The power of Project Management has now been well established amongst organizations for delivering successful projects. Not only organizations but project professionals now look upon Project Management methodology and tools for their career growth. The Project Management buzz is all around with lot of talks but it certainly needs a lot of attention in understanding what it is and what it can do to you and your organizations bottom line. All organizations comprise of processes and projects for implementing changes. Projects are the core of any organization requiring a systematic approach to manage them for desired results. This is what project management does providing a systematic approach to generate consistent results. Moreover, it can be termed as a powerful tool that can transform business.

 

Most often the problem encountered among the organizations is that there are no set processes to do projects effectively and efficiently. Moreover, the lack of proper project management training among the project professionals results in time loss, delayed projects, cost overrun leading to poor performance for all. With the use of Project Management (PM) throughout your organization one can boost personal and collaborative productivity and ultimately show triple digit return on investment. The key to successful PM is to build a standardized system for doing project management that embeds best practices into how you manage your projects.

 

PM has the power to transform businesses by building a process, tracking performance and help create true best practices that work for you. There are five ways that project management transforms organizations.

 

· Builds Exponential Effectiveness

 

· Empowers Individuals and Team Leaders

 

· Build Institutional Memory

 

· Realizes Return on Innovation

 

· Turns Information into Insight

For any project to be a success the key role Project manager plays cannot be denied as good project leads can make all the difference. A project manager has to be many things from being a great communicator, a leader, a visionary, and be able to both build and inspire the team. First and foremost, however, a project manager has to be proactive. Importantly, a PM certified professional can effectively run the show. To be a certified professional PMP® Certification by PMI is the most reputed and recognized certification. For PMP® Certification India, AstroWix a Registered Education Provider of PMI provides Project Management training to help professionals with the PMP® Certification, USA.

To know more about PMP® Certification India , Project Management Training visit : – www.astrowix.com

Based on studies and personal experiences some project practitioners have observed that over 90% of project issues that arise could be traced back to communication problems. This establishes the significant role of Communication in Project Management. It has gained a stature that it is today considered as the lifeblood of a project and project success. When you handle a project as a project manager it is so crucial that what the project staff is doing. If the project team members do not know what their duties and tasks are or moreover how do they go about accomplishing them, it can bring the entire project to a grinding halt. As a project manager if you are aware of what you team is doing then you cannot monitor the project and this is what leads as in many cases delay in delivery and over budget.

 

Project management advocators and practitioners regard communication as the key for project success and an important asset for project managers. Moreover, the lack of communication with the customer in not being able to understand their requirements even does not let the project get off the ground. Project management experts are of the opinion that maintaining open, regular and accurate means of communication with all levels of project staff and stakeholders is vital. This ensures the smooth flow of information from customer to you and with enough warning of risks and changes.

 

Looking at the pivotal role communication plays for a project manager, the need for PMP® Certification for project professionals has become an essential. PMP® Certification is offered by Project Management Institute (PMI), which is globally recognized. This certification not only addresses the requirements of project managers in project integration, quality, cost, human resources, risk and time but importantly builds up skills in communication management too. In India, for PMP® Certification, AstroWix is a Registered Education Provider of PMI providing PMP® Certification Preparation to help professionals get the PMP® Certification, USA.

 

PMP® certification requires rigorous training and preparation. AstroWix with its years of experience in the field Project Management assists professionals in preparing them to identify their strengths & weaknesses and improve their various skills that are required for successful passing the PMP® certification exam. AstroWix is one of the few recognized names to help candidates for PMP® certification preparation with a pass success rate of 100%, which is far above the average. Individuals who pass this certification find the Project Management skills effective to execute projects and effectively communicate with all stakeholders.

