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Career Advancement With Project Manager Courses...

There are so many advantages to good Project Management. Training for a career in Project Management will lead to some really absorbing and satisfying assignments in industry. The work suits people who are well disciplined, and usually good at maths and technology subjects. The ability to communicate well with others is a plus point as well, because much of the success of a project depends on everyone pulling together.

...On Track, On Price!

Industry and commerce has a constant need to improve on their quality objectives, whilst keeping price and time to a minimum. Owners, shareholders and customers have increasingly high expectations, hence the need for effective Project Management at every stage of the business process. We're all project managers to some extent, but if you learn how to use the tools and techniques for commercial productivity, you can build a very lucrative and interesting career.

There are many colleges and training companies offering courses in Project Management. Entry level courses will cover the basics of project preparation, costing, execution and completion. More advanced courses will lead onto human resource management and risk analysis etc.

Common Terms

The phraseology in project management is often the first thing to understand. It's vital to get on the right wavelength with the terms and ways of thinking, and with the skills and tools used in the profession today. Different Project Managers use a number of different approaches, but whichever training route you take there is a lot of common ground.

It's Been Around A While...

It sounds like a very modern application, but in fact you could say project management is as old as the pyramids! Architects like Sir Christopher Wren in the seventeenth century and the great engineers of the early nineteenth century actually did their own style of project management. F W Taylor was an American mechanical engineer who published 'The Principles of Scientific Management' in 1911.

As an efficiency and management expert, he influenced other people's work, such as Henri Fayol's 'Fayolism' and Henry Gantt's 'Gant Chart'. Although Gantt Charts are now regarded as a common charting technique, they were ground-breaking when they were first introduced. Gantt created his bar chart to illustrate time lines and schedule dependencies.

Let's Bring It Up To Date

You could begin the story of modern planning project management in America in the 1950's, but of course it hadn't yet really got into the human attributes of motivation and leadership. It was when the Polaris Missile System was being developed that engineers realised their production systems were inadequate. This led to the invention of the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT). The Critical Path Method (another mathematical technique) was also developed around this time. In the mid-fifties pioneering work on cost estimating, cost management and engineering economics was also added to the mix.

International Project Management Association

The IPMA was formed in Europe in the late 1960's. Initiated in Switzerland, it was created to promote project management internationally. In terms of training, the IPMA offers a Four Level Certification program that covers technical competencies, contextual competencies and behavioural competencies.

Project Management Institute (PMI)

Two years after the IPMA was formed, the PMI (Project Management Institute) was founded in America. The globally acknowledged project management guide PMBOK was first published by PMI in 1996 (although the latest edition now contains major changes). This process-based guide deals with just about all information and practices in project management. You will be considered a great asset to any PM team if you understand the techniques and practices detailed in this guide. Courses are available which train students on the various facets of the PMBOK. These prepare students for the most widely recognised Project Management certifications across the globe, namely the PMI Project Management Professional (PMP) and the PMI Certified Associate of Project Management (CAPM).

PRINCE2

Another widely used project management model which originated in the UK is PRINCE2. Various commercial training providers offer in-depth courses. It's a widely used flexible PM method that navigates you through all the essentials for running a successful project. It's a process-based approach for project management providing an easily tailored and scalable method. PRINCE2 covers procedures for co-ordinating people and activities, design and supervision and how to make adjustments if things don't go to plan. It's the sum total of over 20 years of industry experience.

Depending on your present level of knowledge and experience, you may wish to consider other college introductory courses. The best offer a blend of tools to use to save time and money, plus those all-important management skills that teach leadership, motivation and teamwork. A career in Project Management takes study and work - but it could prove the most satisfying thing you do.