Another day, another training organization explaining why you need project management certification.  This one was linked from a group on LinkedIn, which is why I saw it.  The provider proudly exclaimed that they would teach you to deliver projects “on task, on time and on budget.”

A Buckyball

Once upon a time, that was all that was required.  Now, it’s about delivering value, minimizing “time to market” or “time to value,” implementing Lean practices, being Agile, and all sorts of other improvements.  And then there’s quality management, risk management, stakeholder management, change management, and so on.  It’s been several years since I managed a project team spread across fewer than three time zones, and the average is probably between four and five.  Bottom line: the old “iron triangle” is now a Buckyball.

I’ve been managing projects for well over twenty years, and I’ve maintained my PMP for ten years.  I support credentialing, as a mid-career milestone.  I just disapprove of any credential being touted as a career entry point.  You can’t even buy a Subway franchise without spending some time working on the counter, building sandwiches.  Your dues have to be paid in full, in advance.

Note that this is not a diatribe against trainers.  I admire anyone who passes on the tribal knowledge, whether it’s in a formal classroom or just over coffee in an otherwise empty conference room.  I’ve spent a few years in classrooms, teaching, and much of the last decade or so, mentoring.  It is the marketers and the shills who annoy me.  God bless any PMP prep course that insists their students document the requisite experience to sit for the exam, before taking their money.  I just haven’t heard of one.