 

To know more about PMP® Certification Preparation, PMP® Certification Visit: – www.astrowix.com

 

Are you heading a project? Are the projects tasks too complex? Is your project losing direction? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then giving a serious thought of implementing best practices in Project Management is the answer. Increasing number of organizations has accepted the fact that for project success, project management plays an important role. It not only provides a systematic approach but delivers results effecting organizations bottom line. For project managers project management improves their competent skills to manage, run the projects within the limited resources and ever changing requirements. Furthering your skills and knowledge for project heads helps than stand out and deliver results.

 

If as a project lead you are looking to advance skills and knowledge and moreover giving a push to your career, acquiring PMP credentials can be the next move. Project management as a profession has certainly advanced and now is regarded a very popular profession with many giving it a serious thought. However, finding the time to get the training necessary to advance in this field isn’t something that’s always easy for busy professionals to do. Fortunately, there are learning solutions that make it possible for even the busiest project management professionals to get the training they need. There are a number of certifications available in the Project Management (PM) field, although the most important one is, unquestionably, the PMP® certification. Earning these credentials project management aspirants require to meet specific requirements and spend significant time on preparation for the exams. However, this certification brings in number of benefits in comparison to the preparation especially in terms of salary increases and increase in organizations returns.

 

The PMP® certification is one such certification that is the most intensive project management certifications available, which is offered by Project Management Institute (PMI). PMP is a leading professional association in project management which runs a globally recognized, examination-based, professional certification program. This advanced certification demonstrates advanced knowledge of and experience with project management concepts. As this certification requires fairly rigorous training, PMP® Certification Preparation is an essential. Moreover, choosing a PMP® Certification Preparation and training option that fits your busy schedule greatly increases the chances of your passing your exam. AstroWix a pioneer in project management and in practice for over a decade offers PMP® certification preparation and training. AstroWix is a Registered Education Provider of PMI provides Project Management training to help professionals with the PMP® Certification, USA.

 

To know more about PMP® Certification, PMP® Certification Preparation Visit: – www.astrowix.com

 

Project Managers who aspire to take the PMP exam need to have 35 hours of documented training in the area of project management. However, many believe they must take specialized and expensive courses, and some are not aware that some of the training and education they already have may qualify. Others think they need to acquire a single 35 hour certificate. Here is a survey of the ways PMP aspirants can satisfy the 35 contact hour requirement.

The Requirement
In the Project Management Professional (PMP) Credential Handbook, it states that the candidate must “Document 35 contact hours of project management education.” This requirement applies to all applicants, regardless of degree or project management experience level. So, just what must the candidate do to satisfy those “Contact Hours of Project Management Education”, where at least 35 contact hours of specific instruction addressed learning objectives in project
management?

Documenting Project Management Training and Education
The first step is to document all education hours regardless of when they were accrued. PM education hours for these purposes do not expire and do not need to be within any recent time frame. However, before submitting the application, the course work must already be completed. PMP Prep coursework does qualify, as it is project management oriented, but it would need to occur before the candidate actually submits the application. Note that “one contact hour is equivalent to one actual hour (60 minutes) of training or instruction received”, as per the PMI.

After documenting all hours, PMP candidates need “classify” content of the courses according to the PMBOK knowledge areas, including project quality, project scope, project schedule, project budget, project communications, project risk, project procurement, and project integration management. If all hours add up to 35 or more, the candidate has already satisfied the requirements. In many cases, the candidate will have either no hours or less than 35 hours of PM training, and they will need to fill that gap with additional project management training.

What Qualifies?
These educational requirements can be met by demonstrating the successful completion of courses, workshops, and training sessions offered by one or more of the following types of education providers:

A. PMI Registered Education Providers (R.E.P.s) – Pre-approved courses offered by PMI R.E.P.s. These can be classroom instruction, live instructor-lead training online, or pure online packaged courses that are available 24×7.

B. PMI Component organizations – PMI chapters, specific interest groups, colleges, or the PMI.

C. Employer/company-sponsored programs – as long as content can be logically mapped to the knowledge areas.

D. Training companies or consultants – as long as content can be logically mapped to the knowledge areas.

E. Distance-learning companies, including an end-of-course assessment – can include live instructor-lead training online, or pure online packaged courses that are available 24×7, as long as content can be logically mapped to the knowledge areas.

