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An organization might have adequately financed a project. Even, it might have been conceived well and have specialized resources as part of it. The consultants might be highly experienced in the project. Indeed, everything in a project might be gathered rightly. But, if the efforts of all members of the project are not skillfully managed and coordinated, the project might go beyond the planned budget. Even, it can fail to meet the deadline. There are chances that the project will fall short of technical and functional quality. The idea here is that the more complex and larger a project, the more crucial turns out to be the overall management functions of the project.

Importance of PMP Certified Professionals For A Project:

If you own a business and your organization handles a lot of projects, you should understand the importance of hiring PMP certified professionals for managing your project. Of course, the cost to your company will be more when you hire a certified Project Manager. Nevertheless, you should understand why organizations these days are intending to hire certified PMP professionals:

• A person with PMP certification would have gone through extensive training to get through the test conducted for this certification. So, they will have the memory of the key principles of successful Project Management and follow the best practices to ensure project success.
• A Project Manager will have the knowledge to play a key role in different stages of the project right from the planning and initiation stages until the final submission. From the PMP course, they might have learned how to cohesively look at the entire process associated with the project.
• The PMP course would have provided the trainees with a solid foundation and the framework to be implemented in the projects they manage. Indeed, it might not teach the nook and corner of every project. But, the foundation knowledge the course takers gain from the PMP course will be of great help to your organization.
• Many organizations show interest in hiring certified Project Managers because their clients need them to do so. The reason is that the PMI’s Project Management is a de-facto worth when it comes to the practices that will help a project to succeed.
• A PMP certified professional will be well aware of the possible challenges that can come in the way of successful project execution.

For these reasons and also for the extensive skills that Project Managers gain from the PMP course can help your organization grow.

Skills of a Project Manager:

As mentioned earlier, the PMP skills that the course takers gain make these professionals valuable assets for your project. But, what type of skills can a PMP certified professional carry to your project? Let us find out here:

1. Conflict Management:

It is not possible to prevent conflicts in any project. But, a Project Manager should be able to resolve the conflict that can otherwise hinder its progress. A certified Project Manager will have conflict management skills as one of the key skills. 

In general, team members, stakeholders and other people associated with a project often have different interests, personalities, opinions, expertise and working styles. Along with these many differences, conflicts are common to arise. Apart from these, other factors like communication issues, tight deadlines and resource constraints also create conflicts. When there are conflicts, they will prevent teams from working together and in turn, they will be distracted from critical tasks to be completed.

The good thing about PMP textbooks is that they list a wide range of techniques for effectively managing conflicts. When they study for the exam, PMP course takers will have to learn these techniques. Even, they will have to demonstrate a few of them. So, they very well know how to resolve conflicts that might arise at different levels of the project. 

2. Leadership:

One of the crucial Project Manager skills is leadership. In many instances, a Project Manager does not have any authority over the team members. In these instances, the manager will have to take care of team management through leadership. Indeed, it is hard to manage a team via leadership as against authority. Nevertheless, leadership is effective in gaining trust and respect from team members.

A Project Manager should show his/her leadership skills, particularly at the beginning of the project. Only with this skill, they can communicate the vision of the project clearly and concisely to the team members. Only then, all the team members will get on board. Even, with good leadership ability, the Project Manager can keep the team motivated and engaged to work towards the vision by giving their best.

3. Perseverance:

Only when a person has this skill, he can succeed in the PMP Certification. The reason is that it is not easy to crack this test. It needs a lot of preparation and hard work. When you hire a certified PMP professional, it is an indication that he/she has this skill.

With this skill, the Project Manager can bring a never-give-up attitude to the team members. In some instances, the project might look sluggish. Just because it is sluggish now, it does not mean that it will turn out to be a failure. With continuous hard work, it can be brought back to normality. This is what perseverance is all about and with this skill, a Project Manager can get back his/her team on track after a small failure in the project’s progress. 

4. People Management Skill:

A Project Manager will have to handle a lot of people. Yes, not only team members, he/she will have to answer stakeholders, Project Managers of other projects and many other people. 

With the right people management skill, a PMP can earn not only trust but also respect from stakeholders. He/she will have the ability to persuade these people to accept a decision that will bring a positive outcome to the project.

5. Communication Skills:

Needless to say, communication is one of the PMP Skills that can play a crucial role in ensuring the project’s success. Only with the right communication skills, a Project Manager can effectively bridge the gap between the team members and the management. They can communicate the issues faced by the team members with the management to get the required atmosphere for the team members to deliver their duties without any hindrances. In the same way, they can provide the instructions from the management to be passed on to the employees with the right communication skill.

According to PMI research, the probability of people with effective communication skills delivering projects on time is 71%. The study further reiterates that the probability of them delivering a project within the budget is 76%. In Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) guide and the training sessions for the PMP course impart communication skills as an essential Project Management skill.

6. Efficiency to Collaborate:

Effective Project Management is all about collaboration. When a person takes up the Project Manager position, he/she will have to team up with stakeholders for the completion of tasks and to fore-run the project to the finish line. 

Understanding the importance of the ability to collaborate, PMPs motivate course takers to participate in interactive training sessions. The participants get ample opportunities to practice collaborative skills during these training sessions. When imparting collaborating skills to course takers, the training sessions conducted by the Project Management Institute for prospective Project Managers teach the participants how to manage partners, how to collaborate with teams and how to address disputes coming in the way of the project through teamwork.

7. Decision-Making Ability:

One of the key Project Manager skills is the decision-making ability. A Project Manager will have to arrive at different decisions at different stages of the project right from project planning to completion. With decision-making ability, a Project Manager can easily identify key problems and can make the right choice among the available alternatives. A Project Manager besides making decisions will have to take suitable action reflective of the goals of the business. 

8. Problem-Solving Ability:

The PMP certification can play a pivotal role in improving the problem-solving ability of course takers. The trainees get extensive education on solving complex issues that need in-depth knowledge of Project Management tools and techniques. This is why when it comes to managing complex projects, most organizations wish to hire PMP certified professionals. Problem-solving ability is a key skill irrespective of whether a project is a multi-year project, an international project with teams spread across multiple countries or even a multi-million project. 

These complex projects need a more complex cost structure and risk assessment. PMP holders have the tools required for tackling those projects with confidence. This is why top projects always need certified Project Managers.

Conclusion

A Project Manager should be multi-talented with different PMP Skills. In short, irrespective of the nature of your project, a PMP certified Project Manager will have everything required for smoothly taking the project forward. They will give their utmost efficiency to ensure the success of your projects. Let your organization grow in every aspect by succeeding in projects with the help of one or more certified Project Managers in the role.

References

1. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/core-competencies-successful-skill-manager-8426
2. https://projectvanguards.com/project-management-skills-pmp-certification/
3. https://www.excelr.com/blog/project-management/all-skills-required-to-crack-pmp-exam-in-the-first-attempt