Which Project Management Training Should I Invest my time in?

?I often get asked how Impactful Project Management stacks up to the other PM certifications out there. Of course, I’m biased because I designed the course to be the most accessible, easiest to understand, and most practical one out there. That said, The other options are worth considering and there are great providers across Ireland that will help you pass the various exams. Impactful Project Management is a great way to start, or to continue your journey with any of the other certifications, and I would recommend that you think about how they all fit together, whichever option you take. Lynsey Hanratty and I have done some research and tried to pull together an unbiased view of the options, most of which I have either completed or seriously considered myself over the years, and all of which I have discussed at length with many people who have completed them or teach them.

Here are some of the main ones:

1. Project Management Professional (PMP)

The PMP certification is one of the most rigorous certifications in the field of project management. It requires significant prior education and experience, including a four-year degree and 36 months of project leadership, or a Leaving Cert with 60 months of experience. The course is intensive, with a typical study effort of 150-200 hours over 3-6 months. The PMP exam is lengthy, with 180 multiple-choice questions over nearly four hours. The cost of PMP training can range from €1,000 to €2,500 or more. Well worth doing if you want to charge your clients (or your boss) more money for your services, but a huge proportion of the people who start down the PMP route never complete it.

I completed my PMP in 2017 and I found it very useful. It took me about 3 months of study at about 5-10 hours per week plus 2 days of intense exam prep before the exam (I nailed it - you could probably roll back a bit if you are good at exams)

PMP providers in Ireland

https://projectmanagement.ie/ https://www.cmi-ireland.com/ https://www.cmit.ie/ https://www.velopi.com/

Project Management Institute Institute of Project Management Velopi - An Educate 360 Brand

2. PRINCE2 Practitioner

PRINCE2 is a methodology-based certification, requiring prior knowledge and potentially other certifications like PRINCE2 Foundation or PMP. ?It stands for Projects In Controlled Environments – with the emphasis on Controlled. It’s useful as a framework, but many organisations try and implement 100% of the elements that are covered by the framework without seriously considering whether each part is adding value in their environment. The training involves 30-50 hours of in-person study, and the exam consists of 68 multiple-choice questions over two and a half hours. While it is slightly less demanding than PMP, it still requires considerable preparation. The cost ranges from €695 to €1,100, and again, a lot of people start down this route but never complete the exam.

I haven't done PRINCE2 because I don't tend to work in the heavily controlled environments it is designed for, and I find that many of the people who are trained in it are frustrated by the increased level of documentation, governance and unnecessary PMO effort that it creates when implemented in environments which it is not suitable for. PRINCE2 is one of the most often studied courses, but also one of the ones that creates a lot of the bad behaviours I am concerned about because it advocates that the process is used to drive adherence to the plan which in my experience creates disempowered project teams who do a lot of work that is not adding value to the outcomes of the project.

If you are considering PRINCE2 - please make sure that you are working in an environment that it was designed for - where heavy governance, lots of sign-offs and lots of documentation are required for the success of the project.

PRINCE2 Providers in Ireland

https://projectmanagement.ie/ https://www.ipa.ie/ https://www.velopi.com/ https://www.cenitcollege.ie/ https://www.sureskills.com/ https://nexushuman.ie/

PRINCE2.com PRINCE2

3. Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

The Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification focuses on improving efficiency and quality within organizations. It’s about continuous improvement and builds a toolbox of skills and ideas, much like the Impactful Project Management course. To get to Black Belt you have to have a Green Belt certification first and at least three years of full-time professional experience. The study effort can span 3-4 months, and the exam is one of the longest, with 150 questions over four hours. The certification is also the most expensive, with costs ranging from €4,999 to €5,750. Black Belt is a great qualification that I would highly recommend, and has made a large difference to many organisations. Impactful Project Management would be a great first step as the tools and skills you learn will lay the groundwork for the operational improvement projects that Black Belts often undertake.

I have done my white and yellow belts and I co-led a Lean transformation programme when I was Chief Information Officer at Cpl. The tools and approaches are very easy to understand, and can be applied piecemeal, which is a great strength. Lean is about ongoing improvement rather than specific projects, and it can add huge business value. I'd recommend learning about it if you can, even if you don't go all the way to Black Belt.

