Is implementing PMP really a big problem for project managers? Is there a gap between the PMP Contents and implementing its approach in projects? Is the PMP study sufficient for managing projects or does it need anything else?
All these questions revolve around one theme of how to implement a PMP, We will discuss with you in this article in detail the answer to these questions and clarify where the problem began and whether it exists originally or not?
In fact, there is really a big problem about how PMP is actually applied on the ground, so some PMP Certified are still unaware of that.
PMI itself explained at the beginning of PMBOK that PMP content is knowledge content and can not be applied without a methodology! And that there is more than one way to build a methodology to apply the science found in the PMPBOK.
1- The Company shall establish its own methodology that includes all the procedures and policies required by the Company to manage its projects.
2- If the company cannot prepare the methodology because of the lack of qualified personnel to prepare the methodology, in this case the company can use consultants to help them to establish a methodology and training the company cadres.
3- the third way is to use a ready-made methodology such as prince2 and begin to tailor and apply it to the company’s projects “This is the fastest and easiest way.”
If the company decides to build its own methodology, who will be responsible for this task in the company?
- The answer is easy, The Project Management Office (PMO) within the company is responsible for building the PM methodology of all the company’s projects.
- If the PMO personnel are not qualified enough to prepare the required methodology, the company may decide to use consultants to assist the cadres in the PMO to prepare the methodology, in this case the role of consultants is to build the methodology and transfer the experience and knowledge to the cadres of the project management office.
- The final choice is the use of a ready-made methodology such as PRINCE2. In this case, the company trains PMO and project managers on how to use the PRINCE2 methodology. PMO tailors and interprets PRINCE2 on the company environment, culture and nature and transforms them into internal procedures used by project managers to manage their projects with the assistance and support of PMO.
The methodology of Prince2 is one of the best known and most successful project management methodologies Used in Europe and East Asia due to its strong results.
Therefore, PMP is project management knowledge, which needs a methodology commensurate with the conditions of the place and nature and the environment surrounding the projects, so that it can be applied professionally.
But, do you think this is just the only problem with PMP?
In fact, no, the implementation problem of PMP is the problem of the project managers of their real life, but there is another problem with the PMP aspirants and trainers.
This problem is that the PMBOK contents is cognitive approach, not practical, and does not contain any methodology regarding the implementation of this approach. But 90% of the PMP test questions are situational. Therefore, the problem is in the gap between the cognitive or theoretical approach PMBOK content and the PMP test!
PMI make an action to cover this gap by adding a 3 year of experience as an eligibility condition to be able to take the exam. But in my point of view it is not enough, you need to know how to apply the Project Management knowledge in the real world to be able to solve such situational questions and pass PMP exam.
Now from the above, you do not need a methodology to learn how to implement the PMBOK content on your projects only, but to answer the PMP exam questions in the right way! Otherwise, you will need a very big effort to deal with these situational questions and to find a suitable solution for them during the exam.
The same applies to the trainers themselves; if the coach is not an experienced project manager and applies project management knowledge in real projects, they will not be able to bridge the gap between PMP content and practical implementation.
This is the main reason that the number of our PMP Certified in Progress Academy is constantly increasing as we have prepared our PMP Study Coach program based on the integration of the PMBOK cognitive approach with the implementation methodology on the ground and how to implement what is mentioned in the PMBOK. This is the most important reasons that help our trainees to pass the PMP exam with minimum effort.
Here are some examples to illustrate the difference between PMBOK and methodologies.
1- Initiation process: the PMBOK defines and explains the processes that are required to initiate the project, while PRINCE2 explain the steps of initiation at the beginning of the project as well as at the beginning of each phase of the project and the requirements to start these steps easily!
2- Another example to illustrate: Partial Work Authorization System: How did both PMBOK and PRINCE2 handle it?
- PMI defines the Work Authorization System as a method used in conjunction with project management by the project manager and his / her appointees to approve all project work throughout the project and usually in the form of a list of officially approved and well documented procedures. The Work Authorization System procedures describe in detail who can authorize the work to be completed and how to obtain these authorizations. These procedures must be completed before work begins, and whether there are any other preconditions for work at any given level during the project. work authorization systems also sometimes detail the timeline of the project. For instance, the work authorization system might include at which points in time certain portions of the project should be completed, in which order those tasks are to be completed, and by whom.
- On the other hand, PRINCE2 implements and explains this work authorization system in a simple way and explain the relationship between the Controlling Project process and the Manage Project Delivery process and how project control process controls execution and provide the necessary procedures for implementing this.
- As you see from the previous points, PMI defines work authorization system in a theoretical definition that does not have any procedural explanation as to how it is applied and understood in practice.
Let it be in your mind; PRINCE2 is not an alternative to PMP but complementary to it.
PRINCE2 has become the most widely used project management method around the world, making the demand for its certificate holders increasingly global.
Conclusion:
Learning a methodology of implementing the project management science such as PRINCE2 is the main solution to eliminate the problem of PMP implementation as well as to address the gap between the knowledge content of PMBOK and its practical PMP exam, otherwise your knowledge of professional project management will remain superficial, boring and difficult to be implemented.
