Becoming a Certified Project Manager is the dream of many professionals. But what is the price for this success? How to become a successful Certified Project Manager with unremitting effort and learning.
We share a story of a Certified Project Manager and what he goes through to reach this post.
Why do you want to be a Certified Project Manager and what motivates you?
I know that to become a Certified Project Manager you must not only study certain subjects such as BVOP or PMP. To be a true professional, you need to achieve many personal qualities as well. I came across project management at the very beginning of my professional career. Reference: The new Certified Project Manager in the company, https://agileprojectmanagers.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-new-certified-project-manager-in.html In every job or position I have held so far, the goal has always been to deliver a unique product or service to a customer. From the very beginning, I realized that being responsible for a project (regardless of its scope, goal, or result) is the right job for me. By nature, I am an extremely responsible and strict person and I think that by developing in this professional field, I could develop my full capacity of opportunities and skills. Project management brings me great satisfaction. Reference: The need for a certified project manager, https://projectmanagement.freesite.host/the-need-for-a-certified-project-manager/ The project management certificate will prove my motivation and knowledge. In project management, I am motivated by the fact that each project is unique. In each project, I encounter different difficulties and obstacles, as well as the fact that each time I find different ways how a problem in the way of project implementation could be solved. In general, for me project management always motivates and motivates me, because every project is always different, there is no repetition and monotony of actions or the result, which makes my mind excited, makes me as a person work harder, to always be intrigued by what lies ahead and to fulfill my responsibilities with desire and will for the maximum positive result. For me, one of the most important things in this life is to find what makes you happy and fulfilling and to pursue it. Reference: Certified project manager for their training, https://projectmanagement.wpdevcloud.com/certified-project-manager-for-their-training/ One of these things is to find out what you are strongest and good at as a job, position, or just a hobby and do it from the heart.
Which project management certification did you choose and why?
I chose BVOP Certified Project Manager as the Agile-oriented methodology. I can’t apply the old traditions in project management when I’m in charge of a software product. When you work in a software development team, you have to think Agile. And BVOP gives just such management thinking. Reference: https://bvop.org/projectmanagement/
What do you think about more popular programs like PRINCE2 or PMP?
I believe that they have a stable tradition. I know the whole world follows these project management rules. Every specialist wants a PMP or Prince2 certificate. However, their Agile teachings are somewhat static and dry. There is no life in them. While in BVOP.org certification I find fresh ground for development. Reference: Review of the BVOP Certified Project Manager program, https://www.businesspad.org/review-of-the-bvop-certified-project-manager-program/
Which of your qualities or skills are useful for the project management profession?
Excellent communication;
Listening skills;
Ability to work in a team;
Ability to manage and select a team;
Ability to work under high voltage with aggressive deadlines;
Fast and analytical thinking;
Strictness and responsibility in fulfilling the obligations;
Very good presentation skills; Reference: Qualities of the certified project manager, https://projectmanagement.over-blog.com/qualities-of-the-certified-project-manager.html
Delegation of tasks;
Striving for new knowledge and skills (I’m not afraid to say that I don’t know something or I’m not sure about something on a given topic);
I know how to balance in conflict situations and get the most positive for all parties;
I am not afraid to take responsibility and various initiatives.
What qualities do you think will hinder you as a Certified Project Manager?
Being a Certified Project Manager does not mean that I will be the perfect professional. I know my negative traits well. The first thing that I think would prevent me from doing my job well in any way is that quite often I expect people to work with the same or at least close to my spirit of work, to be demanding, to give and want things to are obtained in the best way for all parties concerned. In short, to give more than they expect to receive and to strive to achieve their goals. I definitely can’t understand the people (except from a financial point of view) who take office and drive it as they say “day in and day out”. I know I can’t change a person if he doesn’t want to. I believe that being critical of myself and others is a disadvantage, but sometimes an advantage. It seems that this trait of mine has been transferred from non-professional to professional.
The second thing I think would be an obstacle for me is that I can’t negotiate well enough. Delivering various services or products to clients in the form of small or large projects, sometimes I am not sure enough that the result will be really useful and I am not convinced of the ideal goal. That is, there are cases in which, as a project manager, I do not believe or am not fully convinced that what we are working on will bring a positive result. In these cases, if I have to somehow convince someone of the idea, to support or cooperate, ie. kind of “sell” him the product/idea, I may not be able to handle it properly. My ability to sell a product or service is not one of my best qualities and here I think I need to work harder.
What is your plan for improving your soft-skills?
In the next project, I will work on, I will try to be more positive towards myself and others. If there is a need for criticism or some kind of improvement, I will approach with advice or suggestion and with specifics what I think could be changed or improved to achieve better results. My focus will be on a specific human action, not on the individual as a whole.
