Project Management Professionals (PMPs) are highly sought after, especially in the project-oriented world of technology and even in the agile dominated world of software development.
It is not so long ago that a project to launch a new initiative, organisational model or product could develop within a business for a year or two before it was unleashed on the customers for their highly vocal feedback.
It was even longer before the competition responded because their projects took years too. The relentless pace of development has forced the world to change and highly disruptive technologies require businesses to launch fast and update often, embracing digital transformation.
To do that qualified project managers with proven ability to drive change are becoming the key players.
According to Global Knowledge’s 2019 IT Skills and Salary Report PMPs currently earn an average of $135,798 per year (£110,000). This is the second-highest paying certification after the Google Certified Cloud Architect.
The Global Knowledge report, a worldwide study of 12,200 professionals from 159 counties, revealed that a premium is being paid for certified PMPs and showed that a majority of managers who authorised training last year did so to prepare their teams for certification or recertification.
In fact, ninety-three per cent of decision-makers believe that certified employees bring value to the organisation above and beyond the cost of certification.
Project managers who hold the PMP credential possess a minimum of three years and 4,500 hours of leadership experience in projects. They also have an exam-verified level of understanding of project management, as established by the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge.
The main benefit of certified personnel, according to the survey’s findings, is the ability to close organisational skills gaps. Certified professionals are also better at meeting client requirements, increasing productivity, reducing time to troubleshoot, and completing projects more quickly.
There were other advantages mentioned too by the survey respondents, including providing an edge over competitors, the faster deployment of projects and making hiring easier.
Source: PM Today – read full article.
Barry Corless
Global Product Director for DevOps and IT Service Management
As a Global Product Director for leading IT and business skills training specialist Global Knowledge, Barry Corless is responsible for helping organisations enhance organisational capability through application of best practice frameworks. His role incorporates the development and delivery of service management, DevOps, programme and project management, enterprise architecture and business analysis learning and development solutions. An experienced consultant and IT specialist, Barry undertook additional voluntary roles Director of itSMF International from 2017-2019, and Chair of itSMF UK from 2009-2011.
An industry champion for ITIL, Barry credits its common-sense approach to endemic IT issues as the reason for his long-term track record with this international service management practice. He has trained and consulted on ITIL in over 20 countries. Barry continues to act as an ITIL examiner and has been part of the author team that inputs into the ever-adapting ITIL guidelines.
Barry’s attraction to analytical problem solving began early and his first ambition was to be a weather man. He became an Assistant Scientific Officer for The Meteorological Office after leaving school in Cheshire. Barry recognises that passion for the topic is a key attribute for success as a trainer, as well as the ability to bring a subject to life. He thinks open-mindedness is vital. “Lifelong learning has taught me that we all have to prepare to unlearn what we previously accepted as best practice,” he says.
Having spent over 20 years training he has seen many changes in an industry that has embraced virtual classroom and digital learning. He advocates the teaching of project management and service management skills early. “In an economy that is 80% service based, we should be teaching these key management skills in schools,” he says.
As Best Practice department head, Barry enjoys the variety that his role brings him, and he continues to work with consultancy and education clients to ‘keep it real’. Barry’s ability to identify with learners makes him a sought-after trainer and his passion and detailed understanding of ITIL meant that Global Knowledge was able to develop the world’s first bridging course for professionals going from ITIL v3 to ITIL 4. Global Knowledge remains the world’s leading provider of ITIL certification and exams.
A popular commentator on ITIL and a frequent blogger, Barry doesn’t like to think of himself as ‘one track minded’. “ITIL skills are transferable outside the IT hinterland and lesson learned in other environments should be used in optimising technology solutions” he promises. “ITIL4 is more focussed on people, agility and collaboration. With the pressure on IT teams to provide a lightning-fast route to market, it’s vital that all stakeholders across an organisation and throughout the supply chain are working well together.”
