6. dan monahan - pm certification smackdown

PM Certification SMACKDOWN:Which Offers The Most Bang For Your Buck?CSM? PgMP? PMI-ACP? PRINCE2? ITIL? PMP?(Huh!? LOL!)

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Why bother getting a certification anyways?“I have a solid track record as a project manager. I don’t need a certification to prove I’m a good project manager. My results speak for themselves. Experience trumps certification anyways.”

-Dan Monahan, circa 2010

• Project Management Professional (PMP) – September 2010• ITIL V3 Foundations – November 2010• PRINCE2 Foundations – December 2010• PRINCE2 Practitioner – December 2010• Program Management Professional (PgMP) – June 2011• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) – December 2011• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) – March 2014

Dan’s Certifications

Why bother getting a certification anyways?• A certification makes your resume more attractive.• Certified professionals earn higher salaries.• Certification helps you learn a common language.• Certification helps you cash in on demand for project

managers.• Would you hire a doctor who wasn’t certified?

Let’s Begin!

Project Management Certification (PMP)• PROS• The gold standard of project management certifications!• Lots and lots of study materials out there.

• CONS• PMBOK is always being revised. How many PMBOK versions do

we really need?• 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) required in a 3 year

cycle.

ITIL Foundations• PROS• Goes hand-in-hand with a PMP or other certification.• Introduces you to concepts like service value, service continuity, strategy and portfolio management.• Took me two weeks to prepare for the exam.• No prerequisites to sit the exam.

• CONS• Difficult to pursue further certifications, unless you can afford the

big $$$$.• Not many companies look for this certification, in my experience.

PRINCE2 Foundations and Practitioner• PROS• Easier to understand than PMBOK, IMHO.• The standard in the UK.• Foundations requires no experience in PRINCE2 – just study and sit

the test.• Practitioner requires CAPM, PMP, or PRINCE2 Foundations.• Requires a retest every 3 – 5 years.• Teaches you to think in a fluid, flexible approach towards project

management.• CONS• Not so much in demand if you don’t work in the UK.• Requires a retest every 3 – 5 years.

Program Management Professional (PgMP)• PROS• Second to the PfMP (Portfolio Management Professional)

certification, one of the highest PMI certifications.• Learn to think strategically as opposed to just pure execution.• Large chunks in “The Standard for Program Management” are

similar to what is in the PMBOK.• CONS• 60 PDUs in a 3 year cycle.• Requires a lot of experience managing programs.

Certified Scrum Master (CSM)• PROS• Guaranteed certification after a 2-day course. Woo hoo!• Recently very popular – Scrum is must-have knowledge for today.• There will never be a “Scrum” 2.0.• Lots of learning resources available.• Introduces you to other concepts like Kanban, Lean Management, etc.

• CONS• Even though you’re a Scrum Master, you’re not the master of anything,

really.• Scrum is like learning chess: easy to learn, a lifetime to master.• If you’re coming from the Waterfall world, some concepts will be

difficult to learn.

PM Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)• PROS• Easy, didn’t require much study – IF you have Scrum experience.• Based on actual agile development experience vs. just theory.• Easy to maintain – only 30 PDUs are required in a 3-year cycle vs. 60

PDUS for PMP, PgMP. • Introduces you to other concepts like Kanban, Lean Management, etc.

• CONS• Study materials are a bit light as it’s a new certification.• No Body of Knowledge for this, unlike the PMBOK.• Easy, didn’t require much study. So is this actually worth anything?• Covers lots and lots of topics – again, no Body of Knowledge. Who uses

the Crystal Delivery Method?

The Winner Is?

Project Management Professional

Why Project Management Professional?• The most requested credential for a PM position.• PDUs are not fun to obtain, but not that difficult either.• Covers most of the concepts a project manager needs to

know for most projects; it covers a lot of theory.• Adds the most business value to your resume.

Q&A?終