Rachel LaiProject Director (MProjMgt)Brisbane, Australia
I'm looking at furthering my Project Management skills by doing a certification in either PRINCE2 or PMP.
Does anyone have any pro's/con's of doing either certification and could shed some light on their own experiences of doing either exam? Saving Changes...
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Mark Price PerryBusiness Driven PMO Evangelist| BOT InternationalOrlando, Fl, United States
Dear Rachel, why not get them both..? The PMP is a more generic PM credential specific to the PMBOK and the Prince2 cert is specific to the Prince2 SLDC methodology. If your company uses Prince2 or if you are likely to manage projects in a Prince2 environment, then get the Prince2 cert. If your company does not use Prince2, and you are not likely to manage projects in a Prince2 environment, and you don't currently live or plan to live in the UK, then get the PMP cert. In terms of pros and cons, the cert in what you use will be of most value. Good luck..! -- Mark Perry, VP of Customer Care, BOT International Saving Changes...
you mention if you don't live or plan to live in UK get the PMP. I disagree, PMP is leading global credential and PMI has a UK Chapter. Why? Saving Changes...
Mark Price PerryBusiness Driven PMO Evangelist| BOT InternationalOrlando, Fl, United States
Dear Andrew, my post was a bit sloppy, my apologies. I would recommend getting both certs, Prince2 and PMP, period. And I agree with you, the PMP is the leading global credential and PMI has a UK chapter that I understand is growing. The point I was trying to make was, if you have to choose just one or which to get first, get the cert in what will be of most value to you. For example, if my company uses Prince2 or if the company that I am likely to work for uses Prince2, then I would first seek to have skills and credentials in Prince2, and then later seek other credentials of value and I wouldn't stop my professional education at just getting a PMP. Whether one lives in the UK or not is really inconsequential and only serves to confuse matters, sorry about that. I suppose I was trying to be witty in that every UK organization that I have worked with uses Prince2 and they have shared with me on numerous occasions that they place a priority on the Prince2 cert over the PMP cert as a practical matter. Think about it. If two people are interviewing for a job in a UK programme office that use Prince2 and one candidate has a Prince2 experience and a Prince2 cert and the other candidate has only a PMP cert, who would get the job..? I really don't know, but my friends in the UK tell me they would hire the candidate with the Prince2 cert. Again, I don't think this is intended in any way to be anything negative about PMI or the value of PMP cert. You mentioned that you disagree. I am curious, do you live in the UK and if so what credential is more important to your organization, Prince2 or PMP..? And why..?As always, I look forward and hope to learn from you and others. Cheers. -- Mark Perry, VP of Customer Care, BOT International Saving Changes...
While both Prince2 and PMP are excellent certifications the bottom line is what are the industries/country you are looking to work in asking for?
In an ideal world you can get both and keep your education growing not only to keep the certification valid but also for personal growth. But unless you are independely wealthy most of us go after a certification like this to increase our knowledge, enhance our career opportunities, and ultimately our earning potential.
Look at your target industry and market. Find out which certification is most widely used and respected in that area and that should be the first certification you should focus on getting. If you have time, money and interest the go after the second cerftification. The extra knoweldge will only help to make you more well rounded and knoweledgable as niether certification (as with tools) is the perfect solution for all environments you will encounter.
Regards,
Mark Saving Changes...
Thomas SelosseDirector, Program Management & PMO| NALos Gatos, Ca, United States
I became a Prince2 practitioner in 1997 and I received my PMP certification in September 2005. I got the former because it was the standard for the UK company I worked for at the time. I moved to the US 5 years ago and realized PMI was the local standard, so I got myself certified and started training the PMs in my PMO to this standard. I think Prince2 is more prescriptive than the PMBoK and is therefore a better methodology to start with. The PMBoK on the other end takles issues like procurement, which are not really covered in Prince2. I have personally decided to use a combination of both for my PMO and I am satisfied with the results. Regards. T Saving Changes...
Bipin Lekshmanan PMPProject Manager| Wipro TechnologiesEdison, Nj, United States
Great! Saving Changes...
Paul NaybourFounder and Director| Parallel Project TrainingNailsworth, United Kingdom
