Certifications for Software Project Manager: Required or Hoax?

There are so many certifications available in the IT Industry. These are mostly related to Software Development, Software Testing, Enterprise Architect, Project Management, Business Analysis, and Service Delivery Management, etc. All the certifying agencies claim that their certificate is more promising and helps to improve accessibility to the Job market. There are so many factors related to the selection of the right certification. It requires a lot of time, money and hard work to get the certification. So it’s very important to invest hard-earned money and precious time in the right certification for optimum benefits. This is a kind of investment we usually make to improve our credibility.

 

Is certification really necessary?

 

This is the first question professionals usually ask. Certification has very little contribution to the actual job scenario and your experience plays a vital role in challenging the environment rather than certification. Job recruiters are mostly from the non-IT background and search profiles from the job portal on predefined criteria. If you have certification then there might be more chances for you to come up on the search results but if you don’t have it then even after experience and knowledge, you have fewer chances to reach on the interview desk. We cannot deny the knowledge gained through certification and its implementation in a real scenario. These certifications add some value to your profile. For example, the Employer knows that if somebody is PMP certified then he/she will demonstrate a level of knowledge and commitment in the project management field. Sometimes certification is contractual and needs legal obligations. Peer pressure is also one of the necessities for an individual to attain certifications.    

 

Some of the factors to choose the right certification

 

• Value in Job Market – One should choose certification which has great value in the job market. For example, PMP, CSM, and PRINCE2 have great value in the IT Job market compared to other Project Management certifications
• Choose the right certification – Choosing the right set of certification also plays an important role. Certification should be relevant to your profile. For example, PMP certification is not relevant for the Enterprise Architect role  
• Credentials of Certifying agency – Certifying agency should have a prestigious name in the industry. It should have some accreditation and should have spent some time in the field. For example, PMI which provides PMP certification is more than 40 years old organization and has a great credential in the industry
• Cost – Cost of the certification is also very important. One should check their pocket before investment
• The proximity of testing center – This is also one of the important factors

 

There are various certifications available in the market for Project Managers. Few important certifications are

 

1. Project Management Professional – PMP certification is one of the prestigious certifications in the field of Project Management. Project Management Institute is the only certifying body of this certificate. As of August 2019, there are 932,720 active PMP certified individuals in 218 countries. Gaining PMP credentials is not easy, you require a lot of dedication and hard work. The Project Management Body of Knowledge has a set of standard terminology and guidelines for project management. Knowledge of PMBOK in the practical scenario is required to pass the PMP exam.  

 

2. PRINCE2 Registered Practitioner - This certification has two-parts: Foundation and Practitioner. PRINCE2 emphasizes dividing projects into manageable and controllable stages. It is adopted in many countries worldwide, including the UK, Western European countries, and Australia. If you are managing a project for the company of these countries, gaining PRINCE2 would be beneficial. AXELOS is the only certifying body.  

 

3. Certified SCRUM Master – CSM is one of the premier certifications in the field of Agile project management. Two days of training is mandatory to gain this certification. In this certification, you will learn the Scrum framework and gain an understanding of team roles, events and artifacts. SCRUM Alliance is the certifying body

 

4. PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner - The PMI-ACP spans many approaches to agile such as Scrum, Kanban, Lean, Extreme programming (XP) and Test-driven development (TDD.) This certification is provided by the prestigious Project Management Institute. If you are already a CSM then you don’t require to do PMI-ACP as it meets the same purpose.

 

5. ITIL Foundation Certification – This is one of the prestigious certifications in IT Service Management. ITIL is an acronym for Information Technology Infrastructure Library, has a set of detailed practices for IT service management that focuses on aligning IT services with the needs of the business. There are five stages in the ITIL V3 Service Lifecycle: Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation, and Continual Service Improvement. AXELOS is the certifying body.  

 

 

I would like to conclude that I am personally in favor of gaining appropriate certifications based on an individual’s area of expertise and interest. However, it is not a golden rule to be followed by everyone. If u have a zeal to grow and move towards the top ranks in your industry, certifications can serve as an elevator.