Top project management certifications

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A Project Management certified professional may not seem essential to an organization’s core structure, but their involvement makes a significant difference many folds.

In today’s world, technology and businesses have gone through an amalgamation that has led to many organizations in desperate need of certified project managers. These individuals are qualified to handle the requirements of ongoing projects; whether they are related to software development or physical boundaries.

The nature of the certification, in turn, determines how the skills of a certified IT Project Manager can be applied and benefited from.

Some of the top Project Management Certifications Online are highlighted below. Please keep in mind that we encourage you to carry out your own research to weigh out the pros and cons of these certifications based on your job profile.

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Research indicates that employers will need to fill nearly 2.2 million new project-oriented roles each year through 2027. This means skilled project managers are in high demand.

The Project Management Professional (PMP) is the world’s leading project management certification. Now including predictive, agile and hybrid approaches.

PMP certification is accredited by PMI and is considered one of the most prestigious project management certifications and desired by many employers seeking highly skilled management professionals. This credential demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of project management, including time, budget and scope, as well as strategic planning, risk management, and communication.

CIO magazine ranked the PMP as the top project management certification in North America because it demonstrates you have the specific skills employers seek, dedication to excellence and the capacity to perform at the highest levels.

Image: credly.com

The median salary for project professionals in North America is 25% higher than those without it.

PMP Eligibility

Provider Project Management Institute (PMI)
Pre-Requisites (Option 1) ·       A four-year degree

·       36 months leading projects

·       35 hours of project management education/training or CAPM® Certification

Pre-Requisites (Option 2) ·       A high school diploma or an associate degree (or global equivalent)

·       60 months leading projects

·       35 hours of project management education/training or CAPM® Certification

Cost $405 – $555
Average Salary $110,000 PA

Project+

CompTIA Project+ is ideal for project managers who need to manage smaller, less complex projects as part of their job role but still have foundational project management skills. Project+ is more versatile than other certifications because it covers essential project management concepts beyond the scope of just one methodology or framework.

This certification focusses on developing skills in communication and business in order to drive and complete projects in a timely manner, within the constraints, and with confidence.

Project+ is open to IT and non-IT professionals, as it is designed for anyone wanting to add project management experience. Project Managers with at least a year of small- to mid-sized project management experience in a leadership role are a good fit to sit for this exam.

Image: comptia.org

It is safe to say that the Project+ certification is scaled within the same league as that of Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). The only difference is that CompTIA Co. is targeting a specific mindset of the IT business industry.

PROJECT+ Eligibility

Provider CompTIA
Pre-Requisites ·       No formal education mandated
Cost $338
Average Salary $85,000 PA

Certified Associate in Project Management

As per PMI, through 2020, 1.57 million new jobs will be created each year and qualified practitioners are in demand.

Like Project Management Professional (PMP), the CAPM certification is administered and backed by the Project Management Institute (PMI). The CAPM certification is preferred as an entry-level option for project managers and the first step for professionals looking to receive their PMP. It accredits that the professionals have the fundamental skills and knowledge of an effective project manager.

The CAPM is a basic level certification that is lined up with plenty of learning and growth opportunities for beginners. Since this is an entry-level certification, it does not have a lot of prerequisites.

Image: credly.com

CAPM Eligibility

Provider Project Management Institute (PMI)
Pre-Requisites (Option 1) ·       Secondary degree (high school diploma, associate degree or the global equivalent)

·       23 hours of project management education completed by the time you sit for the exam

Cost $225 – $300
Average Salary $101,103 PA

Certified Scrum Master

The CSM is offered by Scrum Alliance and is suitable for project managers looking to lead teams that utilize Scrum, an agile framework for completing complex projects. CSM is an entry-level certification that demonstrates a working knowledge of Scrum principles and methods.

Scrum Master certification is the most requested agile certification in the world and the CSM is the most popular of them all.

Most of the Scrum related certifications are associated with Scrum Alliance, a globally recognized institute that was initially founded to promote an Agile mindset in the software industry. They are a non-profit organization who have been volunteering mostly in the IT industry for several years now. The CSM also works as a jump-off/ tipping point for basic level Scrum Practitioners who wish to advance to the next level.

Image: sprintzeal.com

As of the most recent statistics, there are over 450,000 Certified Scrum Masters around the world. Most of these individuals started on Agile Project Management Certifications back in 2,000.

CSM Eligibility

Provider Scrum Alliance
Pre-Requisites (Option 1) ·       2 days of Formal training (16 hours of SEUs)
Cost $1000-$1400
Average Salary $85,000 PA

PRINCE2 Practitioner

The PRINCE2 project management certification scheme has two main levels, Foundation and Practitioner.

PRINCE2 Practitioner certification is for anyone who is managing projects as part of their role. This could be as part of a formal project management function or a role in which project management is an inherent part of day-to-day work.

The purpose of the Practitioner certification is to confirm whether you have sufficient understanding of how to apply and tailor the method in a range of different project environments and scenarios.

Image: testpreptraining.com

You can take PRINCE2 training courses via one of AXELOS’ Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs) or self-study for all the certification levels.

PRINCE 2 Eligibility

Provider AXELOS Ltd
Pre-Requisites (Option 1) ·       Pass the Foundation examination before taking any Practitioner examination

·       No formal education mandated

Cost $90,000
Average Salary $85,000 PA

Conclusion

Project managers can keep their PM skills and job prospects sharp with certifications to boost their expertise. Project managers that combine certification with a specialized project management experience may have even more opportunities. Whether you simply want to gain more control of your projects or are looking for a career change into Software-based project management, there are any number of certifications that can help you meet your goals.

You need to choose the right certification that not only helps you in your current job role, but also speed tracks your career ahead.

ABOUT TECHCANVASS

Techcanvass is an IT certifications training Organization. It is a PMI Authorized Training Provider (ATP) and IIBA Endorsed Education Provider (EEP).

Founded in 2011, we have been providing upskilling and career building training programs for professionals. We enable professionals get into Project Management domain as well as get certified as CAPM and PMP certifications.

In addition to these, we offer BFSI and other domain training modules for learning fundamentals of Banking, Insurance, Trade Finance, US healthcare and many other similar domains.

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