Afternoon all,
I'm looking at investing in getting a project management qualification so it'll boost my CV for future jobs, however I dont have the faintest idea on what courses are good and recognised and if there are any that I can do without working life experience i.e. textbook/exam based.

I have heard of one called PRINCE2 but know nothing about it. Is this the "gold standard" ?

any suggestions, recommendations or general advice would be highly appreciated

Yes - PRINCE2 is the one to go for. Most PM jobs ask for this these days.

The Foundation course us fairly easy - the Practioner slightly harder but not too bad.

PRINCE2; stand by to be bored to death, process process process.

It depends on the industry Price is very stuffy and very very restrictive and dull alot of current IT projects employ an agile approach this is alot looser without the process and forms of traditional methods and in my experience produces better results. because of this it requires a different skill set worth having a look at the agile aliance web site here

thanks for the replies all... keep them coming. as I said, I know nothing about what courses are available and what employers look for.

the type of jobs I will be applying for is IT project management in healthcare. It will involve managing projects from creating a business case, choosing the software through to implementation and training

[Edited on 30/12/09 by mads]

Agree with other comments, all the PM's I know in the Telecom (Software) sector are either PRINCE2 qualified or nothing!

I did prince2 locally there was about two weeks of pre reading and learning by rote. then a week in a class with a PM from Nokia. After a couple of days we did the foundation then at the end of the week the practitioner. there was a lot of writing (well. more than Id done since school day's) so practise your penmanship!

oh and the company was called "core IS"

[Edited on 30/12/09 by Rek]

if its healthcare then maybe PRINCE is bast as there are regulatory implications. I currently work in the Pharmaceutical sector and some aspecst of the business have to be PRINCE becuse of this but where ever possible we employ an agile approach

I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm, but there is a lot of difference between going on a PM course and being a PM. A PRINCE2 course will teach you about their process and methodology but, as mentioned above, it's not the only one.

Then again, if it's public sector, you may have to have PRINCE2 if you want to even be considered.

Good luck whatever you go with

Simon

Good luck whatever you

For Healthcare (well anything public sector) PRINCE2 is a must.

PRINCE2 was created by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) in the UK for the UK public sector and has been adopted worldwide but mainly in the Commonwealth countries - it not used so widely in the US.

PRINCE2 is less restrictive and formal than other PM methodologies as you only apply the parts you need rather than the full approach.

BTW, I project managed (using PRINCE2) the content management system for production of the PRINCE2 Reference Manuals for OGC so I have first hand experience of how the methodology can be applied.

cheers all. Guess PRINCE2 it is then.

Rek - thanks for a bit more insight into how the course was structured for you.

Humbug - no offence taken. I agree, there is a big difference but having an extra qualification on my CV will help with my application. And tbh, I can probably get a job without it but it'll give me an extra edge over most other candidates who haven't done it (which I know is likely).

If you don't need PRINCE, have a look at the Open University module. It takes about 3 months (or it did when I did it) plus an exam at the end, but it's a good overall grounding in PM. (But not like doing it for real!)

Mads chat to me at the next pub meet .....

I'm PRINCE2 practitioner qualified

Public Sector do push PRINCE 2 and it will open doors for you. What you do when the door is opened is down to experience and your ability to manage complex situations.

After PRINCE 2 you can do MSP (Managing Successful Programmes) which is Programme Management obviously.

I have a number of Programme Managers reporting to me and all there PM's are PRINCE 2. There is a lot of difference in PM ability even though they all have the qualification.

Take it from me the Practictioner cert is not enough.

........Neil