I am interested in becoming a project manager. In order to develop experience what are some recommendations to get your foot in the door and start as a PM? Any comments would be greatly appreciated! Saving Changes...
Deepesh RammoorthyICT Project Manager ( PMP®AgilePM®Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®))| Australian Red Cross Blood ServiceTarneit, Vic, Australia
Hi Matthew , here are some suggestions:-
1) Ask your immediate manager or other colleagues at work about projects where you could contribute as a Team Member.
2) Start as a Subject Matter expert on a project, attend team meetings , observe and listen how the Project Manager presides over the meetings , take notes.
3) Offer to become a Project Coordinator or associate for a Project Manager.
4) Register for online courses on "Introduction to Project Management".
5) Get a Prince 2 Foundation Certification. It does not require anything more than attending a training course for three days.
6) Attend generic courses on leadership and stakeholder management, either online or face to face workshops.
7) Try and network with an accountant and a Project Manager at your firm to understand how projects are costed. Perhaps attend a course on Financial Management.
8) Familiarize yourself with Microsoft Project or attend a course on Microsoft Project.
9) Plan a simple home project like backyard timber decking or gardening and use tools like Work Breakdown Structure and Mind Mapping. use Microsoft Project and Excel to plan your Home project.
10) Start reading books on case studies of successful Projects
11) Finally , you have come to the right place. Just keep reading knowledge base articles and blogs on this website.
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1 reply by Mayte Mata Sivera
Jan 23, 2017 6:05 PM
Mayte Mata Sivera
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Hi Deepesh,
You've mentioned some good points, but I would like to add some comments about it.
2- From my point of view, we don't need to be an SME to be a good project manager
5- I'm not sure if getting the Prince2 certification is a good idea. Maybe CAPM will fit more with Mattew as he is here in the USA. Why did you recommend it?
8- MS Project is only a tool, not all companies used it.
9- A home project is a good idea, but we are assuming that Mattew knows and understand the WBS structure.
1) Ask your immediate manager or other colleagues at work about projects where you could contribute as a Team Member.
2) Start as a Subject Matter expert on a project, attend team meetings , observe and listen how the Project Manager presides over the meetings , take notes.
3) Offer to become a Project Coordinator or associate for a Project Manager.
4) Register for online courses on "Introduction to Project Management".
5) Get a Prince 2 Foundation Certification. It does not require anything more than attending a training course for three days.
6) Attend generic courses on leadership and stakeholder management, either online or face to face workshops.
7) Try and network with an accountant and a Project Manager at your firm to understand how projects are costed. Perhaps attend a course on Financial Management.
8) Familiarize yourself with Microsoft Project or attend a course on Microsoft Project.
9) Plan a simple home project like backyard timber decking or gardening and use tools like Work Breakdown Structure and Mind Mapping. use Microsoft Project and Excel to plan your Home project.
10) Start reading books on case studies of successful Projects
11) Finally , you have come to the right place. Just keep reading knowledge base articles and blogs on this website.
Hi Deepesh,
You've mentioned some good points, but I would like to add some comments about it.
2- From my point of view, we don't need to be an SME to be a good project manager
5- I'm not sure if getting the Prince2 certification is a good idea. Maybe CAPM will fit more with Mattew as he is here in the USA. Why did you recommend it?
8- MS Project is only a tool, not all companies used it.
9- A home project is a good idea, but we are assuming that Mattew knows and understand the WBS structure.
...
1 reply by Deepesh Rammoorthy
Jan 23, 2017 10:57 PM
Deepesh Rammoorthy
...
Hi Maria
I assumed CAPM needed some more Project work experience. and Project Education . But I have gone back and checked that it only needs either Project Work Experience or 23 hours of Education from a Training Course
With Prince 2 you only needed to attend a training course and you could complete the Foundation . Yes its Widely used in UK, not so much in the US but it does give a good exposure to Project Management. I have done Prince 2 and I have found aspects of it to be quite useful.
The SME suggestion was just to become part of the Project and learn from the Project Manager and others in the Project Team whilst sharing his own expertise.