F. University/college academic and continuing education programs, as long as content can be logically mapped to the knowledge areas.

Note that one hour of classroom instruction equals one contact hour. Non-classroom instruction, such as online training, also must comply with the rule that one hour of classroom instruction equals one contact hour. Project Management podcasts can also satisfy all or a portion of the requirement. The important thing is to be able to provide complete and authoritative documentation of the training and education, such as certificates, tests, syllabus, course descriptions, and transcript to properly support your claim.

Here are some scenarios of what should qualify:

1. Completion of a 15 week university or college course on project management that met for three hours per week would qualify for 45 contact hours.

2. Completion of a university or college course that was approximately 50% on the subject of project management that met for two hours per week for 15 weeks would qualify for 50% x 30 contact hours, or 15 contact hours. The additional 20 contact hours could be earned with an 8 hour REP classroom training, and 12 hours of REP 24×7 online training.

3. Completion of a single REP classroom course or online, 24×7 set of courses that add up to 35 hours or more.

4. Completion of some combination non-REP classroom project management training, live instructor-lead online project management training, online 24×7 project management training courses, or project management podcasts, as long as they are clearly documentable.

What does not satisfy the PMP Educational Requirements?
The following do not satisfy the education requirements:

1. PMI chapter meetings, unless spent conducting a learning activity

2. Self-study (e.g., reading books)

3. Degree program, such as MBA, in its entirety, but many of the classes within the program will apply and must be documented individually

Conclusion
There are many ways to satisfy the PMI requirement of 35 hours of project management training. Any training must be in the areas of project quality, project scope, project schedule, project budget, project communications, project risk, project procurement, and project integration management. The PMI rule is that one hour of training equals one of these contact hours. Applicants must be able to clearly document the training with proper proof. The final authority is the PMI, and the authoritative document is the Project Management Professional (PMP) Credential Handbook, which can be found at http://www.pmi.org/PDF/pdc_pmphandbook.pdf. Applicants should contact the PMI directly with any questions or concerns.

One early challenge for becoming a PMP is successfully filling out the application! Documenting experience can be especially time consuming. The minimum experience required at professional project management, leading and directing project tasks, is:

-3 years/36 months and 4,500 hours with a bachelor’s degree
-5 years/60 months and 7,500 hours with a bachelor’s degree

The challenge is digging up all of the information on that past experience and getting it into the right format for the PMI.

PMI Instructions
As per the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Credential Handbook, applicants need to document the number of hours that they led or directed project tasks. Applicants need to consider all of the projects that they have worked on, and identify how many hours they led or directed project tasks. For this section of the application all hours spent leading and directing project tasks on multiple concurrent projects count toward the total. This exercise is, in itself, an educational experience, as it makes applicants to think about their experience in terms of the PMI framework, the Project Management Body of Knowledge, or PMBOK.

There is an experience verification section on the online application to document and report the experience leading and directing project tasks. Projects need to be documented individually regardless of the number of projects. Within the total hours of project management experience, experience in each of the five process groups is required. However, experience in all five project management process groups is not required on each and every single project.

8 Pointers for Documenting Project Management Experience
Project Managers and applicants for the PMP need to remember that delivering on projects is all about getting tasks done. It is all about task management. Many people assume that because they were not the overall project manager, their experience does not count. However, PMP hopefuls need to think outside the box and review their projects and tasks through the lens of a project manager, using the PMBOK framework – specifically the Project Management Processes: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing – and begin to understand where their tasks and efforts fit into the overall process of managing a project.

Here are some great steps for doing this task:

1. Capture all work experience of the past so many years, including dates, regardless of what it was. A spreadsheet is an ideal organizational tool for this.

2. Applicants should learn to think in terms of the Project Management Processes: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing. For each of their experiences, they need to record which of these processes they were working.

