When I’m out in the Tampa Bay area speaking to business leaders and companies, I’m frequently asked about why USF Corporate Training and Professional Education’s project management programs are a worthwhile investment. Everyone should understand the value of having an individual or team with elite project management skills as they drive both productivity and positive financial results.
I learned this firsthand during my corporate career while running a global project management office (PMO) with over 200 project managers throughout the world. That team was great and knew how to capably deliver projects on time and on budget. But I would say the best outcomes occurred within the operations units. Productivity and the speed at which we could innovate, conceive, and complete projects all increased tenfold—and it was because I insisted that my people managers had formal project management training.
Those results proved how significant the impact of quality project management was to the organization. In turn, our teamwork improved, everyone understood how to manage project teams differently from their operations team, and communication across our units were streamlined. Personnel learned the importance of role adherence and how they contributed to the successful delivery of projects and, in turn, how those projects affected operations. Because of their project management training, people were speaking the same strategic language across units and countries. Therefore, it’s obvious that I believe in the value of formal project management training for all managers—especially when coupled with process improvement training, but I’ll break down that discipline in another post.
Here's a quick summary of the three project management programs we offer at USF Corporate Training and Professional Education. Like other USF CTPE programming, our project management programs are designed to meet you or your team at the present skill level. The courses are taught and developed by experienced real-world project managers. As a result, our instructors don’t merely know project management theories but have a true understanding of applying the concepts in the workplace. The courses are taught in English and accessible from anywhere in the world—all that’s necessary is a reliable internet connection.
Designated Project Manager (Project Management for the Non-Project Manager) is a self-paced course for people who are new to the corporate world or new to people or project management. It gives a comprehensive overview of the topic, covering its essential components.
The USF CTPE Project Management Certificate is composed of three courses that can be completed in approximately three months. The courses take place in a live-online format on weekday evenings, and the instructor, Dr. Shane Wentz, is one of our finest examples of a real-world practitioner. He is a project management and process improvement specialist as well as a leadership consultant. Between Dr. Wentz’s expert instruction and trade experience, students are equipped to implement their learning immediately upon returning to the workplace. The certificate’s courses are Foundations of Project Management, Leading Projects Through Execution, and Agile Project Management. I recommend the certificate for anyone currently in a project or people management role or anyone who aspires to be in those roles.
Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam Preparation is a course for experienced project managers wanting to obtain the global gold standard of accreditation in the industry. The PMP exam and certificate is administered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Individuals sitting for the exam must attend a 35-hour prep course (which this program fulfills) and have three – five years of verifiable experience as a project manager, depending on one’s education level.
Invest in your team or yourself by enrolling in one of these three programs and see the difference it makes in delivering a project on time, on budget, while meeting all objectives.
Please see the following links for more information:
- Mark Koulianos, USF Assistant Vice President of University-Community Partnerships