Once Matthew starts contributing in a project as a Technical expert, he will hopefully learn the nuances, recognition of stakeholders, scope, risks , communications etc
MS Project is a very common and and just an example of a scheduling tool that can assist Matthew in project scheduling.
Matthew, first of all, welcome to this amazing community. This is a good start as a first step to moving forward your career path towards the project management profession.
You'll see in this post a lot of good tips, and sometimes that we sometimes disagree in some of them.
Project Management is a profession present in a lot of different sectors and industries, as healthcare, construction, IT...
In order to contribute with more tips to this discussion, could you explain us a little what's your background or your interests? Saving Changes...
Thank you all for the information and suggestions. Will take a look and keep my eyes open for opportunities. As well as consider taking some certifications.
To Maria: my background has been primarily in the biotechnology/ pharmaceutical field. I'm currently looking to transition into a project management role to get some experience and hopefully bring that experience to the biotech industry.
Any ideas or suggestions on how to focus or emphasize work or experience toward this direction?
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1 reply by Mayte Mata Sivera
Jan 24, 2017 1:41 PM
Mayte Mata Sivera
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As you can see, there are an amazing amount of tips here.
I'll add another, look for the big pharmaceuticals in your area or surroundings, maybe the have coordinator or assistant position that maybe will fit with your profile. Or this kind of internships that are paid.
Gook luck!
Saving Changes...
Deepesh RammoorthyICT Project Manager ( PMP®AgilePM®Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®))| Australian Red Cross Blood ServiceTarneit, Vic, Australia
Jan 23, 2017 6:05 PM
Replying to Mayte Mata Sivera
...
Hi Deepesh,
You've mentioned some good points, but I would like to add some comments about it.
2- From my point of view, we don't need to be an SME to be a good project manager
5- I'm not sure if getting the Prince2 certification is a good idea. Maybe CAPM will fit more with Mattew as he is here in the USA. Why did you recommend it?
8- MS Project is only a tool, not all companies used it.
9- A home project is a good idea, but we are assuming that Mattew knows and understand the WBS structure.
Hi Maria
I assumed CAPM needed some more Project work experience. and Project Education . But I have gone back and checked that it only needs either Project Work Experience or 23 hours of Education from a Training Course
With Prince 2 you only needed to attend a training course and you could complete the Foundation . Yes its Widely used in UK, not so much in the US but it does give a good exposure to Project Management. I have done Prince 2 and I have found aspects of it to be quite useful.
The SME suggestion was just to become part of the Project and learn from the Project Manager and others in the Project Team whilst sharing his own expertise.
Once Matthew starts contributing in a project as a Technical expert, he will hopefully learn the nuances, recognition of stakeholders, scope, risks , communications etc
MS Project is a very common and and just an example of a scheduling tool that can assist Matthew in project scheduling. Saving Changes...
Markus KopkoAI Enabler for Project & Program Mgmt | Founder PMotion.ai / The PM
AI Coach| PMotion.aiHamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Hi Matthew,
like Maria and all others i want to welcome you to this great community. This is definitely the right place for you to be regarding your goals.
You already got some great advice and a lot of tips and topics to look for.
I just want to add one topic i do miss yet:
A great opportunity to dive in the wide field of project management and gain some expereince (which will help you open doors for further steps) is the opportunity to volunteer.
PMI (yes, you need to be a Member to get access to this area) offers Volunteering options on a regular basis.
You may have a look here:
To become familar with project management in general is also a good tip. Reading some books in the sense of "pm for new practitioners" will kick it off.
If you like watching webinars or training videos you will find a great choice here at pm.com.
In addition the videos from the great and well known Mike Clayton might be an option too; if so please have a look here:
Product Operations Program ManagerBarcelona, Cataluña, Spain
On top of all the good advises, then apply to Junior PM positions in the field/s that you'd like to develop your career in. Prepare for the interview with the stuff you will already have learned about Project Management (tutorials, books, forums, etc.) and you are on your way to kick off your career as PM. Saving Changes...
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