Plan and manage complex projects using Agile, Scrum, and PMP methodologies while improving communication and leadership skills.
Join our accelerated bootcamp to start your journey towards becoming a successful project manager. Learn the five phases of project management, project management tools, and strategies, as well as gain an understanding of different project methodologies such as Waterfall, Critical Path, and Agile.
Learn the strategies, methods, and terminology commonly used in project management. Develop a practical understanding of the five stages of project management, focusing on the Initiation and Planning phases, and gain insight into the skills and responsibilities of a successful Project Manager.
Learn advanced project management techniques, including execution, monitoring, and closing phases. Learn to manage budgets, resources, and risks. Discover Agile Project Management and popular frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, and XP.
Project management is the complex science of effectively managing the human and logistical elements of design and development projects. Almost every commercial product or consumer outreach project results from dozens or hundreds of individuals working together. Project management is the process by which these disparate elements are organized, overseen, and guided to completion to ensure a project is finished on time and under budget. This is a vital professional skill when many projects involve millions of dollars worth of manpower and resources that must be managed.
Project management skills are taught as a philosophical approach to running and managing complex, intermoving parts of a project. While there is no single approach to project management, there are lessons that can be learned and techniques that can be mastered. In a project management course, you will learn about the different schools of thought that predominate the current discussion of project management. You will be encouraged to find a philosophy that suits your management style.
Project management is often an under-appreciated science. Everyone has “managed” a project at some point in their lives, whether it be planning a birthday party or moving to a new residence. This “informal” project management is primarily concerned with accomplishing the final goal. However, in professional circles, the stakes are much higher, and the room for error is much smaller, so this is where the necessity of formal project management becomes apparent.
Projects are governed by three constraints: time, budget, and scope. Time dictates the scheduling of activities and the deadlines that must be met. The budget details how much money is allocated for the specific project. Scope deals with meeting the agreed-upon specifications in terms of quality and expectation.
Project management is a zero-sum game; if one of the three constraints changes, there must be a net equal change in one or both of the other constraints. For example, if a project is delayed a few days due to inclement weather slowing the process of items being delivered, either the budget must be increased (to account for additional labor completing the work on time), or the scope must be changed (quality or expectation may have to be slightly decreased).
This is the essence of project management: obtaining the tools necessary to maximize project success from day one. A project is systematically broken down into four main stages: project initiation, project planning, project monitoring/execution, and project closing. Each stage is important on its own, and when implemented in sequence, optimizes the probability that the project will stay on track as much as possible.
Learning project management skills involves understanding the major phases of all projects and learning strategies to optimize workflow and efficiency during each phase. Mastering how to navigate these phases will be a vital part of a student's project management education.
In the Initiation phase, the concept of undertaking a project is first explored. Projects are often proposed as solutions to existing or future problems. They are then vetted and chosen based on pre-determined criteria. Those projects that receive the green light are initiated and mapped out through documents such as the project charter and the project scope statement. These documents specify the boundaries and expectations of the entire project at every stage.
The Planning phase is where the project is fully mapped out in extensive detail. Schedules, hierarchical diagrams, resource allocations, resource assignments, and all other tools that aid in determining the overall work to be performed. The Planning phase is largely where the success of the project is determined.
The Monitoring/Execution phase marks the beginning of the actual project. Work begins and it becomes the Project Manager’s job to monitor the work being done and implement changes whenever necessary. Ideally, a Project Manager should not be doing any of the work him/herself, as it is their job to “manage” the project. In reality, this is not always the case, so a strong and accurate tracking system is necessary to allow resources to report their actual progress. From this, the Project Manager can initiate control when needed to ensure the project stays on track. Project management software makes it very easy and convenient to monitor a project and make the necessary control decisions based on raw data, charts, and graphs.
Once the project is completed, the Closing phase begins. In this phase, final reports are prepared, and the project is cataloged for future reference. Loose ends such as final payments and recognition, are given, and the project team officially disbands.
Project management is more than just being organized or a good planner. It is about working with a team to prepare and execute a complex system of steps within a very dynamic world. A flawless project does not exist, so project management is about learning to control what you can and adapt to what you cannot. Project management is more than just managing a project; it is about managing change in an ever-changing world. Talented Project Managers will need to be able to react to changes in their situations regularly, and they will need to learn how to make informed and actionable decisions to keep the project running smoothly.
In addition, Project Managers will need to practice their interpersonal and communication skills to work alongside the human element of a project. It is important to remember that the people working on a project are a vital part of its success, so talented Project Managers will know how to work alongside others and collaborate on the often challenging task of bringing a project to completion.
