Advanced Project Management/PMP Preparation Class By Jeff Furman In addition to the many technical certifications which are very much in-demand in today's job market, a hot certification many IT Managers and Project Managers are going for today is the PMP, or Project
Management Professional, from PMI (Project Management Institute) the world's leading organization for Project Managers.

NetCom's Comprehensive 5-Day PMP-Prep Class

NetCom offers its students a popular and highly effective 5-Day Advanced Project Management / PMP Prep class, in its Manhattan-based flagship training facility in the Empire State Building. In a fast-paced, fun, and interactive environment, students learn a broad spectrum of current industry best practices and state-of-the-art project management fundamentals, ranging from Earned Value Management (EVM) to Critical Path Analysis of Project Schedule Network Diagrams. These are just some of the many skills emphasized in the class that help contemporary Project Managers make their projects more successful in many ways, including more likely to come in on-time, onbudget,
and with higher quality and reduced risk.

PMP Project Management - Not Just "Soft Skills"

Although Project Management training traditionally was considered soft skills learning, the current version of the PMP Exam (Version 3) covers a fair amount of math and formulas as well as people skills. In these days of outsourcing, offshoring and ever-tighter profit margins, Project Managers are required to know the latest industry-favored methods for cost tracking and forecasting, including the many Cost Variance formulas tested for on the PMP Exam.

NetCom's PMP-Certified instructors lead their students through many practice drills and exercises using these equations, giving our students the hands-on knowledge, experience and confidence they need to pass the exam, as well as to bring these new skills back to their companies.

Geared Toward The Exam, But NOT JUST Toward The Exam

NetCom's students appreciate that instructors of our PMP Prep Class have dual experience both a) as instructors and b) as "real-world" PMPCertified Project Managers. This enables us to gear the courses heavily toward passing the PMP Exam, while also toward the students' true improvement as a PM and business professional.

Our instructors have received many kudos from their students thanking them not only for helping them pass the exam and obtain their PMP certification, but also for improving their practical day-to-day
Project Management skills and truly making them better managers. Course evals and thank-you letters also often credit our instructors for "going the extra mile" in many ways that make the difference and make our students glad they chose NetCom for their PMP training.

Unlike "cram courses," NetCom's PMP Prep course is evenly-structured and comfortably paced, and focused on real-world application and retention of the knowledge. Our students not only do very well on the PMP Exam, but some some of the skills they learn in the class not only help them
in their current jobs, but also lead them to whole new career paths, such as lucrative areas like Risk Analysis and Earned Value Management!

Did You Know The PMI Cert. Comes In More Than 1 "Flavor?"

Many Project Managers are not aware that PMI now offers 3 flavors of the Project Management Certification, including a brand-new credential that just became open to the public: the PgMP (just became available to the public October 1st, 2007).

Below are short descriptions of all 3 Project Management Certifications currently offered by PMI. The descriptions can help you as well as your managers in making the best decision about which track is best for you and your team-members.

1. PMP - Project Management Professional
   PMI's primary and highly-respected Project Manager Certification, considered the world's most-valued cert for PMs. To qualify, managers need to document either:
   
   
   
   1. 4,500 hours of prior management experience (if they hold a Bachelor's Degree), or
      
   2. 7,500 hours of management experience (without the Bachelor's). In addition, they also must have 35 hours of Project Management training (requirement satisfied by NetCom's PMP Prep class).
      
   
   
2. CAPM - Certified Associate In Project Management The CAPM offers a great way to Fast Track your career onto a management path, even if you don't have the above experience needed for the PMP - PMI's CAPM is a certification available for professionals who either:
   
   
   
   1. have worked on projects for 1,500 hours (not necessarily as the PM) or
      
   2. for candidates who have at least 23 hours of Project Management Training. (requirement ALSO satisfied by NetCom's above PMP Prep class).
      
   
   NOTE that the CAPM exam is based on the same PMI Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) as the PMP exam, so NetCom's PMP Prep Class prepares students for both the CAPM and PMP Cert. The main difference is that the CAPM Exam is 25% shorter in duration and questions, with more questions based on the PMBOK and fewer based on managerial scenarios.
   
3. PgMP - Program Management Professional (new, just available Oct. 1st, 2007) In the last year PMI began offering as a Pilot Program (by invitation only!) a more advanced certification, PgMP, for
   Program Managers. This is an ideal credential for leaders who have managed multiple related projects (programs) or who themselves have managed other Project Managers. A good example would be a high-level director who has implemented her organization's PMO (Project Management Office).
   
   Requirements for the PgMP are even more stringent than for the PMP. The exam is tougher, with many "situational" questions testing real Project Management experience in addition to thorough
   questioning on the PMI processes and knowledge areas tested for on the CAPM and PMP exams.
   
   The PgMP also has specific requirements for verifiable experience as a Program Manager. And in addition, the PgMP Cert is unique in requiring its candidates to go through a mandatory Peer Review
   Process (think: 360 Review!) which must be completed by the applicant's a) Peers, b) Subordinates, and c) Managers, all of whose names must be submitted to PMI as part of the application process.
   

Note that as of this writing, there are only 31 Certified PgMPs in the world! So if you obtain this very prestigious new certification, it is highly likely you would be the first not only in your department, but
also in your company! Since a strong component of the PgMP exam is based on the PMBOK
(like the PMP and CAPM exams) NetCom's Advanced Project Management / PMP class will prepare PgMP candidates for much of the core knowledge tested by the PgMP exam (though additional study for the unique Program Manager-specific scenario questions is also recommended by PMI as preparation for the PgMP exam).

Conclusions - Some of the Many Benefits of the PMI Certifications (CAPM, PMP, PgMP)

Marketability & Salary - Nearly everyone in the project management field is aware that the above certifications strongly increase your job marketability. They not only make a difference in landing some jobs, but they literally are pre-reqs even for obtaining the interview in many cases. And the certifications can definitely bring a higher salary once you get the job offer.

Networking Benefits - Graduates of NetCom's PMI class often cite the many networking benefits which the camaraderie in the class opens up for them. And it's often through the class that the students first discover PMI (sponsor of the PMP family of certifications) which offers numerous networking and educational benefits, including, but not limited to:

• Many excellent and active PMI Specific Interest Groups (SIGs) in industry areas, such as Risk Management, Government, Metrics, Women In Management, Information Systems, and more,
  
• Numerous opportunities to attend PMI-sponsored seminars, featuring speakers on leading-edge Project Management and IT-related topics,
  
• Strong local member chapters, for example, the award-winning and flourishing New York City Chapter, which holds several well attended meetings each month in the Microsoft offices at 1290
  Avenue of the Americas (near Rockefeller Center).
  

For more info on PMI and its Manhattan chapter see www.PMI.org and www.PMINYC.org.