Good Project Management Training

[dtgreer]

I am a project manager for a software development company and am about to take the PMP Exam. I am curious if anyone could recommond other training that might be useful in my career? For example, I have heard good things about Six Sigma but not sure if that would apply to Software Development.

I am always looking to expand my body of knowledge.


Thanks

 

[johnherman]

Six Sigma or some kind of Quality training could be beneficial. Before 6 Sigma, it was called TQM, Total Quality Management.

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The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was - Steven Wright

 

[jblack34]

I was PMP certified first and then got my Six Sigma certification. The concepts behind Six Sigma are all about coming up with numbers to help in decision making. It could apply to any industry.

You will find a number of articles on Six Sigma here:

http://www.pmconnection.com/modules.php?name=Web_Links&l_op=search&query=sigma

JBlack

http://www.pmconnection.com

 

[dtgreer]

Thank you for the response.

I have done a little research on Six Sigma, but have a question. There seems to be a ton of Six Sigma training programs. What should I look for?

 

[prjman]

You might want to take a look at these Project Management Trainers.

I'm a big fan myself of private corporate training, where the company pays money for a certain trainer to provide the training in-house. I think the environment will be more relaxed, more friendly, and much more productive.

What you are talking about is a certification, which is nice to have on your CV, but it's really debatable of whether or not it will make you a better PM.

http://www.pmhut.com/

- The Project Management Hut

 

[dtgreer]

I was asking for recommendations for a Sigma Six training program?

Or does it even matter?

Is certification in Sigma Six worth it, I know as far as PMP it does.

 

[jblack34]

dtgreer,

As mentioned in my earlier post, I hold both a Six Sigma certification as well as the PMP. To answer your question: "Is certification in Sigma Six worth it?", my answer is: it depends.

It depends on:
1. The organization that you work for (or plan to work for). If they value Six Sigma, then it would be worth it.

2. You. If you prefer to use quantifiable data to assist in making decisions, then it would be of value. You will learn many techniques for acquiring statistics and making decisions from them. If you prefer to manage by "gut feel", and don't ever plan to change, then it may be a waste of time.

Here are a couple of other thoughts, one negative, one positive:

1. Although Six Sigma is still very popular, I have not heard near as much "buzz" about the certifications over the last couple years as there was about four years ago.

2. There are roughly 250,000 other PMP's out there. If you want to seperate yourself on paper, having a Six Sigma certification may help.

Hope this helps!!

JBlack

http://www.pmconnection.com

 

[erikko]

you can try other methods in Project Management such as PMBOK and Prince 2

http://hilogic.net/

http://www.fiscal-wise.com.my/

 

[dtgreer]

Thank you all for the responses.

Are there any recommendations for where to get the Six Sigma Certification from? Ones to avoid?

 

[erikko]

you can try training here:

http://www.6sigma.us/

http://www.expertrating.com/certifications/sixsigma/sixsigma.asp