What are the steps to building a project management career?

To build a project management career, you must assess your strengths and interests, gain relevant skills and experience, and earn some credentials and recognition demonstrating your skills and knowledge. Pursuing certifications or accreditations that are relevant and respected in your industry or niche, such as the Project Management Professional (PMP) or the Certified Scrum Master (CSM), can help you stand out from the competition. Also, I'd like to ask for feedback and improvement on your performance and progress, which is essential to keep growing in your career. You should always be open to learning from your successes and failures and applying the feedback you receive from your stakeholders, team members, and managers. ??????

Firstly, building a career in project management is more of a growth in individual perspective and developing yourself in that manner. Project Managers are servant leaders. Thus the individualistic mindset needs to be changed towards a more people-centric approach. Secondly, project managers are involved in planning, scheduling, budgeting, and assessing risks, and frankly, this is a continuous learning throughout your career. Maybe the basics and frameworks of project management can be taught, but it's a continuous learning process through out your career as a project manager. So, never stop yourself from learning and keep yourself updating with the industry. That's the core principle to have a successful career in project management.

You should ask yourself whether you like to work in the problem or on the problem. A mistake a lot of people make is to embark on a project management journey while keeping an operations mindset. Even though working on a project is a form of execution in itself, it’s completely different from the daily task someone in customer service, customer delivery or accounting does. Usually when you work on a project, you are coordinating, driving and reporting on the outcome of the work of multiple individuals without necessarily having to be involved in the work itself. Not everyone has the ability to create that distance with what is going on and many can easily jump in to save the day or include new work that was not in the initial scope.

We all possess the soft skills like leadership, communication, adaptability, organization and more. While these skills provide an excellent foundation for managing projects, it's crucial to conduct a gap analysis to identify any shortcomings. Compare your existing skill set to job requirements in your desired field to recognize gaps, particularly in hard skills, certifications, or educational qualifications. Starting in an entry-level role like a Project Coordinator can offer practical experience and mentorship opportunities with seasoned Project Managers. As you gain hands-on experience, it's important to update your skills continuously, either through training or additional certifications, and consider industry-specific specialization.

Project management is a thankless profile that combines multiple facets of managing. To be successful you need to stay thorough on both traits and skills. Skills - Invest in learning the ropes of the trade and the lingo! Certifications will help! Sharpen your arsenal in terms of business vision and strategy Focus on delivering business value over and above delivery Traits - Learn more about people and how to work through dynamics Develop capability to be a contender off all things governance, don't become a delivery guy! Smart conversation and communication skills are super key! Agility and authenticity will be a key differentiator Brand yourself as a go getter and know the ropes of navigation.

Start by treating everything you do in your current organisation or life as a Project. Let’s say there’s going to be an outing in your organisation. Now somebody has to manage it, right ? Be that person! You'll mirror a PM by handling the budget of this outing, ensuring the budget stays on track financially by monitoring overspending or underspending. As part of your role, you will coordinate communication with the team as a whole. You’ll essentially deal with people and that’s what a project manager does. Next step is to complete a relevant certification ( CSM, PSM, APM etc ) and leverage the above experiences in your interview. And you’re good to start a role in the realm of project management.

After you define the market you want to work in, start looking for courses, references and people on LinkedIn who have already followed this path and see what qualifications they have.

Project Management is a mindset that helps reaching your goals - it is an efficient way of handling changes which are more and more part of our lifes. Either you start organizing your tasks first setting a SMART goal, following up on budget and timeline progress - so called on the job training or you jump into PMP or Prince2 certifications learning the theories behind in both of the cases one key for success is the Soft part of Project Management. You cannot reach your goal alone but with your team so spend time on sharpening your soft skills as well: communication, question technics, managing group dynamics, internal motivation, stakeholder management. More you learn about these more and more complex projects you will be able to manage.

It is very useful and necessary to receive training in project management. However, just receiving education and learning a methodology theoretically is not enough. Doing practical work after training will help reinforce the concepts learned. At this point, I recommend that they examine the P3.express minimalist project management system. This system is a system that focuses on the basic concepts of project management, includes practical studies in addition to training and theoretical knowledge, and provides a road map to the project team.

Project management is a dynamic area of knowledge that requires continuous learning to adapt with changing software environments and capabilities, evolving processes and construction/development, procurement strategies and approaches, etc. Thus, education and training are paramount for all levels of Project Management practitioners. There are various online and in-person training platforms across the globe. Most importantly, try to ensure that you learn the full PM knowledge along all the project life cycle stages. Another important aspect is learning from other project managers, mentors, coaches, colleagues. Each will certainly have their own strength points that you can adopt and learn while forming your own strength points.

Another way to acquire experience can be to come up with your own unique project, for example, start a social channel or a blog, time bound it, create milestones, set goals and a vision statement and start working on it. This can be your small project if you are just starting out. Things can be simple we just make it too complex by overthinking. When you can show proof of your work you are in essence building your experience. The challenge is that we forget to document or track enough to even believe that we worked on something. So in case if you cannot find an internship in project management, you can create your own project and show it to the world ?? and hence build your experience ??????♀???

Two ingredients to excelling as a project manager: Experience. Drive. You learn the most by actually doing. And feedback (both good and bad) is a gift. You also need to believe and want the end goal. That drive will help you and your team to be resilient and to innovate when needed.

Além disso, é importante buscar feedback constante sobre o seu desempenho e procurar oportunidades de desenvolvimento contínuo. Isso pode incluir a participa??o em workshops, conferências e cursos de atualiza??o profissional, bem como a busca de certifica??es reconhecidas na área de gerenciamento de projetos, como o PMP (Project Management Professional) oferecido pelo Project Management Institute (PMI). Manter-se atualizado com as tendências e práticas mais recentes no campo do gerenciamento de projetos é essencial para se destacar e progredir em sua carreira.

