THE SKINNY ON PROJECT MANAGEMENT TRAINING CLASSES - PART I

Before I comment on PM training, here's a disclaimer: I'm an instructor in the PM program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and have been for almost 4 years now. So I have a definite bias on the need for training and how good our program is (the best!! :)), but I also have biases on what types of training PMs should consider getting, and how to go about getting it frm the myriad providers and types of course delivery out there.

Do PMs need formal training? Yes, they do. Just like in any other profession and discipline. Not only do PMs require training, they also need it on a continuing basis, just like other professionals. Sure, you can self-educate yourself by reading PM books and periodicals, but nothing beats a formal learning experience for receiving and synthesizing useful information of value to you on the job. If you have, or are about to acquire a PMP certification, you need continuing education credits to get the cert, and more each year to maintain it.

My discussion that follows centers around continuing education PM courses and programs - that is, these courses do not confer academic credit that leads to an undergraduate or graduate school degree.

There are a number of ways to slice-and-dice the need for formal PM training:

• As mentioned above, you have or are going to get a PMP certification and need to rack up hours in the classroom to qualify.
• You are a complete newbie to project management, or wish to enter the field from some other discipline or profession.
  
• You are a working PM and wish to enhance your skills; perhaps learn new techniques to introduce at work.
• You are a manager and wish to introduce PM into your organization, or must understand how an existing PM discipline works in your firm.

Once the need has been established, there are a number of choices:

1. Self-study programs - print or web-based
   
2. University-based and for-profit PM programs, some of which lead to a PM certificate on completion of a specified number of courses
3. "Onesy-twosy" PM courses offered by local colleges, for-profit training firms, PMI chapters, and others.

Self-study programs are basically teach-yourself with some off-site assistance (if web-based) programs that rely on your initiative to complete. This is OK if you're an experienced PM and the topic is advanced or arcane and you are satisfied with largely self-educating yourself on the topics covered. If you're a newbie or inexperienced, this route is not recommended because of the lack of rigor and formality found in the classroom. If you're not sure about PM as a professional pursuit, reading general-scope PM books is fine to get started, but if you're going to do PM on the job and/or are serious about entering the field, you get much better instructional benefit being in a classroom with similar people from other organizations - you will learn more, not only about PM, but about other people's attitudes, companies, challenges, and successes that is completely missed staring at a computer screen or a manual. One good thing about self-study is that, in most cases, its relatively cheap compared to formal training.

Many universities and for-profit training companies offer complete PM programs to the public on a continuing education basis. Most are REPs - Registered Education Providers with PMI that confer continuing education credit for those pursuing or maintaining the PMP certification. Some offer a certificate at the end of specified curriculum of courses - and please realize that a PM "certificate" or "Masters Certificate" is not an academic degree or PMP certification. It simply means that you attended and completed a specified number of PM and business-related courses, and for a Masters certificate, took and passed an exam after each course. These courses range from 2-4 days and the costs run anywhere from $300-400 to over $1000 each, depending on length and content. If your employer is paying the tuition, this is not usually an issue, but I realize that it definitely is for the unemployed folks out there or the ones who don't receive an employer subsidy of the costs.

The 'onesy-twosy" PM courses, usually offered by for-profit training companies and small community colleges, are usually introductions to PM that are offered alongside other courses, say in information technology and general business topics. They are relatively inexpensive, short duration overviews that are fine if you just want to sample the topic in a formal setting. These offerings become problematic if you need PMP credits or a formal PM training program, and should generally be avoided of that's your situation.

In Part II, I'll talk about these training vehicles in more detail, and what to look for and expect when deciding to sign up, pay for, and attend these programs.