To further improve my management skills, I think I would need more time and different situations in which I can react differently, but also adequately. Then I would try to analyze my actions and decide where and why I did not do well and what to improve. As a first step in the next project, I will work on, I will try to limit my personal opinion, especially if I do not think that the result of the project will be positive or useful enough for everyone. If the client is completely convinced of what he has submitted as requirements for the implementation of the project, then I will try not to allow my personal opinion to interfere with the work. As a second step, if there is insufficient support/cooperation, I would try different ways, highlighting the benefits of implementing the project, to convince myself first, and then the person or group of people to join and cooperate. Striving for a win-win situation is always the best option, but it is not always possible.
How would you present yourself to stakeholders?
Will you highlight your certificates at the beginning?
Just because I’m a Certified Project Manager doesn’t mean everyone has to follow me just because they have to. As a start, I will get acquainted with all participants in the project. I wrote a sample presentation.
I am Martin Smith and will be the project manager that our company will develop. As a Certified Project Manager, you can contact me for anything you find relevant to the development process.
For my part, I would like to clarify some details so that the project can run as smoothly and smoothly as possible. At the moment there is a description of the basic requirements and in the next few days, I will prepare a plan with the breakdowns of the functionalities, which I will want to discuss and prioritize. It would be good to give me a contact person with whom I can do this, as well as someone to turn to for any clarifying questions. I think it is good to discuss the current progress of the project in a conference call once a week (for example every Monday), as well as to be able to discuss the various issues and clarifications that have arisen on both sides. For my part, I will also provide you with a contact for the lead engineer of the project to discuss the necessary technical details and parameters. Any questions and problems may also be entered into our bug-tracking system, to which we will provide you with access.
Separately, I plan to receive a report once a week on the current progress of the project, so that you are aware of everything that is happening and we can react quickly in case your views differ from what is currently created.
After I break down the functionalities and prioritize them, I would like to discuss the individual stages, at the end of which you will receive a version of the application, which you can personally check.
I hope that the meetings and reports in question will not be too burdensome for you, but at the same time, they are necessary to obtain a product that best meets your requirements. However, do not feel limited by this framework, and you can contact me at any time for any issue that needs discussion. Naturally, if your view of the cyclical nature of meetings and reports is different, I would also like to discuss it.
A certified project manager speaks to his team
It was a great role model for stakeholders. Can you give an example of a presentation for your project team?
Of course. Here is an example:
Thank you for having responded to my invitation, and since I know that time is a valuable asset for all of us, I will be as brief as possible and hopefully useful.
My name is Martin Smith and as you know I am the new Project Manager for the project we will be working on together. I know that so far there has been a kind of work and organization, but things will not be the same from now on.
I am a person with experience in my field, I am always looking for new knowledge and skills to improve and be able to meet the changing needs of our clients and our projects. And to be able to work as efficiently, effectively, and harmoniously as possible with the whole team.
I need to know that you are extremely important for achieving the ultimate goals and the implementation of the project. For things to happen and for the company to grow. With the right distribution of tasks, I hope everyone will be able to contribute and receive recognition for the work done.
I am a person who is dedicated to what he does. A person who is decision-oriented, open to ideas, and communication. In the process of our joint work, I want you to know, and in time, to make sure that you can count on me. When there is a problem when you have a proposal, a vision for something, a better proposal, fears that something is not right or will not happen on time, you can and encourage you to come to me and discuss together what there is. We are a team and share common goals and values. To be successful, we must work together. To communicate, to cooperate. You have my support in the process of work. There are no countries here, we are all on one side, the work should be done and our customers should be satisfied.
I believe in recognition and giving credit to people who are motivated and work hard. Do not think that your actions and your work go unnoticed. It is quite natural for me to give feedback on the work done to make the work process even better, and at the same time to improve ourselves. And here, under feedback, I do not mean one-sided, but two-sided. I encourage you to share with me your feedback on my work as well.
I will offer you several ways of communication between us, and periodicity, but in case of urgency or questions and suggestions do not wait, call me. Team meetings once a month, we will discuss progress, problems, suggestions, identified risks, etc.
You will have at your disposal both my business and personal email, phone, and Skype. If for some reason someone is not in the office, we can zoom in, share a recording, make an outcome of the meeting, etc.
Individual meetings when needed, on request from you or me. I expect from you open communication, hard and conscientious work on the assigned tasks, and your honest opinion and support. You will receive the same in return.
The project manager is the person who has the overall responsibility for the successful initiation, planning, design, implementation, monitoring, control, and completion of a project.
My role is such that I have to manage a project that fits into pre-set parameters time, quality, resources. Everything we do or don’t do can affect all or some of the parameters and from there on the customers, on us, and so on. That is why it is more important to discuss things in their infancy and even to make a mistake, to discuss it at the moment of its appearance and to take control again, than to worry about how to say what or why it happened. We are human, mistakes are made, we are here to do work, not to blame ourselves. Therefore, we should consult if we have not understood something or if we are not 100% sure how it should happen and share it in time.
