Project management is important for nearly every business today. However, IT is one area that benefits from project management knowledge and support. Many IT departments and tech companies face complex challenges. Therefore, their need to manage IT projects in an efficient, standardized way is more important than ever today.
As a result, many IT professionals and project managers invest in project management training to help them understand and recognize better and more innovative ways to manage and deliver projects successfully.
In this article, we will talk about the role and importance of project management in the IT space, and how and why IT professionals can benefit from project management training.
What Project Management Looks Like for IT Departments
If you have been reading our articles, or even doing your own research, then you probably know that project management principles can be applied to various disciplines and departments, so you dont have to be part of the IT department for this these principles to apply to you?
For the purpose of this article, we will be focusing on IT project management as this applies to a wide range of businesses and industry sectors today.
Although it greatly depends on the project management methodology, here are some of the biggest challenges that IT departments and tech companies face:
- Capture customer requirements and conditions of satisfaction accurately
- Lead a project team to reach goals
- Deliver results according to schedules and budgets
- Adapt to innovation and change (specifically product and business changes)
- Manage, plan, and optimize resources and project-related activities
- Manage and plan budgets
- Drive shorter time-to-market cycles
- Manage and control communication between project team members and stakeholders
Not only does IT obviously an important role in nearly every business today, but IT also faces unique challenges that can be solved with project management.
Agile Project Management
Agile project management is a project management philosophy that many software development companies and IT departments adhere to today. The agile philosophy is really a mindset that is centered on building products and programs around customer value.
The core values of agile project management include the following:
- Responding to change
- Working products (satisfying to customers)
- Customer collaboration (involve customers and keep them engaged through each iteration)
- Individuals and interactions
Just by reviewing this list, you can likely recognize some of the challenges that come from these for IT departments.
The Challenges
One of the biggest challenges for software development companies and tech teams is accurately gathering customer requirements, assessing each customer’s wish list, and then prioritizing product features according to customer conditions of satisfaction. As if this in and of itself wasn’t a challenge, the other challenging piece is to fulfill those requirements accurately and successfully, and in a way that delivers value.
This is a big reason why many companies invest in high-quality project management. A project manager’s job is to gather requirements, translate those requirements into tasks and activities, break those activities down and assign them to team members and resources, “orchestrate” the project as a whole, ensure quality, and work with customers to ensure they are aware of project status and progress.
Yes, project management is a big job. And depending on the technical project, it can involve complex iterations. Furthermore, managing IT projects today is more about quality planning from the start, which ultimately begins with determining a project methodology to follow.
All in all, a proven project management methodology is often the key to mitigating project risks and also delivering successful projects—ones that deliver on customer value.
The Solution: Project Management Training for IT Professionals
The many project management-related challenges and possible pitfalls that are due to beginner mistakes. As a result, many tech companies prefer to invest in recruiting and hiring PMP certified project managers to avoid those common mistakes, solve problems rather than create them, and reduce overall project risks.
In order to help candidates gain a competitive edge and stand out from the pool of candidates, more and more IT project managers are investing in their PMP certifications or some form of project management training. The good news is there are a ton of online resources and programs available that can help IT project managers expand and build on their project management knowledge and skills, and also prepare for the official PMP exam.
For example, if your career goals are to simply expand your project management knowledge, then you can enroll in a basic project management training course or even watch a series of videos.
On the other hand, if you want to really build your IT project management career, and earn your PMP certification, then it is recommended that you enroll and invest in a PMP exam prep course. A PMP exam prep course will not only cover the project management techniques (according to the PMBOK Guide), it will also prepare for you taking the exam.
All in all, a well-trained, PMP-certified IT project manager will establish a project management methodology, build a process with instructions and guidelines, and work with project teams to successfully deliver quality projects.
How Project Vanguards Can Help You Earn Your PMP Certification
If you are looking for a high-quality, effective PMP exam prep course, then put it on your list to check out Project Vanguards. Project Vanguards offers a wide range of professional training courses, resources, and solutions to help individuals learn new skills, expand their knowledge, and also prepare for the official PMP exam.
The official PMP exam prep course offered by Project Vanguards is a 12-day complete program that covers all the necessary knowledge and techniques needed to effectively manage and deliver a project, from start to finish.
Here is a snapshot of the 12-day PMP exam prep course itinerary:
Day 1: Intro to Course, Curriculum, Foundational Concepts and Definitions
Day 2: Integration Mgmt
Day 3: Scope Mgmt
Day 4: Time Mgmt
Day 5: Cost Mgmt
Day 6: Quality Mgmt
Day 7: Human Resource Mgmt
Day 8: Communications Mgmt
Day 9: Risk Mgmt
Day 10: Procurements Mgmt
Day 11: Stakeholder Mgmt, How to Fill Out PMP Exam Application
Day 12: How to Pass the PMP Exam, 100 Question Practice Exam
Here are the resources you will receive:
- Andy Crowe's PMP Exam Prep Kit
- How To Pass the PMP Exam On Your First Try Textbook
- Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), Sixth Edition
- CDs to reinforce PMP knowledge areas and processes
- Over 2,000 specific knowledge-area PMP exam practice questions
- 4 mock 200-question PMP practice exams to monitor your progress
- Videos and recorded classroom discussions
- Terminology flash cards
- Printed and bound PMP exam quick reference guide
- 24/7 access to live instructor support
Despite popular belief, you do not have to be an experienced or a full-time project manager to take any project management training course or the PMP exam. The PMP exam prep course is designed to teach individuals and professionals from all backgrounds, careers, and experience levels what they need to know to become a truly successful project manager and feel confident about taking the PMP exam.
So, if you are feeling anxious about taking the PMP exam, then you should definitely consider taking a PMP exam prep course. As mentioned above, the Project Vanguards’ PMP exam prep courses cover all the key knowledge areas and techniques that will be on the exam.
Additionally, Project Vanguards guarantees a 100 percent first-time pass rate for all participants who enroll in the PMP exam prep course.
Why Project Management Training for IT Professionals is The Solution
Project management skills are incredibly important in business today, especially for IT departments and software development companies. Yes, you can absolutely learn the necessary project management skills while on the job, however, because IT project managers already face a number of unique, complex challenges, investing in a project management training course or taking the official PMP exam is often the best route.
Additionally, IT project managers who complete a project management training course or who earn their official PMP certification gain more credibility, and are generally in a better position to take on new projects—and earn a higher salary.
Finally, earning your PMP credential and taking the PMP exam requires a commitment, dedication, and a small investment; however, the rewards and opportunities are endless. So, if you are considering a project management training course or earning your PMP certification, Project Vanguards is here for you, ready to provide you with the resources and training you need to accelerate your career.