

Is a PMP valued in IT? - motivi

I see many people getting a PMP, is there market demand for it? Do startups look for PMP candidates? Do big companies hire PMPs? I have heard that a PMP in IT does not do as much a PMP in contruction. What do you think?
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temporary
PMP only works if you're building a "Building". It was made for PM's who were
engineers that made structures like dams and roads. The tools supporting this
like MS Project work great in that role but are terrible for tracking software
projects.

The Project Management Institute created a path for IS PM's as a response to
the market where 90% or more IS/IT project failed and management in large
companies were screaming for some kind of control to the "out of control
costs".

If you work in the corporate world It can work to advantage to become
certified. That is only if you're interested in management. Just remember that
you need 4yrs of PM experience with a bachelors or 10yrs without just to take
the test. [http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/Obtaining-
Credent...](http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/Obtaining-
Credential.aspx)

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KB
I've found that most IT managers consistently push certifications such as PMP
and lead employees toward the path of management, because that is the same
choice they made for themselves in the past.

I actually started working on a Masters in Program Management with a goal of
also becoming a PMP to compliment the degree. After 7 courses (about half way
through), I came to the realization that this path was leading me right into
IT management... Something I quickly realized I wanted no part of.

I then shortly after jumped from IT to Software Engineering at my company and
have become much more satisfied with my work responsibilities. Not to mention
the ability to follow a technical career path, which doesn't exist in IT at my
company. To date this has been the best decision I've made when it comes to my
career. For me... technical is the way to go.

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nanijoe
I actually have a PMP cert, but concluded a long time ago that I would rather
watch grass grow, than do the work of a PMP. Note that there is a difference
between managing projects and working as a PMP.

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motivi
What is that difference? In IT, I'd imagine that no person in his right mind
would choose to implement s/w dev in the method defined in the PMP. There is
scrum, agile, rup and dozens more processes.

I guess, does a PMP say that you have managed s/w projects and you know the
process. In the same way that a graduate in IT can prove that he has studied
the field.

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run4yourlives
It depends on who you're asking. Big corps and upper management love PMP's
because it's like having an MBA to them, somehow, they can't imagine that
anyone else could do the job.

If you as programmers, PMP's are useless and a clear signal to avoid the
company at all costs.

If you ask me, as someone who's been to a few courses, the PMP cert isn't
ideal for IT. It lags behind in more up to date PM methods, and focuses too
much on process and not enough on results.

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mattculbreth
I had some back luck hiring a couple PMPs when I ran a consulting division.
They're very much old-school in their methods. Big Gantt charts, PERT,
waterfall, etc. Didn't match at all with my move towards a more agile approach
and we had conflicts.

The best way I found to manage bigger projects was to get technical PMs who
still coded, and break down the management into a few sub-teams, each of which
could still work in an agile fashion.

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sbraford
If you're a startup founder -- RUN, don't walk, from PMPs or any other type of
overly-complex project management process.

As a small team of 2-5, if you can't figure out how to ship code on your own,
you're already in deep, deep trouble.

Maybe when your team is 10-20 strong, bring in the project management gurus.

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epi0Bauqu
What is a PMP?

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mdolon
After reading the other responses I'd have to say it's Pretty Much Pointless.