We will focus on the right things, on the distribution of tasks, doing them on time, and quality delivery of results. To improve and appreciate ourselves on this.
We have agreed with the management, upon delivery of the project at the agreed parameters and satisfaction with our customers, to be further rewarded for your hard work. And for an even better start, I’ll send you a list of Christmas presents to sign up to see which one you like the most. And as a big fan of our coffee, I made a coffee machine just for us. For tea lovers, feel free, we have a jug and a box with different flavors of tea.
And because it’s important to keep up with the latest trends in our work, Human Resources colleagues have found different courses for you. They are nice, free, unburdening and interesting, and optional. If you have suggestions in this regard, write me an email and we will see what we can do.
References
Top 13 project management certifications for 2020, CIO.com, By Sharon Florentine, https://www.cio.com/article/3210765/top-project-management-certifications.html
The Best Project Management Courses for 2021 and 2022, 2021 Vol. 1, by Marta Cooper, https://www.policymatters.net/best-project-management-courses/
A certified project manager shares their approaches, http://projectmanagers.pbworks.com/w/page/142416129/A%20certified%20project%20manager%20shares%20their%20approaches
The skills of the manager, https://utah.instructure.com/eportfolios/42560/Home/The_skills_of_the_manager
Project management in organizations, https://councils.clark.edu/eportfolios/5793/Home/ProjectManagement
What is Project Management, https://brightonbot.com/what-is-project-management/
The Project Manager and their responsibilities – how to become one, https://wikipedia-lab.org/who-is-project-manager-responsibilities-and-how-to-become-a-project-manager/
What is Project Management, definitions, and practices, Shirley Parker, Agile Programming, ISSN 2652-5925, https://agileprogramming.org/what-is-project-management-definitions-and-practices/
What is Project Management?, https://stc-montreal.org/what-is-project-management/
What is Project Management – Definitions, processes, practices, and tools, https://phron.org/what-is-project-management-definitions/
Conclution
I am confident in our future joint work, you are a team of the best specialists in your field and with the right attitude and work of all of us, I believe that we will achieve incredible results together.
Great things in business are not created by one person. They are created in teamwork, said Steve Jobs.
“We are not a team because we work together. We are a team because we respect, trust, and care for each other. ”
Thank you for your time now and for your time invested in our work.
Project Management, Agile and Scrum 
I got acquainted with the content of the review. I am left with the impression that the comment was written in a moment of affection and under the influence of negative emotion, which often prevents a real assessment of the situation. As a new member of the team, I am still familiar with the situation. I do not know the project manager who left personally, but I will try my best to understand the situation and be useful with a recommendation.
Negative customer feedback is usually associated with poor communication, non-compliance with deadlines, and defects in the final product. From the comment made, I get the idea that the project manager who left the project had difficulties within the working day to combine communication with programmers and clients. This can be due to several reasons. On the one hand, he may not have been able to organize his working hours well. If this is the case, the solution would be to appoint a functional manager to monitor performance and, if there are potential problems, to prescribe corrective action. On the other hand, the lack of time may be caused by actually set too short deadlines for the individual stages of work. In this case, it is appropriate at the level of initial conversations with customers and the conclusion of a contract to revise the deadline for implementation, setting a real one. The customer expects to receive a working product in the shortest possible time, but it should be noted that shortening the period carries risks of errors, reduced testing and inspection time, and the possibility of defects in the final product.
The negative feedback of the resigned project manager to the team of programmers is impressive from the comment. I assume that the colleague felt tension due to the lack / poor organization of time and in turn transferred the pressure on his subordinate team. Poor communication between the project manager and his team would only lead to problems in the performance of work, confusion, and delays.
It would be logical for the team to refuse to cooperate and even deliberately sabotage the work, with a bad attitude on the part of a senior. I believe that the project manager must have leadership qualities and have a strong position in front of his team. At this stage, I do not think it is appropriate to proceed with the reduction of part of the team of programmers. It is right to monitor the situation with the new project manager of the team and within a month to give feedback on whether any of the team of programmers is not doing the job.
Communication with customers is a delicate part of the job and must be done with the necessary tact. The client relies on feedback, which is usually regulated – with the completion of a certain phase of the project. It often happens that the client wants to be more often informed and to look for the project manager many times during the week. Such conversations can take a long time and this can worry the job. I do not think that a commitment with the client in question should be refused. An alternative solution would be to talk to the client on certain days on which to make extraordinary reports. Also, when working with a specific client, a solution would be to appoint two project managers to distribute the work of communication with the client and coordinate with the programmers.
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