A project is designed in such a way so that it meets a particular goal. It consists of processes, people, and costs that are put into the work. Therefore projects have their own timeframe, budget, plans, deliverables, and tasks. It requires the supervision of an expert that analyses the project in various areas and allocates the respective time frame, budget, plans, and tasks. This expert is no other than a project manager. Thus, project management is the application of different processes and principles to initiate, plan and execute a project to meet the desired goals and objectives. In this way, a project manager forms the backbone of the project. But there comes a situation in which there are multiple projects that have to meet the same set of goals. How can it be handled by a single project manager? Obviously, a single project manager can’t handle all the projects at once. But it can be handled by a Program Manager.
So a program manager is responsible for coordinating multiple related projects that are meant to meet some of the specific strategic goals. They establish rapport, build credibility and maintain communication with the stakeholders at multiple levels. The program managers also define and initiate projects thereby allocating the projects to respective project managers. So that they can manage the cost, performance, and schedule of the projects.
So it is very clear that a program manager requires a level of expertise that will take years of hard work and patience. Only then a professional is capable of moving to such a senior-level position. The project managers then aspire to become program managers after taking relevant years of experience.
One such way of getting all the skill sets for a program manager is to take up project management certification, which will have the same skills like that of the program manager. With the help of the certification, the professional is then able to verify his skill sets in the organization. So the rest of the article mentions some of the best certifications in the field of program management.
- PMP certification by PMI
The Project management professional is offered by PMI(Project management institute)
. so PMI offers various certifications for project management running from beginner to advanced and in a particular niche. So one of the popular certifications of PMI is PMP(Project Management Professional). Apart from project managers, it is also suitable for program managers as well. This certification makes sure that the program manager is aware of his roles and responsibilities. How the work is distributed among resources, scheduling, budgeting, and forecasting are the important aspects that should be learned well. For appearing in the PMP certification program, the candidate should have a four-year degree, 36 months of experience leading projects, and 35 hours of formal project management training. After meeting all of these requirements, the candidate is then eligible to take up the exam of PMP Training in London. There are millions of PMP certification holders worldwide. According to PMI, the PMP professionals have 25% higher salaries as compared to the non-certified ones.
- PgMP certification by PMI
The Program Management Professional is also offered by PMI. It is another credential that validates the candidate’s abilities in program management. The PgMP certification checks for the advanced skills and criteria for the professional. As such, they become future-ready for complex roles. The eligibility criteria for PgMP are a secondary degree, 48 months of project management experience (or PMP certification), and 84 months of program management experience within the last 15 years. Thereafter the candidate can take up the examination and qualify for it.
- MSP foundation by Axelos
The Managing Successful Programs(MSP) is offered by AXELOS, which is considered a best practice programme management framework, that aligns the programs and projects to the organizational strategy. This helps to deliver enterprise agility. It is best suitable for those professionals who want to learn to manage several programmes and projects successfully. The professional thus learn the ways to manage large-scale projects and programmes in challenging environments. The MSP exam consists of 60 multiple choice questions that need to be answered in 60 minutes. The minimum passing score is 60%(i.e 36 out of 60).
- MSP Practitioner by Axelos
The MSP Practitioner certification is the succession of the MSP foundation. Just as PgMP is the advanced level of PMP. It is suitable for those programme and project managers, who want to learn about the applications of MSP frameworks in real-world scenarios. So, it makes them ready to face challenging situations. It makes the professionals deliver organizational value for their employers and enhance their careers. To appear in the MSP practitioner examination, you firstly need to qualify for the MSP’s foundation exam. Only then, you can appear for MSP’s practitioner-level exam. So the MSP Practitioner exam is an open book exam consisting of 70 questions. The time duration is two-and-a-half hours. The minimum passing score is 60%.
Conclusion
Those were the certifications for program management. So if you are a project manager looking to upgrade your career in program management, you must not wait further. Start your journey with the help of skills and knowledge that will make sure that you are intellectual about the work. For that, you can look for online courses by the accredited training providers of these certifications. You can also refer to the resources provided by PMI and AXELOS, for better understanding. So what are you waiting for? Start your career in program management today itself.
