GLEN MILLS, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The role of the project manager is evolving into a business leadership position that will enable organizations to build new capabilities, impact the success of an organization, and maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. While the majority of PMs are well-trained on project management methodologies, they often are not given the tools to develop their business acumen. PM College bridges the gap with its new training curriculum, The Business-Driven Project Manager, designed to help PMs develop those critical skills needed to align projects with corporate strategy and goals, to execute with excellence and achieve business results enabling a transformative change in the business.
This innovative new program has been developed with input from real-life business leaders at global Fortune 500 and mid-size organizations. Leaders from more than 10 companies in the education, energy, financial services, insurance, manufacturing, and retail sectors were represented at an inaugural pilot of the program held by PM College last year at Franklin University in Ohio.
According to inaugural course participant and PM College client Cynthia Casebolt, Business Solutions Manager at Grange Insurance, “the PM College business-driven curriculum helps fill the void between project managers and business leaders by aligning the content (techniques, references, best practices) with your organizational structure and personnel to fully realize the benefits of business-driven project leadership.”
PM College’s new four-course, instructor-led curriculum is the first to fully support the expanded role of the project manager with advanced training that focuses on aligning projects with tangible business impact. Organizations can elect to offer any combination of the four courses to fit into its corporate training curriculum, or immerse its project leaders with the full nine days of training where participants will receive a “Business-Driven Project Manager” certificate awarded by PM College.
- Managing Project Outcomes for Business Impact (2 days) – in this flagship course within the business-driven curriculum, participants learn how to position themselves as a strategic business consultant to the organization and define the key steps to get better project clarity and alignment to strategic and organizational goals long-term. The course enlightens participants by showing the connections between their efforts on project initiatives and its impact on generating revenue, improving products and services, and transforming the future viability of their businesses.
- Strategies for Effective Stakeholder Engagement (2 days) – this course provides practical, hands-on recommendations for identifying stakeholders, understanding influences of power and interest, recognizing stakeholder allies, opponents and neutrals, and creating an engagement strategy to build long-lasting relationships. Participants learn to set roles and expectations and come away with a built stakeholder engagement plan for an actual stakeholder.
- Concept to Profit! Managing Project, Program, and Portfolio Investments (3 days) – leaders of projects at every level will learn processes and procedures to effectively identify and quantify, value and appraise, plan, realize, and review the benefits of their important project, program, and portfolio investments. Underpinning these key process steps are seven principles of effective benefits realization including: aligning benefits to strategy, start with the end in mind, utilize successful delivery methods, integrate benefits with performance management, apply effective governance, and develop a value culture. This advanced course focuses on real tools and proven practical concepts that will drive effective decision making and benefit realization success. The test at the end of the course results in accreditation as capable in the foundational concepts of benefits realization.
- Portfolio Planning and Management (2 days) – when used effectively, portfolio management ensures that projects are aligned with corporate priorities and optimizes resource allocation. Participants in this course will develop an understanding of the principles of project portfolio management, the role of a portfolio manager in managing strategy and change, and the necessary steps to establishing and managing a portfolio of initiatives. The linkage between projects, programs, and the portfolio is weaved throughout the course, with an emphasis on the concepts of portfolio governance, resource management, and reporting and control of the projects and programs within the portfolio.
PM College views the role of a project manager as no longer ‘just a project manager,’ but a consultant, a trusted advisor, and a change agent. “The business consultant role constantly reinforces the strategic reasons for the project and identifies the business impact of any changes. As a trusted advisor, the project manager must give advice effectively and honestly, and genuinely build trust with teams and stakeholders, developing more collaborative relationships. And, as a change agent, the project manager must engage leaders to play an active leadership role in the change and help those involved with the project understand the project vision,” noted Deborah Crawford, President of PM College.
For more information on PM College’s New Business-Driven Curriculum and to download our latest white paper, visit http://www.pmcollege.com/content/business-driven-project-manager-training-program.
About PM College®
PM College provides corporate project management training and competency development programs for clients around the world. We partner with our clients to identify organizational learning objectives, deliver relevant training content, and achieve measurable behavior changes that lead to improved performance. Course offerings cover all learning needs — from basic to advanced — including both technical project management skills and business-driven soft skills. PM College’s unparalleled customer service, top-rated instructors, modular course content, and robust learning management system (LMS) make us the provider of choice for many global companies in the finance and insurance, manufacturing, consumer goods, technology services, and government sectors. A division of the project management consultancy PM Solutions, PM College is recognized as a Charter Global Registered Education Provider (REP®) by the Project Management Institute (PMI®). For more information, visit www.pmcollege.com.
“PMI” and “REP” are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
