Top 5 Project Management Certifications

Project Management certifications have been around for a long time and have made to the lists of highly paid professionals since 2000s. They hold special significance for project managers who have been into the industry for a while and are leading the projects from inception to culmination. Certifications add to their skills of completing the projects on-budget and on-time, earns them the recognition amongst the peers and build their credibility in the industry. Beginners can kick start their career since the recognition and preference given to the certified professionals is immense. Now the big question remains which project management training and certification to pursue.

Here is a list of the top 5 Project Management Certifications

Project Management Professional (PMP)

PMP certification from Project Management Institute (PMI) rules the roost because of its popularity and recognition worldwide. PMIs guide book, the PMBOK is the bible of project management and forms the basis of PMP. It helps professionals gain real-time skills and knowledge that is a culmination of world-wide best practices and proven methodologies. it covers several phases involved in a collaborative work task spread over several sprints. These phases are namely initiation, scoping, planning, monitoring and concluding the project.

PRINCE2

Though popular in UK, Europe and Australia, this process based methodology is gaining acceptance worldwide and can be safely put at the second position. PRINCE2 is administered by APMG and defines standards and practices not only for the project managers but for the team and everyone else involved in the project since it focuses on designing communication and controls to meet the requirements of all levels.

Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) or CompTIA Project+

Why we have kept these two certifications together at 3rd position because both of them are entry level project management courses and are a stepping stone for beginner project managers handling relatively smaller teams and projects. 

PMI has developed CAPM and is considered a stepping-stone certification for those who wish to enter the realm of managing teams and deliveries. CAPM also does not require the candidate to have continuous education to maintain their credential.

CompTIA Project+ is roughly at par with the aforementioned credentials. The curriculum for this credential comes from an assortment of sources. They are namely government representatives, academicians, research establishments, subject matter point of contacts, training companies etc. It contains valid best practices and proven techniques for harnessing the collective capabilities of large or small teams.

Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a process improvement oriented tool developed by Motorola. It became popular by the successful implementation by GE Motors in 1990s. Since then more and more companies are adopting its best practices since its central deliverables are improvement in quality and process. Hence certified Six Sigma professionals are increasingly in demand. It is based on two methodologies DMAIC and DMADV which focus on improving the existing projects and new products respectively. Motorola and GE have developed skill level certification programs like Green Belt, Black Belt etc.

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project certification finds its place in this list because it’s Microsoft project management software and happens to be widely used by companies all over the world. This Windows based application provides tools to track projects, assign tasks, control project schedules, share data, communicate across the team etc. Project Managers can get certified for Microsoft Project 2010 as well as its latest edition Project 2013.