I’ve been managing projects for the larger part of my career and I’d never had to worry about any Project Management certification – one might say. Why should I get certified and how is obtaining a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification going to help me or my career? Many project managers ask these questions as they struggle to decide whether they should invest the extra time required to earn their PMP.

Can a Non-Certified Project Manager Manage Projects Successfully?

It’s true that one can manage a project to success without learning or adopting acceptable standards in Project Management such as the one recommended by the Project Management Body of Knowledge (introduced by the Project Management Institute, PMI). Project Managers who have managed many projects over the years learn enough from failures and issues encountered on projects that help them better plan and anticipate risks. They apply all basic principles identified in a Project Management discipline without recognizing such standard exists and has been documented by Project Management experts around the world. Yes experienced project managers may not need a certification in project management to help them manage a project to success but they do need some for of recognition. Such recognition can be obtained by having a standard project management body review such project manager experience and profile and by passing a certification exam that confirms the Project Manager understanding of basic project management principles and methodologies.

A Project Manager should not stand alone. Project Managers can now belong to a community of management practitioners in similar industries that share experiences and knowledge in their areas of practice – known as Communities of Practice introduced by PMI and managed by a group of industry experts. Project Managers retain knowledge earned and reinforce experiences learned by sharing them in such communities and by learning from other experts in similar fields.

Should a Project Manager get certified? Yes they should. And they should continue to learn by sharing experiences and networking among project management professionals in their local PMI Chapter (see Project Management Association Thailand Chapter). Get your certification and advance your career by learning from experienced Project Managers in your industry. Start today – it’s never too late!