3. At this point, applicants should discard the experiences where they were clearly not working on any of the 5 Project Management Processes.

4. The next step is to peruse through all the experiences to make sure each and every one of the 5 Project Management Processes, is represented at least once in all the identified experience. This is required.

5. Now all of the experience data should be ready for computing a preliminary number of months of project management experience, to be compared against the requirement. Hopefully there is enough experience to meet and actually exceed the requirement, should anything be questioned.

6. The next task is to do a short description of each of the experiences, illustrating especially how “leading and directing project tasks” was taking place within the specified project management processes.

7. This deserves repeating. Extra experiences totaling more than the required time should be kept as a buffer.

8. Optionally as a final step, the experience can be broken down further into detailed descriptions for each of the appropriate processes.

Finalizing the Process
It is acknowledged that often times there are gray lines between work on one project or another, or even one process or another. Applicants need to ensure that any claims they make are credible and that they can readily explain them and feel confident with the information they are providing. In their descriptions, a good technique is to try to paint a picture of the project by providing a succinct description with information of level of responsibility, including the role played, deliverables produced, size of project, and bit about the stakeholders, and the impact. Each experience must be described uniquely, which means avoiding copies or repeat descriptions of assignments, as all projects are different!

To finalize an experience worksheet, applicants, of course, need to remember to check grammar, and run a spell check! The following should go without saying, but 2 overlapping experiences cannot be considered to each be full time! Applicants also need to determine the appropriate level of detail for their particular situation. They should simply feel comfortable that the reader will find their organization of the information and descriptions of the project work experience understandable and credible. All of this shows a high degree of professionalism and speaks as much as the content about the person.

The buzz of projects and Project Management is going around with different people talking differently about it. When everyone is talking project management, what is project management? To some it is simply organizing your small work to get the big one done. It is sometimes also regarded as a series of activities to accomplish a task. The definition to project management starts with defining a project. A project is a small little endeavor or an assignment undertaken to accomplish a given task. And project management is all about planning, doing, and ensuring that following what is planned.

Project management has its roots much farther than it is known but to put it in the modern sense began in the early 1960’s. The need for project management discipline was driven by the businesses that realized the advantages of organizing work in projects and the necessity to communicate and co-ordinate work better across departments and teams. Amidst the talk of projects and project management implementation, the role of the project manager emerges as one of great importance and responsibility. For a smooth flow of a project, it is the project manager’s job to direct, supervise and control the project from beginning to end.

The responsibility of how the projects move on and finish rests entirely on the shoulders of a project manager for making things happen. The role of a project manager traditionally, was more of as mere implementers. To do their jobs they needed to have basic administrative and technical competencies. Today they play a far broader role. In addition to the traditional skills, they need to have business skills, customer relations skills, and political skills. Psychologically, they must be results-oriented self-starters with a high tolerance for ambiguity, because little is clear-cut in today’s tumultuous business environment. Shortcomings in any of these areas can lead to project failure.” The shift in the role of a project manger demands more of managing projects rather than carrying out the project work.

Where the role of a Project manager is of such significance, the need for them to be skilled and expert becomes all the more essential. Being a certified professional has become the call of the day with an increasing number of organizations employing certified professionals. For project practitioners PMP® Certification amongst the available certifications is a very popular among PMP aspirants. PMP® certification from PMP, USA is a renowned certification according then with the expertise and skills to take on project challenges. Moreover, with a PMP® certification under their belt a project manager certainly improves their career graph and performance.

PMP certification process involves undertaking PMP exams which requires taking up intensive exam preparation. Project management training is an important aspect of PMP® certification and plays a decisive role in attaining this certification. For PMP® Certification India a name that has made its mark in the project management training is AstroWix Corporation. A register education provider of PMI, it has been providing PMP aspirants project management training for over a decade now.

