The question: How do I get a project management
role?
I have been an IT consultant for eight years and I am near the
end of an MCSE (Microsoft certified systems engineer) course . I am
considering doing an ITIL course to get into project management.
What would you advise?
The solution: Get experience of Prince2
methodology
It would be beneficial to highlight any project management
experience in your CV and to incorporate a project summary.
ITIL is an industry-recognised certification for IT
professionals and many organisations see it as an advantage.
However, the Prince2 accreditation is the de facto standard for
project management in the UK. Accreditation is governed by the
passing of two qualifications: foundation and practitioner.
Project management is a complex discipline and it would be wrong
to assume that blind application of Prince2 will result in a
successful project. By the same token, it would be wrong to assume
that every aspect of Prince2 will be applicable to every project.
The positive aspect is that Prince2 can be tailored to the needs of
projects.
It is also worth looking at Six Sigma, a disciplined,
data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects in any
process from manufacturing to transaction and from product to
service. It was developed by Motorola in the 1980s when the company
was looking to eliminate the variations in its business processes
that led to defects.
Training on a Microsoft project is also worthwhile to open
yourself to as many opportunities as possible.
Solution by Nick Dettmar, product director, Computer
People
The panel: Computer People, Hudson, No Limits Coaching, The
Training Camp, Wreay Group
Next move
Need advice on your IT career? E-mail your questions to:
computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk