Project Management Reflection

Over my career, I’ve been involved in a many projects such as the acceptance of new electric rail cars to the development of a computerize maintenance management system. These projects involved dozens people, crossed department lines and spanned many months from their conception to their implementation. While most of what I learned was acquired during the project, I attended a project management course that was offered by my company’s training and development department. Whether serving as a team member or project leader, I’ve gained many insights into the process of project management.

Over the past few years, project managers and Project management has shown tremendous growth. Project management has evolved over the past several years from an activity in an organization to a discipline in its own right. Many professional bodies exist today to represent project management as a discipline, Some of which include, PMI, Prince2 Foundation, PM Bok.

A project manager must be a skillful planner and can inspire his or her team to produce as needed. Per LaBrosse (2007), project management can be used throughout the organization to boost personal and collaborative productivity by building a standardized system that embeds best practices into the way projects are managed” (p.26).

In the current business environment, the demand for project managers is ever growing. In short, project management is a provisional project constrained by time, cost and scope (A guide to the project management body of knowledge, 2013). Between the immense organization, optimization, and communication assets skilled project management brings to a project, it is easy to see why project management is a booming field of study. Furthermore, project management can be both financially and personally rewarding when long term milestones and goals come to fruition.

Gray, C. F. & Larson, E. W. (2008). _Project Management: The Managerial Process_. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hills Companies, Inc.

Executive Summary Project management is the science of planning, organizing, executing, and managing the resources needed to achieve a specific goal. Effective project managers (PM) strategically facilitate the entire project management process to ensure the project’s success. To do this the PM must adequately meet the specific requirements (i.e., time, scope, quality, and cost) set forth by the project and its stakeholders. It is theorized that PM must possess a set of core competencies in order to successfully manage a project. Those competencies are development of project management knowledge areas, application of appropriate project management tools and techniques, understanding of the project

In this paper, I, a student of University of Phoenix will explain and discuss project management. I will address three main points. I will first answer what is a project. Secondly, I will discuss what are the basic phases of the project lifecycle and their purpose. Finally, I will explain why it 's important for organizations to use project management to accomplish tasks.

I became a PMI member in 2008 and one year after got my PMP certification. I started not being conscious of the enormous value of PMI, but sometime after, I realized that PMI changed my life, my profession and my definition of project management. Soon, I became a member of PMI Bogota and started participating in initiatives to promote project management in my region. Although I have not lived in Bogota and the chapter was more oriented to centralized activities in that city, I continued supporting the Bogota chapter and participated as volunteer for some activities.

In this paper the word ‘project” is defined, discussed and elaborated on. The phases of a project lifecycle and its purpose are to be discussed, and how it is important for organizations to use project management to accomplish tasks will in conclusion be discussed thoroughly. The indisputable word ‘Project” may be defined in numerous unusual ways, some can all have the same meaning and others can mislead a reader. The definition that accurately explains what a project is, comes from the Houghton Mifflin Company (2009) website stating; “something that is contemplated, devised, or planned; plan; scheme.” A definition that can mislead a reader is this definition from the same website just two paragraphs

Project management is the discipline of using policies and procedures to manage a project from creation to competition. The intent of this paper is to assess the role of a project manager and determine if I am well suited for a career in project management. To achieve this goal, I will be discussing the following areas: job description, general career path, education requirements, salary, career outlook, and the pros and cons. I will also be interviewing a colleague that currently working as a project manager to gain a better understanding of typical duties associated with the role.

More employers are looking at project management certification as important, and it is becoming more necessary for a project manager. Project Management Institute's (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) credential is the preferred certification that most employers are regarding as “highly desirable” for a new project manager. One reason employers are increasing weight on project management credentials is demand. More and more clients are requesting a project manager be certified in order to take on their project. “The marketplace in the U.S. is demanding the PMP or other project management certification," he says. "Going back five or six years, IBM has seen requests for proposals where the clients are demanding certified project managers

The future of project management will require a shift from a low indecision, low vagueness approach to a high attentiveness, high decisiveness approach where change is the standard and decisions have to be made quickly and decisively. Projects are becoming global with scattered multi-cultural teams being the standard. Earning a PMI certification demonstrates an understanding of complex project management concepts, an ability to lead and manage multi-functional teams and enters you in a global community of professionals and experts.

Bryan Bowers, a recent certified project manager explains the complexities of the PMP exam and how it can benefit you in advancing your career. In his interview, He explained the exam as being the “most brutal exam that he has every taken in his life” however, the outcome was he passed the exam and he is now a certified Project Manager . He decided to become certified because he believed it would enhance his skills so that he could direct projects more effectively. In addition, he explains that the requirements include competency in leading and directing project teams, the advantages of obtaining a certificationwhich will not only help individuals stand out to employers, but it can increase earning potential. The PMP certification is globally

The most valuable and sought-after certification is that of the Project Management Professional (PMP). This certification communicates the person who has earned it has shown competency and insight in project management from a pragmatic and

In today’s ever growing competitive market the products are getting user friendly, which means products are getting smarter and do the majority of work. Smarter products are complicated, and so is the process to develop them, Project Management is a crucial tool for streamlining complicated processes. As it applies today and in the future, to be successful in the careers mastering technical knowledge will be insufficient, if it is not backed by leadership and management skills. My primary motivation to pursue Project Management Education is to develop business skills, which will help me lead and implement my technical ideas and if required motivate and direct a team towards a common goal.