Check out below some of the main attributes you will develop in a Project Management course
PRINCE2, A Trainers’ Eye View
Obviously, as a PRINCE2 trainer, I say that becoming a certified in project manager is a great way to see your career prospects grow. Below are some of the main attributes you will develop in formal project management training that will allow your skills to shift from basic to brilliant.
Organisation
There is a fallacy out there that people are either naturally organised or not & that it cannot be learnt. Many people even believe that for those who have the magic organisation touch, staying organised is as simple as making a coffee. This is something, which in the classroom is easily disputed as untrue,. Organisational tactics can be learnt from a formal method, developed individually to suit your own personal working style, but they do require hard work, consistency and perseverance. This is where the support of a formal method such as PRINCE2 does assist.
Project managers who do not have organisation skills often either struggle or fail. During the PRINCE2 course you learn how to tailor helpful organisational tools, such as how to delegate, how to assign roles and even how to apply a range of techniques to organise both themselves and others. Moreover, as PRINCE2 is focused on the management of Projects in a Controlled Environment, we do spend time during this course on the development of rigour around the challenging topic of the organisation.
Communication
A project manager is essentially a communicator. They will liaise between their team, their stakeholders, the project board, numerous suppliers, contractor and many more, so will have to relay information in clear and accurate ways. Having the ability to communicate in a manner that meets the audience where they are is crucial. For example, it is useful to understand the need to occasionally adopt a more formal tone in a report for stakeholders than you might use in a document you use to update progress with your team.
Importantly, another aspect of effective communication is to comprehend when not to give someone information. Sensitive information often needs to remain confidential and this means not copying everyone from the CEO to the intern in your email chains. During the PRINCE2 course, communication is viewed as a focal point to what a project manager does and as such, we do discuss this a lot.
Logic
As those who have sat any of the PRINCE2 exams will know logic is a key element of this course. Much of the practitioner exam even encourages you to question the questions; to read the words with care to establish a clear understanding before responding. Logic, of course, can and does also cover the of risk and risk management. Good risk management requires the use of clear methods, linear thinking and data management to draw possible conclusions. Logic does also help with both organisation and communication, as previously discussed and can be a unifier in the development of strong project management skills.
PRINCE2 may not a panacea to fix all the ills that project managers face but it does educate on how to bring rigour and structure where the nature of projects demand it.
*The article above was written by one of our PRINCE2 instructors.
PRINCE2 Training
The best way of being recognised in the Project Management world is to hold a certification, they are a proof that you have the knowledge to conduct projects and the experience required to lead your projects to success. At New Horizons Ireland you can do both PRINCE2 courses recommended for the ones who are starting in this methodology.
PRINCE2 Foundation (from 08/04/2019 to 10/04/2019) it covers the fundamentals, including PRINCE2 principles, processes, themes, techniques and roles for successful project management.
PRINCE2 Practitioner (from 11/04/2019 to 12/04/2019) it is focused on preparing the students to the PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam.
If you aren’t sure which is the most recommended path to your career or your team, you can contact our Business Developer Manager, Amy Byrne - amy.byrne@nhireland.ie - she is ready to give you the best career advice.
All Project Management courses