I HAVE OBTAINED MY PMP CERTIFICATION, WHAT NEXT?
First of all, if you are wondering, congratulations, the PMP exam is not a simple test! In our own experience, there are many opportunities for further professional development. But first and foremost, we recommend that you try to put what you have learned into practice by managing real projects. In our opinion, passing the PMP exam does not make you a good or better project manager. It is "only" a paper that the person concerned has a solid experience in managing projects and that he/she knows and is able to make good decisions in certain situations created by PMI according to the PMI methodology. Let us say that the PMP qualification can be a filter in certain situations, which can help to give a project management career a further boost and a further step forward.
If you are looking for new challenges and further development, it is worth considering whether you want to develop in a particular industry or professional direction, or whether you would prefer to develop in relation to project management.
If you choose a non-industry-specific, project management-related direction, our experience suggests that you should consider the following options:
Program Management
In our country, programmes are playing an increasingly important role, especially in large corporate environments. These involve several projects that serve a common purpose. In cases where the complexity and scope of a given project is such that it can no longer meet the objective, it is worth considering defining programmes. Unfortunately, the domestic environment is not conducive to qualifications. PMI's programme management certification sets out prerequisites that are difficult to obtain in the domestic market.
Project Portfolio Management
Clearly a management level, broadly speaking, aimed at managing organisational project portfolios, allocating organisational resources and categorising and prioritising projects and monitoring their impact on each other. Of course, PMI offers a qualification for this as well, but demand for it is below expectations. In many cases, the project portfolio manager also manages the organisational project office, which most often requires methodological and organisational development experience in addition to managerial skills.
Agilis projektmenedzsment
The use of agile project management methodologies for certain projects is becoming increasingly fashionable. This approach certainly increases our knowledge and broadens our horizons, but as with all approaches, only tailor-made solutions can lead to long-term success. In our experience, it is definitely worth considering incorporating certain techniques and elements of the agile approach into daily practice.
Business Analysis
Nowadays best known as business analysis (BA), it can be treated as a separate role from project manager. We are confident that it will be the role that will most shape project management trends in the coming years. Why do we say this? Because, according to international surveys, as the project management profession evolves, it is no longer cost or schedule that causes a significant proportion of project failures, but inadequate goal and requirement definition. Business analysis can help to correct this problem. Our approach is that a good business analyst is able to formulate clear, agreed requirements by understanding and breaking down organisational objectives.
So it's not enough to do things well, you also have to create good things. A good BA is able to keep track of needs and requirements throughout the project and to resolve conflicts between them. Why do we think this can be useful for experienced project managers? Consider that one of today's most limited resources is a good project manager. What would happen if, in addition to leading projects, a project manager could also perform the tasks of identifying needs and decomposing projects before they are launched, in another "cap"? This would provide a valuable colleague who can manage almost all aspects of projects. It is along similar lines that PMI has launched the PMI-PBA qualification, which provides knowledge that can be applied to a wide range of projects, regardless of industry, whether agile, iterative or waterfall. The icing on the cake is that PMP certification also makes it easier to meet the prerequisites and pass the exam with less preparation...
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