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In closing we will discover the enefits of successfully passing the PMP exam for both the employee and the company. Last year in September 201 2, I started studying for the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam along with some of my counterparts from partnering companies as well as co-workers at my current place of employment, AT&T. Initially, I was turned down and met with opposition from my boss and senior management.
The company felt as though this was an educational advancement that I should be solely responsible for and should have had to take on my own time Members of senior management at my company also felt I should pay for he exam out of my own pocket. After having several conversations with my boss and the chain of command management it was determined that the company would allot a specific amount of studying time and monetary amount towards employee educational advancement.
This was outside of the company sponsored management blocks and online trainings. Once this new process was approved by human resources (HR) and senior management it was then rolled out to myself and other employees. The first step being finding a program that was accredited by the Project Management Body of Knowledge otherwise known as PMBOK. The next step after that, was enrolling in my local Project Management Institute (PMI) chapter.
Once these two (2) steps were completed l, along with other co- workers that were interested in taking the Project Management Professional examination would need to determine which course times would be best according to their work, life balance schedules. This is important because the company recently instituted new initiatives surrounding work, life balance. This was done to make for a better work place for employees when trying to take advantage of this new initiative.
This proved it can be beneficial to both the company and employees. The company then sought out employees that currently held their Project Management Professional certification because they could utilize them to teach a company sponsored program. This was beneficial to help offset any additional classes that we may have to take or cost that we might incur when trying to acquire the Project Management Professional certification. After getting started with the project management certification program took the following steps. Reach out to existing certified project management professionals within the company * Enroll in the next available project management company sponsored courses * Acquire all aterials necessary for the project management courses * Completing the exam which lead to a promotion, increased marketability and company recognition I reached out to Philip Ferrer whose currently one of the companies certified project management professionals that was hosting a new project management class.
His class accounted for 35 professional development units (PDUs) which are course hours that are needed to be able to apply and sit for the project management examination. This was according to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK) standards. I then enrolled in Philip’s class. After enrolling in the class, the company had to urchase the materials that were needed. These materials consisted of the Rita Mulchay RMC project management exam prep book along with the kit.
Rita’s examination prep materials are widely known in the project management industry as the leading project management resource. Her materials are recognized by the project management body of knowledge. Once in class we were tasked with various arrays of assignments. They ranged from mathematical equations, statistical analysis and situational scenarios. The class consisted of 6 months of intense project management training that included knowledge based xams after every module to gauge learning levels. The course was completed satisfactory.
I then earned my 35 PDU’s that were required. At that time I was prepared to apply for the project management examination with the project management institute. The actual project management exam consisted of 200 questions over a four hour time period with at least 70% or better in the five knowledge based process groups which consist of: 1. Initiating 2. Planning 3. Executing 4. Monitoring and Controlling 5. Closing After getting AT;T to pay for the project management course, the aterials and the PMI examination.
I took the exam and passed which lead to a promotion at my company and increased marketability and special recognition. As a result I was able to help my counterparts and co-workers obtain compensation for the project management course, and materials for the examination. We also were allotted time off so that we would not have to take sick days, vacation days, and personal time off. In conclusion, after persuading my company to fund and give allotted time to take the PMP exam the company benefited by having more certified project managers at skilled positions.