| Governing Decisions
PMP holders can use their credential to
land lucrative government projects.
by Jeffrey Steele
Project management practitioners who have contributed to major government projects say that holding a Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential can be a determining factor in landing these lucrative jobs.
Allen Schubert, PMP, Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA-based vice president and director of strategic planning for CH2M-WG Idaho—and a participant in the Rocky Flats Closure Project that won PMI’s 2006 Project of the Year—says that hiring a project management practitioner with the PMP credential provides a level of comfort. Their mastery of project management principles has been tested and certified. “It tells me you know how to run and close projects, and provides an independent validation of your knowledge when you apply for a project management job,” he says.
PMP certification also demonstrates that project managers have years of experience and a broad knowledge gained in studying for the certification exam, says Rene G. Rendon, PMP, who teaches acquisition and program management courses in the Master of Business Administration program at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., USA. “PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) provides a very useful tool that government project managers can apply to their project management activities,” he says.
Gaining Ground
While few governments require PMP credentials for their project managers, many strongly recommend it, says Julio Fuster, PMP, managing partner for Corporate Solutions SA and TenStep Spain, Madrid, Spain. And throughout Europe, the PMP credential is gaining tremendous ground and is quickly becoming the best-known certification around, says Mr. Fuster, who also is an operations director for PMI’s Government Specific Interest Group (SIG). “I wouldn’t be surprised in a couple of years if the PMP [credential] is recommended by governments all over Europe,” he says.
In other parts of the world, demand for the PMP credential in government projects is already high. After completing a government project in Central America last year, Mr. Fuster was told his PMP credential was a major factor in his selection for the job. He plans to use his credential similarly as he works on a proposal for a Mexican government project. “I’m putting my PMP [credential] in bold,” he says. “I know it’s going to be very important in their decision.”
Cross-Disciplinary Vision
PMP credential holders possess project management skills to cut through silos, and governmental entities often are departmentalized, says Jang Ra, Ph.D., PMP. He is a professor and department chair in the Engineering, Science and Project Management Department of the University of Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, USA. Many government employees are only fully familiar with their own departments or units within their departments. Often, subject experts are function experts, but not skilled at integration.
Projects undertaken by PMP credential holders, he says, can benefit because:
- PMP credential holders are process experts trained in cross-functional integration
- PMP credential holders have experience in integrating widely divergent groups like finance, architecture, engineering, construction, procurement, operations and maintenance.
Meeting Organizational Strategy
Many project management practitioners who lack PMP certification often are “just looking at a list of tasks and dates, [not what’s] demanded across the entire organization,” says Joyce Douglas, PMP, data processing manager with the Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development in Juneau, Alaska, USA. PMP holders, on the other hand, generally understand:
- Communication plans
- Conflict management
- Availability of resources, either in-house or by contracting additional skills.
PMP holders, Ms. Douglas says, are “able to reach out, collaborate, facilitate and look at the planning involved in pulling together all the people and deliverables.”
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Understand the culture of the government department and its business practices, says Joyce Douglas, PMP, Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development. |
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Indicate the number of PMP credential holders who are on your staff to illustrate your experience and knowledge, advises Jang Ra, Ph.D., PMP, the University of Alaska. |
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Search government websites for lists of available jobs, such as: |
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Jeffrey Steele is a Chicago, Ill., USA-based freelance writer who has contributed to the e-publication, Your Business Advisor.
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