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Careers in Project Management

Exciting opportunities within the project management profession

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Excitement Just Ahead!

Welcome to the

Project Management

Career Guide

Have you ever wondered just how a mile-long suspension bridge gets built? Or how a 100-story skyscraper somehow rises magically from the ground? Or how a tiny cell phone can have so many intriguing high-tech features?

Much of the success of these accomplishments is attributed to the practice of project management. Project management is a growing profession that is only going to get bigger in the years ahead. It offers excitement, challenge … and a good income. It’s a field you really should consider. This guide will help you gain an understanding of project management as you begin to consider professional career options and plan for college, business school, or professional training.

It will:

Explain what project management is;
Define the skills, knowledge, experience, education training and certification required to enter the project management profession;
Increase awareness and encourage you to consider project management as a career option;
Provide you, whether you have already selected project management as a career or not, with specific information on the educational background and criteria required to attend college or become a professional project manager;
Identify opportunities available in the project management profession.

The prospect of a ‘career’ my seem a long way off, in reality, however, your reaching a point in your life where the decision you make now will impact your future. So with this in mind, let us introduce you to the project management career guide.

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So What is Project Management?

Provides organizations with the knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to plan and execute projects on time, on scope and on budget.

Project management provides organizations with the knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to plan and execute projects on time, on scope and on budget. Project management is accomplished through the use of processes like initiating, planning, executing, controlling and closing, all of which are critical to managing the project team, the client, and the work that needs to be performed.

The primary objectives of project management are to:

Meet or exceed client expectations;
Produce a high quality product or service;
Complete the project on time and within budget;
Deliver a result that clearly meets the needs of the business;
Enhance organizational communications and teamwork by fostering an environment of cooperation and reduced conflict.

Talk about the similarities between involvement in school projects, such as school plays, sports teams, organizing a prom, publishing a school newspaper, etc., and project management in the business world, i.e., planning, assigning tasks, tracking schedules, working as a team, etc.

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Understanding Project Management

A sports analogy

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Key Project Management Roles

Project Team
Project Team Lead
Functional Project Manager

If you have participated in school sports, you have probably encountered situations and roles similar to those in the example below. Let's assume, for example, that your school has a soccer team, and that the team's upcoming games for the season make up the project.

The players on the soccer team are like the members of a project team within a performing organization: they are responsible for doing the work of the project. The players collectively work towards a common goal of winning games or matches and, eventually, maybe even a championship. The captain serves as a project team lead, helping guide and motivate the other players, and relaying messages from the coach. Each player assumes a unique functional role, with specific assignments to help the team win.

In a sport like soccer, as well as with football, baseball, basketball and hockey, the project team can be quite large and complex. In other sports like skiing, skating, tennis and bowling, the project team may be very small or only include one person.

Regardless of project size and format, however, there are common challenges that players must face when completing the assignments associated with their roles.

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Key Project Management Roles�(continued)

Functional Project Manager
Project Executive
Project Sponsor
Stakeholders

Now let’s consider the head coach. After all, he or she devises the overall strategy and game plan for a particular opponent. The head coach’s functional role parallels that of the functional project manager in the business setting. A functional project manager is responsible for managing the project. In sports, a coach must evaluate the talent and skill level of the players and then adopt a style and employ a system that takes advantage of each player's abilities. This gives the team its best chance of meeting its objective–in short, winning the game.�

The team’s General Manager would be a project executive, the person who exhibits the strong leadership, decision making and communication skills that ensure that the day-to-day and long-term operations of the team go smoothly. In a sense, the team owner is the project sponsor, because he or she provides the financial resources for the team. In a professional sports franchise, these two players, the General Manager and the team owner, are high profile stakeholders. For the team to be successful, both of these stakeholders must not only "buy in" to the project, they must also express their expectations to the players and, when necessary, provide guidance and direction.

Project stakeholders include all individuals and organizations that are affected positively or negatively by project execution and/or project completion. They may also influence the project and its results. A good project manager must identify the stakeholders, understand their requirements and then manage those requirements to ensure a successful project. ��In our sports analogy, stakeholders include everyone interested in the outcome of the soccer game. Stakeholders–or fans–may be a small group consisting of team members and their immediate families and friends, and maybe even fans in the local community, including the school’s alumni and the coaching staff. Similarly, in a small business or an organization with a few volunteers, there may be a limited number of stakeholders.

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Why Consider Project Management as a Career?

Demand for Skilled Project Managers at an All-Time High

Increasingly, organizations base their success on the timely and efficient completion of projects.

“32.6 million employees with project management skills will be needed in 2016.”

-Anderson Economic Group

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What’s in it for You?

Marketability: As a project practitioner, your skills will be in heavy demand.

“95% of executives identified project management as the single most important skill for their current and future success.”

- Economist Intelligence Unit

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As a practitioner you will also:

Earn an excellent salary and benefits;
Be highly skilled at managing projects and producing expected results;
Have the skills and credentials necessary to gain a competitive advantage in job market;
Enjoy unlimited growth potential;
Take advantage of professional development and networking opportunities.

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Earn a good salary!

�

PMI Salary Survey Results*

Median salary for project managers

without PMP certification: $77,497

Median salary for project managers

with PMP certification:

After 1 – 5 years: $74,268

After 5 – 10 years: $102,190

After 10 – 20 years: $102,190

*Data from 2013 PMI Salary Survey

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Explosive Growth in �Project Management Creates Exciting Career Opportunities!

Nowadays, with the explosive growth of project management, you can become a project manager in virtually any field. Although project management is better established in aerospace, defense, information technology and large construction industries, companies and organizations in countless business sectors have begun adopting project management in key areas. As a skilled project management practitioner, you're part of that investment.

Opportunity exists! Project management encompasses a broad range of interesting and rewarding career options from aerospace and defense to the planning and construction of mammoth skyscrapers, bridges and energy plants and systems. On the slide that I’m about to show you, you’ll see some of the most popular career paths where strong and effective project management skills play an absolutely essential role:

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What Can I do?

Aerospace and Defense
Automation Systems
Design, Procurement and Construction
Education and Training
Environmental Management
Financial Services
Healthcare
Information Technology & Telecommunications

“My project management skills helped me to transform one of the most notorious gas guzzlers into a lean, green machine.”

-US-Barry Shriever, Electric Cars, Oxford

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Opportunity Knocks!

More opportunities in project management…

Nonprofit and Nongovernmental Organizations
Manufacturing
New Product Development
Risk Management
Urban Development
Primary and Secondary Education
Government

“I worked in Africa and helped illiterate and uneducated young adults learn a trade in sewing, basic entrepreneurship, and health issues. It is a wonderful feeling to use your profession to help those in need.”

-Tim Mattimoe, Deputy Director

International Relief Organization, Niger

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Team Member
Project Manager I
Project Manager II
Project Manager III
Program Manager
Portfolio Manager