Your career is your own personal project
It has been said that the personality traits of a good senior project manager are similar to those of an entrepreneur. The characteristics that immediately come to mind include leading people, managing risks, and driving towards a clearly defined goal. Another similarity is a feeling of “I’m on my own”. You might be one of only a few people in your organisation recognised as a project manager and your peer group is spread thin juggling projects.
A corporate PMO can provide a home for project managers. A source of best practice, lessons learned, shared knowledge and experience. Larger clients of ours are encouraged to establish a community of practitioners, enabling likeminded project professionals to come together on a regular basis.This knowledge sharing is invaluable and if supported correctly can be the catalyst for driving towards higher levels of project management maturity.
Most of us are not able to benefit from the corporate community of practitioners support network, so where is your support network?
In an industry where so many project professionals are out in the field on their own, the value and responsibility of a professional association is significant. The APM FIVE Dimensions of Professionalism provide a universal framework for your career development. This provides clear guidance to professionals at every level and I would particularly draw your attention to the new APM Competence Framework. The framework enables you to benchmark your knowledge and experience. Establish your own benchmark and identify targets for personal development.
But how can you tap into knowledge and experience from other practitioners? Again, the APM fills the void for those out on their own. Would you like to read practical guidance on project monitoring and control, establishing a maturity model, sponsoring change, managing risk, and even the mystical art of EVA? There are over 20 guides available at www.apm.org.uk/books, many of which can be downloaded for free by APM members.
Your career is your own personal project. If you do have a corporate PMO then I would recommend establishing a community of practitioners for regular knowledge sharing.
Either way, take a step back and define your career development path for this year. Keep it simple but set clear targets and do make use of the tools the APM has created for you.
Vince Hines is managing director at Wellingtone Project Management, an APM career development partner.
Other blogs in this series:
- Don’t be afraid to move industry. Your skills have universal relevance
- What are you worth?
- Being 'social' is essential to your career success
- Making the jump from project coordinator to project manager
- Is it time to go contracting?
- How good are your project management skills?
Find out more about starting / developing a career in project management
Vince is the Managing Director of Wellingtone PPM; the project management consulting company based in Windsor, Berkshire. We retain a particular focus not just in the UK but Ireland and Spain. Wellingtone is the only organisation that is both a Microsoft Gold Partner with the PPM Specialisation as well as an APM Accredited training provider. Wellingtone is also the exclusive UK partner of the PMO Global Alliance and PMO Value Ring as well as PMOtto; the AI Bot for MS Project Online.
Wellingtone works closely with the APM and sponsors the Annual Salary Survey as well as the PMO of the Year Award. We also run our PMO focused annual conference; FuturePMO. We have developed courses in Legal Project Management and the PMO, both of which have been Accreditred by the APM as part of the APM Professional Courses route.
Our "PPM Intelligence" is also demonstrated by publishing The State of Project Management; the largest piece of annual reseearch of its kind in conjunction with UCL, the APM PMO SIG and the APM Systems Thinking SIG.
Vince is an expert Project Management Consultant, having worked with clients across the UK, US and Europe. He retains a number of professional qualifications including MAPM and has extensive real world experience of developing client project management maturity. As an active member of the APM community Vince is also a judge for the Annual APM Awards.
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Thanks for the comments Chris and Richard. The APM continues to support career development through their Guides and Qualifications. The recent addition of the IC quals study guide can help anyone achieve that first step on the quals ladder, whilst the new Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) Guide is a meaty addition. As one of the APM Awards judges I'd also really encourage peope and organisations to submit an application - you could be selected as a finalists - great career stuff if you do!
Definitely a nice read over here! Career building requires huge level of dedication and implementation and therefore we should be more serious about our career building. With the help of suitable career growing tips we are able to reach our career goals and in this article we can get some suitable instructions regarding career building and developing. So to develop our personal project that is known as career building we need expert tips and professional attitude.
Good post Vince, thank you for sharing.