learning because something is interesting and/or will be really useful). Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Shawn
Certifications are merely a reflection of someone's in-depth knowledge in certain domain but in no way it does reflect that someone is actually a qualified PM who is able to manage a project successfuly.
All those frameworks and methodologies do not change the basics which we are used to but I find that they add value knowledge wise which translates to put it in practice when it makes sense for an experienced professional.
We live in a rapidly evolving world where professional development is becoming a necessity more than an option especially for those just starting their career in project management and business development.
What's worse is that when you try to apply the "knowledge" you got from those courses many times you make the project take much longer to complete and cost more.
Some months ago I met a former colleague who was working as a software developer on contract for a very large organization. He had worked for them before then worked on some other projects and finally came back to work for them again. When he was working on his previous contracts they were not using Scrum but when he came back to them they were.
He told me that with Scrum he needs 3 times more to complete the same tasks that he was doing before Scrum. Also he was asked to spend a lot of his time in meetings but he told me that those meetings were completely useless for him. The meetings were just wasting his time. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
We are not doing it difficult. The problem lot of project manager themselves do not understand what project management is. The acid test is simple: post the question "what is project management?" "what project management mean?" "what project manager role mean?" and you will surprise. On the other side, regarding failure rates, when you analyze the measures you will find they are wrong then the failure measurements are wrong too. Saving Changes...
Well change is inevitable & traditional PM either today or tomorrow must skew towards Agile & modern evolving PM science(s).
We’ve to avoid short cuts, fake certs & instead do the vertical development, skill upgrades, Mentoring, progressive adaptive learning environment for upcoming talent to prosper. Saving Changes...
Product Operations Program ManagerBarcelona, Cataluña, Spain
If one looks at individuals that have excelled in creating a successful business will notice that they have not pursued an MBA. Jobs, Zuckerberg or Gates, just to name a few, do not have a piece of paper stating that they have the required knowledge to manage a business, but it is obvious that they do. On the other hand, there are several professors at top business schools that have never managed a company, let alone create one and yet feel entitled to write books about wealth creation.
What I am saying is... the market demands certifications and curious individuals.... Curiosity is knowledge. If someone is pursuing new certifications he is showing that he has a growth mindset. And this is a very valuable aspects in today's very competitive market.
Therefore, using a mix of both worlds (academic and real life) shall be the most preferred approach. Saving Changes...
David GasconStudent| Arizona State University OnlineBattle Ground, Wa, United States
As someone who is brand new to the field, I am rather lost in all of the certifications and the process to receive them. It also does not help that it seems like each course costs several hundred dollars. Saving Changes...
Ashish BhartiTechnician| American Electric PowerLynchburg, Va, United States
Hi Shawn,
I can see why you are feeling frustrated. Sometimes clients / employers chase after certificates and at first, it may appear complete waste of time to the experienced project managers. But the reason for this is that the current economy is rapidly changing. It's becoming more and more change driven than plan driven. Investors can no longer just put their money into a 5 year project plan and sit by. Standards like PMP, Prince - 2, etc. are only there to make sure that the person is aware of the current project management methodologies.
I work for a company that was formed by the government in 1976. Governments changed and the country became and open economy. My company lost its competitive edge and even today the management is not willing to adapt to the new business environment. Leaders in the company are not willing to actually learn.
I believe that it's not the certificate that matters, it's the actual learning that is sought after by the employers / clients / investors. Saving Changes...
Asif GulConsultant Project Manager| Energoprojekt EntelMuscat, Oman
Shawn, I agree with you. Particularly being from construction field the project Management ever changing processes and unnecessary documentation, has impacted negatively. When compared i feel Project Management is becoming an opposite to lean management. In fact such introduction of more processes and more documentations not helping in getting the actual Job done. Tailoring the PMBOK to one's need is becoming difficult with each update. Saving Changes...
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