Introduction
While any project management certification is good to have, some are more specialized than others. It pays to know which project manager certification can be applied to your work, and which are tailored to suit specific industries or work environments. A PRINCE2 Agile certification for example, is aimed at those who already have a PRINCE2 certification and what to adapt what they know to suit an Agile environment.
Every certification has a different purpose, different prerequisites, and tests different criteria. So, what you really must ask is: “What project management certification is best for me?”
What is the best project management certification for me?
A project manager certification can be put into one of three categories: beginner certification, intermediate certification and expert certification.
A beginner certification is one that has no prerequisites (i.e. it requires no previous experience or knowledge). If you’re new to project management, or if you don’t have any other accreditation, you’ll want to start here.
An intermediate certification is a bit of a mixed bag. Some are just extensions of beginner certifications, while others are aimed at working professionals with at least a few months of project management experience. For this article, we’ll consider intermediate certifications as those that have some entry requirements but don’t require you to be an expert in project management.
Expert certifications are still rare. There are only a handful, and those that do exist are less of a learning opportunity and more a badge of excellence rewarded to project managers who take a keen interest in project management theory.
Beginner project management certifications
This category includes only those certifications that have no entry requirements and are suitable for new project managers or those who have some prior experience in project management and want to gain their first certification.
APM PFQ
The Association for Project Management offers the excellent Project Fundamentals Qualification . The APM PFQ certification is for newcomers to project management.
Candidates gain the APM PFQ certificate by learning basic project management concepts and terminology which will help you make a positive contribution towards any project.
This certificate is becoming very popular in the UK because it comes from the APM , the Chartered Institute for Project Management.
To gain your APM PFQ certificate, the typical learning path is to take APM PFQ training which takes 2 days, or 25 hours if studying online.
PRINCE2 Foundation
In the UK, a PRINCE2 certification is considered the industry standard in project management. The PRINCE2 Foundation certification tests your knowledge of the PRINCE2 principles, practices, processes, and terminology of the PRINCE2 methodology .
The certification is ideal for anyone who is new to project management making it a popular choice for employers and new project managers alike.
The PRINCE2 Foundation certificate is by far the most common project management certification in the UK.
To gain your PRINCE2 Foundation certificate, the typical learning path is to take PRINCE2 Foundation training which takes 2 days, or 20 hours if studying online.
PRINCE2 Agile Foundation
In the UK, PRINCE2 Agile certifications are becoming increasingly popular as more projects operate within an agile environment.
PRINCE2 Agile Foundation certification is like PRINCE2 Foundation, except that it is aimed at people working in agile environments. The exam tests you on your knowledge of the core PRINCE2 methodology and agile concepts and terminology.
To gain your PRINCE2 Agile Foundation certification, the typical learning path is PRINCE2 Agile Foundation training which takes 2 days, or 12 hours if studying online.
AgilePM Foundation
Another UK certification which is suitable if you are working primarily in an agile environment is the AgilePM Foundation certification from the Agile Business Consortium. This is the most popular agile project management certification in the world, not just in the UK.
AgilePM is based upon DSDM, one of the first agile methodologies, and for this certification you are assessed on your knowledge of the underlying agile project framework.
To gain your AgilePM Foundation certification, the typical learning path is AgilePM Foundation training which takes 3 days, or 20 hours if studying online.
PMI CAPM
, the prerequisites for the Practitioner certification have changed. You must now hold one of the following certificates:
- PRINCE2 Foundation or PRINCE2 Practitioner (6 th edition)
PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner
PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner certification requires that you first hold either a PRINCE2 Foundation or PRINCE2 Agile Foundation certificate. It is only suitable if you work in an agile environment and want to apply the PRINCE2 framework. The exam tests you on your ability to apply PRINCE2 appropriately in an agile context.
To gain your PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner certification, the typical learning path is PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner training which takes 2 days, or 21 hours if studying online. Training can also be combined with the PRINCE2 Agile Foundation. In this case, training takes 4 days, or 33 hours if studying online.
AgilePM Practitioner
AgilePM Practitioner certification requires that you hold an AgilePM Foundation certificate. It is suitable if you want to apply the agile project framework on projects. AgilePM Practitioner is a popular choice for project managers working in an agile context.
To gain your AgilePM Practitioner certification, the typical learning path is AgilePM Practitioner training which takes 1 day, or 15 hours if studying online. Training can also be combined with the AgilePM Foundation in which case, it takes 4 days, or 35 hours if studying online. Request a quote
CompTIA Project+
CompTIA offers some of the leading IT qualifications in the world. CompTIA Project+ ®[email protected] focuses on managing smaller, less complex projects within the IT industry. This certification tests student’s knowledge of the specific industry tools used for documentation and requirements analysis.
This certification has no prerequisites, but without the recommended 135 hours of IT project development experience, you might find yourself a bit lost. +44 (0)207 148 5985
PMI PMPCourses
PMI’s PROJECT MANAGEMENTProject Management ProfessionalPRINCE2 (PMP)®®Foundation certification is the most challenging one on this list. To be eligible for this certification you must have 3 years of project management experience and a 4-year college/university degree. Without a degree you require 5 years of project management experience. In both cases you also need at least 35 hours of project management education completed before the exam.Learn the fundamentals of the PRINCE2 method.
The PMI PMPPractitioner ®Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option. exam covers every aspect of project management from your ability to plan projects to monitoring and controlling project tasks.Association for Project Management (APM)
Maintaining your PMI PMPProject Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ) ®Start your APM project management career. qualification requires you continuously accumulate Professional Development Units (PDUs), which are one-hour blocks of time that you spend learning, teaching others, or volunteering.Project Management Qualification (PMQ)
If you want to gain your PMP certificate, a typical learning path is to take Advance your APM project management expertise.PMP trainingProject Risk Single Certificate Level 1 which takes 35 hours of online study.Enhance your project risk management skills.
Expert project management certificationsLearn the fundamentals of Better Business cases.
There aren’t a lot of certifications more difficult than those already mentioned. If you want to work as a project manager or are already employed in a project manager, an intermediate certificate will be all you’ll ever need.Practitioner
The following certification tests your in-depth knowledge of project management but is really only valuable if you are already an expert with many years’ experience.Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.
APM ChPPP3O
The APM’s own Project Management Chartered Standard (ChPP) examination similarly takes place over 3 days. In the first 2 days you’ll be given coaching by a ChPP professional and get your paperwork in order. On the final day, interviewed a board and will have to provide comprehensive documentation of your work over the past several years.®
The board will be looking to see that you’ve not only encountered several setbacks in your project management career, but that you’ve also overcome these challenges with a little ingenuity and out-the-box thinking.Foundation
This list of the top project management certifications is by no means complete. There are other project management accreditations out there, these just happen to be the most widely recognized certifications in the UK and EU.Practitioner
No matter how much experience you have, or what you’re looking for a project management certification, there’s likely a certificate out there.Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.
If you you’d like to gain any of the certifications listed in this article, why not look at some of the Workshops project management certification coursesIntroduction to Project Management offered by Knowledge Train.1-day workshop to learn the basics of project management.