The Online Project Management Certification Courses are considered one of the valuable courses worldwide and are beneficial for the professional career, but we suggest the certification courses should be completed from the top online platforms like ed2go, Coursera, Udemy, etc.

Before we suggest you the best Project Management Certification Courses, we give you a general overview at a glance:

(01) WHAT IS A PROJECT?

A project is a work effort achieved over a finite period of time (i.e., within a time frame) and aims to create a unique product, service, or result with the help of three key dimensions time, budget and quality. Because a project has a fixed time frame (i.e., it has a start and an end), it is also called a temporary effort or endeavor.

A project consumes resources including human and nonhuman resources (i.e., money, people, equipment).

Generally, a project is multifunctional or cross-organizational in nature. Projects generally produce one or more deliverables and these deliverables can be tangible or intangible.

Main Features of a Project

A project to be considered as a series of activities and tasks that:

● Have a specific goal within a time frame.

● Have defined start and end dates.

● Have funding limits (if applicable).

● Consume both human and nonhuman resources (likes money, people, equipment).

● Are multifunctional (i.e., with several vertical and functional lines) in nature.

(02) WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT (PMT)?

Project management (PMT) is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to manage a project and aims to meet the project requirements. It involves using the appropriate processes and categorized them into five major process groups: initiation, project planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing.  

Project management is not a one-person operational activity; it requires a group of individuals, part-time and/or full-time, committed to the achievement of a specific goal and completion of the project within a time frame.

Objectives of Successful Project Management

A project can be successful if it achieves the following project objectives:

● Within the allocated time period.

● Within the budgeted cost.

● At the proper performance or specification level.

● With the acceptance by the customer/user.

● Without disturbing the main workflow in the organization.

● Without changing the corporate culture.

Why Do We Need Project Management?

■ To determine roles and responsibilities.

■ To identify and establish priorities.

■ To establish realistic deadlines and manage the schedules.

■ To determine and assign accountability and authority.

■ To ensure proper documentation of workflow.

■ To improve efficiencies in resource management.

■ To manage multiple projects more effectively.

■ To reduce rework and redundant work.

■ To capture and share lessons learned.

Project Requirement

Project Management (PMT) Implementation

● Regular Monitoring

● Resource Support

● Critical issues discussed and give a solution

● Meeting with the team on completion of each major milestone

● Track the progress against the plan

● System to add/delete tasks in the PMT

Resources on Project Management

● Money

● Manpower

● Equipment

● Facilities

● Materials

● Information/technology

Basic Factors that Influence Project Management

● Project size and complexity.

● Project length (duration).

● Experience with project management organization and methodologies.

● Philosophy and visibility of upper-level management.

● Project location.

● Available resources.

● The unique aspects of the project (the deliverables, new technologies implemented, project visibility, type of resources to be used, the experience of the project manager, stakeholder needs and expectations, impact of the project on organizational objectives, etc.).

(03) PROJECT STAKEHOLDERS

Project Stakeholders may be an individual or group of an organization directly involved in or in some way affected either positively or negatively as a result of a project. Examples of stakeholders include project manager, project team, sponsor, customer, contractor, Project Expeditor, and business unit.

➢ Project Manager: The individual focuses on a specific project objective and responsible for managing the project. He always monitoring and utilizing resources to best meet project objectives and manages the constraints (like scope, schedule, cost, and quality, etc.) of the individual project as well. 

The main motto of the project manager is fulfilling the project objectives and ensuring customer satisfaction as well.

➢ Customer: The individual or organization who will consume (or use) the product.

➢ Sponsor: The individual or group who creates and approves the project charter and (typically) provide the financial resources for the project

➢ Project Expeditor: The expeditor is a type of staff assistant who has no actual authority for decision making. They actually attempt to communicate information across multiple functional lines.

(04) WHAT IS AN ORGANIZATION?

An organization is groups of people and their associated resources and management personnel who must coordinate their assigned activities in order to meet specific objectives. Organizations are generally formed to achieve a specific goal(s) with the help of proper utilization of resources (i.e., human or nonhuman resources) and span of control.

➢ Project Management Office (PMO)

A Project Management Office (PMO) is a critical organizational unit and is established to centralize and coordinate the management of projects under its domain. In General, a PMO will establish organizational guidelines (include methodologies, best practices, policies, procedures, and templates) for managing projects.

A PMO may also be considered as a “project office” or “program office”.

Functions of PMO

The PMO can support an organization by:

■ Centralizing coordination and communication across multiple projects.

■ Implementing project management policies, procedures, templates, and documenting lessons learned.

■ Prioritization of projects and effective management of critical resources are involved in the project.

■ Centralized project monitoring and integrated performance reporting for all projects.

■ Consolidating project progress and performance reporting for executive management.

■ Conducting training, mentoring, and coaching for project managers.

■ Analyzing on historical database and presenting lessons learned from existing and previous projects.

■ Analyzing overall project risks, opportunities, and the interactions between project

➢ Project Manager

The project manager plays an important role in project management and is responsible for coordinating and integrating activities across multiple functional lines.

Functions of PMO

The integration activities are executed by the project manager include:

■ Integrating the activities essential to develop a project plan.

■ Integrating the activities essential to execute the project plan.

■ Integrating the activities essential to make changes to the plan.

■ Controlling resources to best meet project objectives.

■ Managing the constraints (scope, schedule, cost, and quality) of the individual project.

We’ve discussed some basics of Project Management (PMT), but you have to learn in-depth. Obviously, you should go for any of the premium courses available on the top academic platform suggested below.