Unsurprisingly, the primary career in project management is as a Project Manager. These professionals are employed in various industries to oversee and manage complex design and development projects. Given the size and complexity of many of these projects, some managers will work as part of a focused team, while others will oversee the entire project. A few common, specialized project management roles include Product Managers, Software Project Managers, and Construction Project Managers. Since these Project Managers are specialists who are necessary for successfully completing large-scale business projects, they are well compensated for their work. Depending on location and industry, many managers make upwards of $100,000 a year.
Project management skills are also useful for anyone working in a collaborative field and hoping to improve their long-term earning potential. Team leaders are vital parts of creative design projects, video game and web development projects, the entertainment industry, and non-profit and advocacy organizations, among many others. Learning project management skills can enhance your value to your employer or organization and can open the doors for higher paying work and more control over the kinds of work you do.
When thinking about project management training, students will want to consider whether or not they are aiming for professional certification in project management. Many training organizations teach courses that aim to prepare students for the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Professional (PMP ®) certification exam or a similar certification exam. Many employers looking for dedicated Project Managers will explicitly look for students who have passed these exams. These courses aim to provide students with the specific knowledge and resources they will be tested upon in these exams.
The drawback to enrolling in one of these classes is that students will be taught a specific project management philosophy designed to help them pass an exam rather than develop as individual Project Managers. Students interested in enrolling in a project management course should consider how important the certification training is to them and whether or not they want a focused project management education or a more generalist one.
Students interested in learning project management skills can choose from several types of classes. They can enroll in project management bootcamps that teach a wide range of different subjects, narrow courses that emphasize a single element of project management, or certification preparation programs that aim to prepare them for passing a professional accreditation exam.
Noble Desktop offers a Project Management Bootcamp designed to teach students the five stages of project management and instruct them on various ways to approach the challenges of each phase. Students will learn foundational project management concepts, including identifying the strengths and limitations they will need to plan around and managing risk and uncertainty as the project progresses. This course provides students with hands-on, practical experience working with project management logistics. They will learn a diverse range of project management philosophies to help them better understand their own management style. Graduates of this course will receive an industry-recognized certificate of completion, marking them out as trained project managers.
Students looking for more focused training can consider enrolling in Noble’s CAPM Certification Bootcamp or PMP Certification Bootcamp. These courses aim to provide students the in-class experience and training they need to sit for and pass the PMI Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM ®) exam and Project Management Professional (PMP ®) exams, respectively. These classes will teach students the project management skills that PMI is looking to test students on, including resource management, communication management, and procurement management. While more focused than the Project Management Bootcamp, these are ideal courses for students who know the project management certification they aim to receive.
Students looking for an immersive overview of project management skills may consider enrolling in a course like Berkeley Bootcamp’s Technology Project Management Bootcamp. This course, available in-person or online, aims to teach students the specific skills they will need to work on development projects for consumer software and web applications. Students will learn generalized project management skills such as resource planning and the five stages of project management. They will then apply this training to specific concerns related to software and technology development projects. Some of these lessons include learning about the software development life cycle, vendor management, and testing procedures. This is only one of many courses that aim to teach students to apply project management training to specific skills, so students should consider exploring their options.
Students looking for accelerated skills training and who are looking to complete a certification exam may want to consider a course like ONLC’s Project Management Certification Professional Certification Exam Preparation course. In this class, students will receive targeted instruction in the skills they need to pass the PMP ® exam and begin their career in professional project management. Courses like this are ideally suited for students with prior project management experience hoping to become professionally certified as Project Managers.
Students looking to explore options for generalist or certification-based courses can use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool to find and compare in-person and live online project management classes in their area.
When selecting a project management training program, students will want to consider whether or not they would prefer learning in a classroom environment or from their home workspace. In either case, students will receive expert instruction from live instructors who can guide them through the complex field of project management and provide them with personalized assistance and feedback on their work. Each delivery method has advantages and disadvantages, so students should consider their long-term learning goals when picking a class. Students should also be aware that some professional certification exams require students to have completed a fixed amount of time in the classroom (or equivalent work experience) to sit for their certification exam, and many do not count online course attendance towards this total (some won’t count course attendance at all).
Students often remark that they find learning in a classroom to be beneficial since they can work directly with instructors, and the classroom itself is designed to be distraction-free. Students also enjoy working alongside classmates and collaborating with one another, which is a vital skill for Project Managers to learn. The drawback to these classes is that students must commute to a training center, which can add extra stress and cost to the process. Plus, since the commute is necessary, students will only be able to enroll in the classes to which they can commute, which can limit their options.
Students looking to expand their options for training should consider live online instruction. In these classes, students will learn from live instructors in real time over digital applications like Zoom. This means that students can attend classes anywhere in the world (time zones permitting) rather than being restricted to local options. Students will receive the same quality instruction that they would expect from an in-person course without the hassle of a commute. Some students find that they are more easily distracted when learning at home, so they will want to consider that issue. In addition, students learning from home will be responsible for setting up and maintaining their own technology.