I help project professionals get more done with less stress. Having been a project manager for over 20 years, I share tried-and-tested tips that work in the real world, every Tuesday. Join our community of over 15,000 project professionals (and accidental project managers too!).
PMP exam changes (and why this matters even if you aren't a PMP)
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Hello Reader, You might have heard that the PMP exam is changing later this week. And if you've already got your PMP certification or have zero plans to do it, you might wonder why that is news. Honestly, it's not really, because unless you are mid-way through your exam prep this change won't affect you in any day-to-day way. However, it is interesting to see how PMI thinks the work that project managers do is changing. Questions across the PMP certification domains will be split like this from Thursday: People: 33% (was 42%) — not sure I’m in agreement with this, I’d say people were even more important these days Process: 41% (was 50%) — I’m personally happy about this, it represents the fact that we are less wedded to the ‘ideal’ way of doing things and those process questions were tough as they rarely reflected what project managers would actually do at work in my view Business environment: 26% (was a pitiful 8%) — this is the main change. The business environment has SO much more weight in the exam than ever before. More projects are 'complex' than ever before. The International Centre for Complex Project Management says that work can be complex and environments can be complex, and if you read their definitions it could apply to so many projects. Today, I work with more stakeholder groups, in a more dynamic environment, with more inputs, uncertainty, data and moving parts, and I don't even work in a particularly complicated or emerging field. Understanding our business environment is important to make sure we're working with the right people, at the right pace, doing the right things. So business acumen (more on that here) is a crucial skill. And with the APM's Skills Survey concluding that communication and stakeholder engagement are the top two skills for PMs, we have to be able to talk about that business environment and how our projects fit in. Interesting times! Do you think this is an appropriate change for PMI to be making, or should the exam focus more on (easier to test) technical skills? Have a lovely week! Best wishes Elizabeth |
Calling all Rebel Project Managers!
I help project professionals get more done with less stress. Having been a project manager for over 20 years, I share tried-and-tested tips that work in the real world, every Tuesday. Join our community of over 15,000 project professionals (and accidental project managers too!).
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