Black Belt Providers in Ireland

https://www.theleansixsigmacompany.ie/ https://www.professionaldevelopment.ie/ https://leanireland.ie/

https://nexushuman.ie/

Lean Business Ireland

4. SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework)

SAFe certification is designed for scaling Agile practices across large enterprises. While it has no strict educational requirements, prior experience with Agile frameworks is recommended. The course duration is typically 2-3 days, with a moderate exam consisting of 50 multiple-choice questions over 1.5 hours. The cost is between €1,000 and €1,200. SAFe is very often implemented at an enterprise level. There is little value in learning it if the rest of your organisation is not following the methodology. It works great in large scale software development with big teams, but it’s a C-suite decision to move down this path.

I completed my SAFe certification in 2017 and I found it useful for understanding how "Wagile" works at scale. It has some great resources and can work well for large scale software delivery. Making SAFe work does require a huge transformation effort, taking 2-5 years in most cases, and implementing it across a whole organisation. Not for the faint-hearted, but worth considering if you want to manage hundreds of people in an agile way.

SAFe Providers in Ireland

https://www.knowledgehut.com/ https://www.invensislearning.com/ https://nexushuman.ie/

Scaled Agile, Inc.

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5. Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) / Scrumstudy Scrum Master

The ScrumMaster certification is ideal for those focusing on the Scrum framework, a subset of Agile methodologies. While there are no formal educational requirements, a background in business or engineering is helpful. The course lasts 14-16 hours, followed by a short exam of 50 questions over an hour. Training costs range from €1,200 to €1,500. Scrum Masters most often manage small teams of developers in the IT world. It’s a great framework and we cover it on the Impactful Project Management Course. Some people become very dedicated to the scrum framework and argue that things like risk management and project planning are not important in this work. I disagree with that evangelical approach to scrum – for me, it’s an incredibly useful tool, but only one tool in the toolbox.

I completed my Scrumstudy Agile Master (includes Scrum Master) in 2019. It was a valuable exercise for me and my team as we were doing an agile transformation at the time. I liked all the concepts and approaches, and I was already familiar with them. The exam was easy for me as I'd been teaching agile approaches for years by that stage, but a few of my team members found it tricky, and it was hard work to drive the certification to completion - we used KPIs and Bonuses to make sure everyone completed the exam, and it worked well for us in the end.

Scrum Master Providers in Ireland

https://projectmanagement.ie/

https://nexushuman.ie/

https://scrummastercertification.ie/ https://www.professionaldevelopment.ie/

https://www.invensislearning.com/

https://agiletraining.ie/

Scrum.org

6. Impactful Project Management (IPM)

The IPM certification is designed to be the most accessible option. It requires no prior education or training, making it open to anyone interested in learning to be impactful in project management. The course lasts just two days, with no exam required. Instead, participants engage in live activities and discussions, learning practical tips and techniques they can apply immediately. The cost is €1,950 for one person, but most clients buy a course for their whole team of 8-15 people which brings t=down the cost per person significantly. Impactful Project Management is designed for teams and individuals who want to get better at delivering their projects, reduce stress and delight their stakeholders with the amount of value they bring to the business.

IPM is a great way to start your project management certification journey, and all the other options will build on the concepts and approaches you have learned on the course. Or, of course, you can just attend the training and get back to delivering your projects in a much more Impactful way!

Impactful Project Management Providers in Ireland

So far it's just my company and the Irish Management Institute https://www.imi.ie/product/impactful-project-management/

However we are starting to work with organisations like the Executive PA Forum and the various Skillnet Ireland companies to provide industry and role specific training for groups based on their own needs in the project management and leadership space.

Impactful Project Management

Here’s a table comparing all the different PM trainings – I’d love to hear what you think about them and this article.

We've done our best to give an honest appraisal of the options, but if you disagree with anything in this article, please comment and share your thoughts.

If you think we’ve made any mistakes with our research on this article or missed out any of the key options – please let us know!