The value and importance of PMP certification is a highly debated topic in the project management community. One end of the spectrum defended vigorously the credential as the defining standard for the competition, while the other side sees it as an exercise without sense it means nothing more than rote memorization. Many fall somewhere in the Middle, seeing it as an evil necessary we hope to produce some advantage for its commercialization.
Adding fuel to the debate is the results of a research study published in the daily management of project, February 2011. "PMP as a core competency certification: is necessary but not sufficient" reports the results of a study conducted by Jo Ann Starkweather and Deborah H. Stevenson, systems & Technology Department at Northwestern University information.
The study reports on the assessment of the PMP certification for IT recruiters and corporate executives, as well as a statistical evaluation of the PMP as an indicator of success of the project.
Survey says...
Assessment of the PMP: of the 15 core competencies surveyed, the PMP certification occupied number 11 for it recruitersand # 15 by executives for you (that is last dead right!) Shown below are executives of percentages of the same rating of "Important" or "Extremely important" for each competition.
1 Leadership 95 %
2. The capacity to communicate multiple levels 94 %
3 Verbale skills 87 %
4 Writing skills 87 %
5 Attitude 85 %
6 Ability to deal with ambiguity and change 83 %
7 Work history 69 %
8. The experience of 67 %
9 Ability to climb 66 %
10. Cultural Fit 57 %
11. The experts 46 %
12 Education 38 %
13 Length of previous recruitment 23 %
14 Past team size 18%
15 Certification PMP 15 %
PMP as an indicator of success of the project: there was no statistically significant difference in the success has been reported rates for projects run by certified versus uncertified project leaders when considered across 5 success criteria:
Cost/within budget
In computer programming
Quality / meet the technical specifications
Quality / meet the customer's business requirements
Customer/user satisfaction
So does that mean?
In the words of the leaders of the study, "clearly, the domain of the body of knowledge project management is an important asset in the preparation of professional project managers." The understanding of the methodology is essential to conduct proper management of projects. "However, based on the narrative explanations given by the recruiters IT and executives, its emphasis on capabilities such as the ability to communicate at various levels and the tacit knowledge to know when to exercise leadership and how to do it effectively are critical to the success of the final draft."
So it seems that we, as a community must address the gap that currently exists in our curriculum and training in leadership and capabilities. Recruiters should be most used projection techniques to assess skills and leadership to consider candidates for project management roles. As the value of project management it has evolved from tactical to strategic organizations, so it should be our perspective on the core competencies for success.
Pam Stanton invites you to know the reason of why it fails most of the projects and what can be done.
Emotional intelligence and dynamic management of group are fast becoming the skills that distinguish the great project managers. The field of project management is changing, they are not left behind.
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Pam Stanton, the Whisperer project
