What Project Management Training Options are There?
There are many project management training courses available. Just check Google. I see 15+ million results and counting. It could take a while to go through all of the options…
The majority of these are either generic basic skills or they align to one of the common methodologies – PMI’s PMBOK, Axelos’ PRINCE2, Lean Six Sigma, Agile (Scrum as well as other varieties). The list goes on.
All have their pros and cons as you can imagine.
However, choosing the wrong option could prove costly for you and for your business.
What Happens if You Choose the Wrong Project Management Training Course
From the wide variety of options, this is a very real danger.
Choosing the wrong training course or programme will lead to:
- Wasted time from sitting through the training.
- Wasted money from purchasing the course.
- Not using the training. Sure, you’ve been on the course – but it is all wasted if you don’t take action and apply what you’ve picked up.
- Focusing on the things that aren’t important. You’re wasting time again as you apply what you’ve learnt but that particular lesson isn’t relevant for what you’re doing.
- Misunderstanding of what the Project Manager job is and is not (this can be particularly relevant for many retail project management roles which tend to blend other skills too).
How Do You Choose the Right Project Management Training
There are several points that you’ll need to consider along the way:
Training for you vs. someone else
Are you looking to develop your own skills or are you looking on behalf of someone else – such as a member of your team? Or is it for a full team or group of people? It will be important to think about learning styles and preferences. For the person doing the training, do they prefer to drip feed the lessons, learning little by little? Or do they “binge learn” by sitting through large amounts of training in a short space of time? Is there a preference of learning by doing, by discussing or by listening? Are there any particular topics to focus on?
Project management theory vs. applying in reality
There are many project management text books available. One of the challenges that I have observed is that many new project managers come out of their first training course and promptly find challenges. The real world isn’t the same as the text book world. Not surprising, but you do need o consider if you’re looking more for theory or for real life strategies to put into action.
Industry agnostic vs. industry specific
Generic project training courses are built for use in many different environment – whether it is designing a battleship, building a house or improving a system.
Retail projects tend to work in a different way. Generic PM training has to cater for all types and sizes of projects across any industry. This makes it very transferable but also means you learn elements that aren’t going to be relevant for you. Plus, you will miss topics that are relevant for you.
To certify vs. not
Project management training certifications can be good if you want to build your CV. Employers who aren’t sure what they are looking for (but know they want a “Project Manager”) can use certifications as a filtering technique. Completing the relevant training and certification requirements can help you ‘check this box’.
However, this isn’t necessary if you’re more focused on actually delivering change projects and building a strong reputation for yourself. If you’re planning on staying with the same company, this is likely to be much more important for your career.
Classroom based vs on demand
Would you prefer to learn face to face in a traditional classroom setting? Having real human contact can make it more memorable and allows for discussion. However, these need to be slotted into your schedule and may not be at a time that you need it or is convenient for you.
Online training is alternatively available on demand. You can go back and review when you want and can learn at a time and a pace that is good for you. Sometimes online training does not give you the outlet to ask questions, particularly if you’re needing to query your understanding.
What Else Should You Consider When Choosing Your Project Management Training?
Other aspects you’ll need to consider are:
- Do you need to track progress (particularly if this is for one of your team or for a group)?
- Who will be the trainer? Will you know before the training begins?
- After training, will you be able to get started right away?
- How will you keep the learning alive and recall what you need, when you need it?
What’s Next to Choose Your Perfect Project Management Training?
As you can see, there are a number of different considerations. You need to survey the market to find the options that are suitable for your needs.
In fact, as I was designing the retail project management online course, it was my goal to blend the best of both. Bringing together the relationship building from classroom learning with the convenience of online learning.
If you’d like assistance weighing up the options, please reach out and ask for help and I’d be happy to advise you on the opportunities in front of you. Just fill out the form at the bottom of this page.
About the Author
Oliver Banks is an expert retail project and programme manager. Whilst he has trained in PMBOK, PRINCE2 and Lean Six Sigma, Oliver is passionate about being a real practitioner and delivering retail change projects and achieving great results. He loves helping and supporting others to also reach their goals.