One way I have found to be helpful in gaining experience that is often overlooked, in my opinion, is Networking. Never underestimate the power of a good coffee chat! Engaging in coffee chats can provide invaluable opportunities to acquaint oneself with novel ideas and stay abreast of the latest trends in project management. Ever felt somewhat disoriented in your professional path or in need of a morale boost? Coffee chats serve as a conduit to connect you with mentors who have traversed similar territory. Their guidance can help chart a course with confidence. When confronted with the complexities of a challenging project, the collaborative efforts of your network often lead to quicker and more effective problem resolution.

What I have experienced and would suggest as well, if you're working in an organization even having a weak matrix for projects, try to engage in project activities along with the operational ones. This will provide you with a vast exposure and understanding with how the projects can be led in your organization's setup. The point is to relate everything with the project management perspective, I would recommend taking online courses available over the internet just to gain initial knowledge to start with, it will definitely help.

Certifications are fundamental nowadays, as they often become a minimum criteria to apply to an opportunity, but understand that certification is just a piece of paper with your name on it, the most important thing is the knowledge behind it.

Some professionally-regarded credentials require you to evidence your experience as well as being able to pass the exam. If you don't have experience in a project environment that lends itself to being able to evidence what you can do, then look for certificates that have no pre-requisites for experience like CAPM?, PRINCE2 or some of the certifications offered by the IPMA organization in your country.

The process of earning a certificate develops a person, improves his/her level, and is enjoyable in many aspects. Of course, exams are stressful, but with good study, this can be overcome and success can be achieved. In my experience, the common pitfall at this point is thinking that once you pass an exam and get a certificate, you're DONE. However, if theoretical knowledge is not used practically, it is not possible to get healthy results in real life after all the intense exam work. Remember that projects take place in the field! Books and other resources can tell us theory and best practices, but you can't be a good project manager without practice, getting your hands dirty, and feeling what's really going on within the project.

Be careful not to fall into the trap of all theory no practice. When selecting a certification, it's more important to determine where you want your career to be. Look at what certifications your target companies are looking for. For example, if you want to work in software project management, most firms will probably be interested in scrum certifications instead of a PMP.

Credentials are good, but on the ground experience and expertise is gold. You should not be under the impression that just credentials can help you advance in the career. Credentials like CAPM and PMP are no doubt highly recognised credentials, but those can help you land a job. Your actual career growth depends on how well you implement learnings from credentials to solve real life problems. Credentials are great way to learn globally accepted and proven methodologies. You must tailor the learnings from credentials and apply them to your ongoing projects.

To excel in project management, embrace effective communication as your lifeline—clearly convey expectations, priorities, and progress. Cultivate strong interpersonal skills to build and motivate your team. Develop resilience to navigate unforeseen challenges. Prioritize time management and organization to keep projects on track. Foster adaptability, as no two projects are the same. Harness technology for efficient tracking and reporting. Lastly, stay curious and open to innovation, as the field evolves. Project management is a dynamic journey; learn, adapt, and grow to lead successful projects and teams.

Seeking constructive feedback from trustworthy individuals will certainly add value to your skill set as it will highlight your areas of improvement early on. You should be open to accept criticism and learn from your successes and failures. Furthermore, you can seek feedback from not only your manager, but also your team members and stakeholders. This would give you different opinions of your areas of improvement and if you find areas that all agree on, then it will be the time to take proactive steps to work on improving this skill and advance your PM career.

Maintain a network with people you admire and the closest friends you will make along the way, this is essential for you to discuss and evolve!

People will provide honest feedback if you give them permission to do so. Nonetheless, remember that any person's individual feedback is limited. They could be wrong. And ultimately, your growth is dependent on how you synthesize feedback and integrate it into your life.

In order to develop your project management career and become a better professional in the field, it is always very important to seek feedback from others, either positive or negative. You can get feedback from colleagues, team members, clients and even from your friends and family. You need to understand your pros and cons and work towards a direction that will improve and enhance all these positive sides that will help you to improve your actions and career and become a better project management professional.

For me, the first step is to understand the nature of projects in the primary niches of your activity. Without a doubt, niches suitable for your primary activities, due to prior knowledge, will allow you to achieve better management by knowing the restriction points to be taken into account. Another point is the much talked about skills. Communication and proactivity are very important in managing large projects due to the need to Plan Slow and Act Fast. Furthermore, managing exceptions and changes, in addition to controlling risks, primarily requires clear communication for negotiation and convincing. Another point. Consolidation comes not only with experience, but proof of skills with serious Certifications as those Offered by PMI.

It is very important to apply the concepts learned during the certification exam journey and thus turn them into permanent knowledge. Without application, this information is always doomed to be forgotten. To be a good project manager, there should be plenty of room for practice in both your business and personal life.

Following a rigid set of steps to build your project management career can limit your potential for growth and exploration. Instead of adhering to a predefined path, consider embracing a flexible and dynamic approach. Seek opportunities that allow you diversify your skill set and gain a deeper understanding of various industries and project types. This leads to a well-rounded and adaptable career trajectory, positioning you to excel in a variety of project management roles and settings.

There is no short cut to get into Project Management career building, without going through the journey of sweats and hard works. The nature of project has become more and more complex these days. And the nature of project management has therefore become more demanding than ever. Many young graduates I had enoucntereed, are found to showcase their years of experience in their CV, attempting to seek higher pay, without realising that they have not even completed a project from the start to finish.