Should I hire a PMP?

People ask the question - is a PMP necessary for all project situations?

NOTE: I have been a fan of PMI, their training, and everything project management for my whole career. However, there are times and places for everything. In my humble opinion, just because you “can” do something doesn’t mean you “have” to or “ought” to do it.

There are a couple of questions I would like to ask first before I would go through the expensive process of hiring a PMP: What are the pains your organization are experiencing? Are timelines being missed? Are requirements being effectively gathered? Are expectations being set appropriately? What is driving people to suggest a PMP?

Without knowing the answers to those and other question, there are a couple of alternatives off the top of my head you ought to consider.

1. Create a Project Management Culture within the organization. Hire a hands-on PM training company (such as Koala-T Project Management -http://www.koala-t.net/) to train your entire staff the basics of PM and how to meld the processes/procedures/templates into your workflow, processes, and timetables. Every organization ought to do this but yours especially.

Establishing a PM Culture can be very simple to start. Provide your staff simple Steps for Project Success such as the below:

• Trust the people above and below you
• Establish challenging yet workable Project Goals
• Communicate the project needs and common goals
• Focus on the project goals
• Commit to achieving those project goals in the most efficient and productive way possible
• Be willing to change or even abandon set project goals
• Take responsibility for the end results

I believe that if you take any of these steps out, or if anyone does not subscribe to the steps, the organization will not be as productive or effective as it could.

2. Provide customized PM training to your mid-managers and have them support project efforts by using PM oversight tactics. Why not send them to PMI? Because I believe that particular training/process is much too cumbersome for your needs and purposes. It will either go to waste or you will create a bureaucratic nightmare for your staff.

3. Establish a Project Go/No Go process. Train your project input groups (Board, constituents, vendors, staff, etc) how to appropriately request Projects and provide requirements and expectations before the project is approved and put into a timetable.