Expert Project Management is a learnable skill,
There is a really disturbing trend going on right now. Far too many consultants and professional education providers are fake.
They may mean well, they may have the best intentions, but they have never practiced what they preach. Instead, they offer guidance based on ‘industry best practices’ or teach boring academic material in order to bestow a ‘certification’ after you are able to pass a paper exam.
When has high scores on an exam EVER indicated the attainment of a skill? Not in my lifetime.
Side Note: I have multiple degrees, and I’ve scored well on hundreds of tests, so I am very familiar with the difference between generally applicable academic knowledge and the development of a skillset through practice.
Here is another fun fact. I have taken several classes under the Project Management Professional curriculum. They were PAINFUL. These were 8hr/day, multi-day, instructor led sessions, from which I got little to no actionable value. The “instructors” had never managed a development program in their life. But I did get a certification upon completion, so…
On the flip side, I have had the unique privilege to experience what AMAZING executive education can be. The training and development programs within Apple are built to the same ridiculous standards of an Apple product. Professional education should be filled with key insights, ah-ha moments, and universal principles which anyone can implement in their daily work.
This is how I have structured the Principles of Expert Program Management. There are no tests. There is no certification. But there is real, actionable, VALUE that you and your team can use immediately.