To know more about PMP® Certification, PMP® Certification India, Project Management Training Visit:- www.astrowix.com

Projects managers are a vital part of the global workforce, contributing to the quality, efficiency and business results across an organization. Every industry from telecom, software, to construction, projects exist everywhere requiring professionals who can manage them consistently within time tested processes. The number of projects has increased but the pool of credentialed, talented and skilled people is not keeping pace, making the demand for skilled project managers very critical. PMI® is the leading membership association for the project management profession, actively engaged in advocacy for the profession, setting professional standards, conducting research and providing access to a wealth of information and resources.

PMI® is advocating project management allowing individuals to speak with one common language, irrelevant of the industry type, and geography. PMI has more than 1 million members, credential holders and trained project professionals worldwide, promoting how project, program and portfolio management can enhance, accelerate organizational change- driving innovation, improving bottom line performance, and strengthening competitive advantage. The Project Management Institute (PMI) ® offers PMP® Certification program, with the objective and goal of which is the development, maintenance, evaluation, promotion, and administration of a rigorous, examination-based, professional certification credential of the highest caliber-(PMP®)credential.

Project Management is emerging as the most sought after skill in the IT, ITES and many other industry sectors, resulting in PMP® Certification as the essential asset. PMP® certification USA is a leading certification offered by PMI. The right credential can make all the difference when it comes to getting a job, in today’s competitive job market. And PMP Certification is a certification of international standing, as the professionals having this certification foster authority with the customers for possessing a solid foundation of Project Management Knowledge.

AstroWix is one of the most popular choices of PMP® aspirants around the world. It provides training & end-to-end support for professionals to prepare for PMP® Certification examination. Today, AstroWix is one of the few recognized names to help aspirants successfully write PMP® Certification Exam with a pass success rate of 100%, which is far above the average. AstroWix’s PMP Certification preparation program aligns with the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) and ensure every aspirant receives a comprehensive, quality and up-to-date education.

It is not unusual for people to use sophisticated project management software tools such as Gantt and PERT charts to manage complex tasks. At the other end of task complexity, simpler, more straightforward projects will require a simpler approach and fewer steps to accomplish. The simpler project may be dependent on tasks that proceed it and if broken down to manageable events, will be easier to manage.

When is it time for a Gantt Chart?

Project management may wish to use a tool such as a Gantt chart for such simple tasks and projects. An example of such a project may be the implementation and creation of a marketing plan. A plan for a single owner business may be another example. A Gantt chart may in fact make a simple project more complicated than it needs to be. It could be far more than necessary for such simple planning needs. It will be helpful if such tools are understood by all members of a project in order to maintain good communication among all parties.

For planning requirements that are simple, it is very helpful to use a time table or a plan of action. Ensure that those who are participating should get the plan and the time table so that there are no issues. Members should participate in the time table negotiation and to keep records, the management has to use diaries or calendars.

All such projects will need deadlines and control points when progress is monitored and quantified, although a missed deadline doesn’t necessarily mean that the project ends. The project’s needs can sometimes be further evaluated and negotiated by members. If time points are still missed or if a project becomes too complicated, Gantt Chart may be needed, but members will need to learn how to use this tool.

An action plan is one of the tasks that are needed to achieve a specific project. These action plans are intended to reach an outcome or particular goal. The first step to make possible the attainment of such a goal is copying the actions on a to-do list or action calendar, this fact also leading to the listing of additional goals.

Getting a project on track one it has been derailed can be a challenge. When a task as fallen behind or a worker has then management may need to make compromises to recover the overall goal. The reassigning of resources may be required. The order of tasks may be affected or the specified scope of specific tasks altered.

Reassigning resources can happen to even the best project managers. Sometimes a task may become more challenging than what was originally considered or the resources that were provided are needed for more critical tasks. However, it is possible that if some tasks are no longer priorities than a re-evaluation should be considered to determine whether the planned task is required.

Changing the sequences of tasks is required to face the challenges sometimes. It will look good when we substitute some tasks and leave more difficult tasks for later. The tasks can be rearranged so that multitasking can be enabled when the things are behind.

