What do a dinner party, family vacation, and new advertising campaign have in common? They’re all examples of projects. And while those endeavors have very different purposes, similar applications can be applied to define, prepare for, and see each one through—successfully! There’s a pretty good chance you’ve already served in the role of project manager but didn’t stop to think of yourself as one. Even if you don’t have the official title, you’ve likely supervised any number of temporary, multi-stepped tasks. Am I right?
Project management is one of the most critical functions in today’s workforce. This is because it falls outside of a company’s normative day-to-day operations and requires a high level of proficiency for a singular outcome. It is a true art, one that combines institutional knowledge with people management skills. This makes it difficult, but essential. Project management requires engagement with various groups of stakeholders, which can mean—oftentimes—having the cooperation of people that wouldn’t usually report to you.
With each project, a project manager accepts a tremendous responsibility—organizing, communicating, tracking, tweaking, and cheerleading at every step. During my long career, I’ve run every type of project and taken on many supporting roles, too. I would say that roughly 80 percent of the discipline’s principles are not industry specific, meaning that invariable, fundamental processes will always be part of any project’s sequence. This eliminates the need to reinvent the wheel for every new undertaking.
For the project manager, it’s all about delivering efficient results—achieving a specific goal within constraints of time, budget, and miscellaneous resources—even when inevitable bumps in the road occur. Anyone in a leadership position will eventually wear the hat of project manager. The matter becomes, then, whether you will be an effective one. The acquisition of rudimentary project management skills is fitting for any professional. Not having at least one trained project manager in your building puts you at a competitive disadvantage.
Project management specialization pays off—in more ways than one! When you attain knowledge that translates to valuable skills, it creates value to your organization and a considerable increase in your earning potential. USF Corporate Training and Professional Education offers a stand-alone, introductory project management course and certificate program. Our office also offers exam prep for designation as a Project Management Professional, the gold standard for mastery from the Project Management Institute.
Never forget that lifelong learning is the avenue for career and personal enhancement. I encourage you to learn more about USF Corporate Training and Professional Education’s project management offerings by visiting our website. Stay tuned as new project management certificates with concentrations in construction and information technology (IT) are in development!