4 Best Project Management Certifications

Acquiring Certifications plays a very important role in your professional life. It not only validates the dedication you put in your job but also provides you with industry recognition, acquiring and enhancing a certain skill set, adding value to your resume, and last and not least to say with higher-paying capabilities.

Many certifications are floating around in the market today. Each one claiming to be of best according to industrial standard. It can be confusing sometimes to select certification which can provide you the value regards to the time and efforts to put into it.

Here are four certifications for you to review and opt for if you are in the project management field.

1.     Certified Scrum Master (CSM):

Scrum is an agile framework that binds team working by establishing a foundation of how they think something works, try it out, reflect on the experience, and make the appropriate adjustments. 

It greatly improves the quality of work, so nowadays 85% of the worlds’ complex IT projects are done using Scrum. Around 70% of professionals reported an improvement in their quality of work-life with Scrum. Source – State of Scrum Report 2017-18.

Certified Scrum Master is the number one choice among Scrum Certifications globally. Certified Scrum Master (CSM) is the entry-level course designed by reputed company Scrum Alliance to provide online training by preparing you for the critical role of Scrum Master in a Scrum team.  

You need to go through CSM training provided by their trainers and will have to take and pass an online exam after the training to get certified. It has a cost and renewal fees attached to it.

So, CSM Certification can be ideal for you, if you wish to start your Agile and Scrum Journey. It can lead you to both rewarding and satisfying in your professional life.

2.     Project Management Professional (PMP):

According to the recent PwC survey, project managers with PMP Certification handle more than three fourth of the high-performing projects. Many corporations are training their employees for PMP certification in recent times. Above all, according to the sources, the average PMP salary ranges between $80,000 – $110,000in the US alone. Sounds good enough?

 So, for those who wish to take the next step in their career, A globally recognized and prestigious professional certified course "Project Management Professional (PMP)" is for them. A US non-profit professional organization Project Management Institute (PMI) offers this course.

The PMP exam tests the applicants on tasks out of five performance standards regards to projects. Percentages assign as a weightage given on each domain.

1.    Initiating (13%)

2.    Planning (24%)

3.    Executing (31%)

4.    Monitoring and controlling (25%)

5.    Closing (7%)

Here you have to spend at least 405 USD to apply for this exam. To retake the exam the fees can be up to 375 USD. If you become a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) which comes with a price tag, you can get a discount on these fees.

Yes, the exam is a little difficult and time-consuming, but hey, all good things have their pros and cons.

3.     Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO):

The Product Owner is a part of a scrum team, who is the sole professional responsible for maintaining the Product Backlog and communicates the customer’s needs to the Development Team who in turn acts as a designer for the customer needs and the ScrumMaster, who acts as a servant leader and is responsible for the proper functioning of the team. 

So, The Product Owner is a Scrum professional whose responsibility is to increase the company’s business and product value from the products that are developed by the Scrum Team. If you want to be one of the candidates dreaming of this post then this certification is for you.

The CSPO certification is provided by Scrum Alliance for those who had little experience working in this framework. However, there are no prerequisites. You will be entitled to have an 8-hour class each consisting of 2 days. 

The cost of the fees ranges from 800 USD to 2000 USD depending on the countries you are applying to. The validity of a CSPO Certification is two years. There will be a renewal fee of 100 USD after every 2 years.

The current market has many job opportunities for the Scrum Product Owner. With an increase in demand, the candidate also gets a higher salary and incentives, and all the benefits given by a reputed company to its employees. 

4.     SAFeAgilist / Scaled Agilist (SA)

Agile framework and has brought a revolutionary change in the way companies operate especially in the IT sector.

SAFe Agile Certification is designed to help software companies produce and deliver high-quality products for the market within a short time, thus leading to an increase in employee engagement. The title Scaled Agilist (SA) is given to a person who has successfully attended and passed the course Leading SAFe. 

The pre-requisite for the LeadingSAFe exam is 5 years of experience in IT projects predominantly in the agile domain. The exam is a tough one but not impossible to crack.

The validity of the Certification is one year. There will be a renewal fee of 250 USD after every year.

Conclusion

In summary, some people might see certifications as expensive, time-consuming, and difficult. But, many hiring experts treat these certifications as an important credential that adds importance to your resume. Further, it helps you build essential skills required to excel in your career. In the end, they are worth the efforts you put in.

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