A Gantt chart can be useful in planning for the possible roadblocks a project may run into. When a manager can see the whole plan laid out before them it may help them to see where problems may arise or where time and resources may be better used. This can help to avoid problems before they arise.

There are many institutes which offer project management certificates throughout the world. The need for certified managers is increasing unfailingly day by day. All the business and industrial organizations have understood the importance of qualified PM’s. These organizations are willing to pay handsome salaries to the qualified PM’s.

It is really encouraging to note that there is an ever-increasing need to execute projects in almost every kind of industry. Therefore, the role of the project manager has become all the more important. It is no wonder that certified project managers are one of the highest paid and most sought after professionals today.

Project management certification is very vital for the aspiring management professionals. A survey conducted by Payscale.com real-time salary surveys concluded that Project Managers with a project management certification earn a median salary of as high as $84,000 in the State of California with other states not far behind. It clearly reveals the importance of certified PM’s.

Project management is set to become even more important in the times to come, as projects become more complex with increased time and cost constraints. Those who have certifications like the PMP (Project Management Professional) are in great demand both at present and will be far in future. Once you become a qualified PM, you will have complete knowledge in project management fundamentals: Project Initiation, Project Planning, Planning and Project Resources.

Certified project managers convey, through its attainment, that have adequate knowledge in Planning Time through Gantt and Pert Charts, Planning Quality, Building and Managing the Team, Planning Risks, Procurement Planning, Work Plan Execution, Monitoring the Plan Execution and conveying status through tools like Gantt Diagrams, Controlling Change and Closing the Effort. With the wide knowledge of PM skills, they can easily help any organization to increase the productivity to a great extent.

Project Management Certification is very well recognized all over the world. Certified PMP’s get jobs very easily with very attractive salaries. At the same time, these higher rates are justified by the amazing results the PM’s show to their host organizations. They apply the latest techniques and help the organization to increase company profits considerably. They can increase productivity and profits and develop their organization’s good name.

Project Management, as we know it, began to gain ground around the beginning of the 1960s. At this time industrial and business organizations were starting to recognize there were benefits associated with arranging work into separate projects. In doing this, work could be done by multiple departments, working as a cohesive whole. It was this realization that led to project management gaining widespread acceptance.

Towards the end of the 1800s, due to increasing complexity within the world of business, modern management developed more fully from existing management principles. Major players in important decision making were huge government projects. Vast, complicated projects necessitated hiring thousands of employees, sourcing materials in bulk and finding or making machinery and equipment on a large scale.

Business organizations wanted to apply some powerful techniques so that the labor, material, and machinery were effectively used to give maximum results. In early 20th century, Frederick Taylor analyzed work patterns and behavior and found out that better methods can increase the productivity considerably. This type of analysis is now known as time and motion study. Time and motion can suggest better methods to reduce labor and material costs. Taylor was dubbed the “father of scientific management”.

Henry Gantt first introduced the world to his charts in the 1920′s. After intensive study of the work process and its organization, he developed the chart which was later named after him. These charts followed the progress of work in large projects, showing time schedules along with dependencies between tasks. This allowed completion of projects to become easier. In effect, the charts have been used since their introduction.

Taylor, Gantt, and a many notable others helped evolve management into a distinct business function that requires study and discipline. After a few decades, marketing approaches, industrial psychology, and human relations became the integral parts of business management. In the mid-20th century, PERT charts and Critical Paths Methods were introduced. Seeing their usefulness, many organizations, including the military, began to use these techniques. They are popular even now.

Today’s project management is different from what it used to be in the beginning. Nowadays, project management is considered as a human being, which means that for a business to survive and prosper every functional part of the being should work in tandem and coordination towards achieving specific objectives. Over the time project management evolved into the current modern forms that is now prevailing in the world. The project manager manages the project and is responsible for its completion. A project manager, integrates various resources into a team, organizes and coordinates the whole project in order to get the best possible results in terms of productivity and profits. And finally the project manager delivers the completed project on time and within budgets.