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Project Manager Certs

To further your career as a project manager, consider obtaining project management certification. The benefits include having an acknowledged certificate of your qualification and competence as a lead or manager, and having access to other members for knowledge and networking. This article highlights several ways of obtaining certification, and will be updated and expanded to become an even more valuable resource to deciphering which cert to choose.

Typically, PM certs are thought of as coming from an indpendent authority or organization. Here are some, with PMI being the largest and most-recognized one:

1. PMI- Project Management Institute - Established in 1969, has over 100,000 professionals, representing 125 countries. Chapters hold regular meetings worldwide.
2. IPMA - International Project Management Association (Europe) - Over 30,000 members, multi-cultural. IPMA offers multiple levels of credentials to Project Managers, and also provides leadership in the development of standards for the practice of the profession.
3. APM - The Association for Project Management (England/Europe) - over 13,500 members in multiple countries. APM is the largest independent professional body of its kind in Europe. Offers credentials, including an Introductory Certificate in Project Management.
4. AIPM - Australian Institute of Project Management - Formed in 1976, over 4,500 members. Offers assessment-based accreditation credentials, Level 4 (QPP); Level 5 (RegPM); and Level 6 (MPD).
5. AAPM - - American Academy of Project Management - offers credentials to Project Managers.

School-based certifications

Due to the large market for PM certifications, academic institutions offer their own programs.

• Stanford - Offers Stanford Certified Project Manager (SCPM). Offers on-campus, on-site (your site), or on-line training options. Also provides for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and Professional Development Units (PDUs) from the Project Management Institute (PMI).
• Villanova - Offers Master Certificate (IT and general). Offers on-campus or on-line training options. Also provides prep courses for PMI's PMP exam.

Including a certification in your PM career path is a sound strategy. Be ready to commit significant time and effort to getting the necessary knowledge into your brain - even seasoned pro's can find the process of conforming to and learning the certifying authority's lingo and process models to be non-trivial. Knowledge in related areas, such as Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model, can provide an adjunct to the knowledge needed for a management certification. After successfully obtaining the credential, continuing education will ensure that you keep the knowledge intact and ready for use.

© 2004 P. Ford W orsham