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Who values the PMP?

by Ianbond

Wish me luck
Image by _Pixelmaniac_ via Flickr

Guest post by Ian Bond

I’m confused.  As a job-seeker, I read posted job openings carefully, trying to figure out what they really want.  Repeatedly, I read that Project Managers need x-years of experience, certain technical skills, and a PM track record.

But buried at the bottom is the cryptic “PMP Certified” comment.  Half the time it’s not clear if it’s required or preferred…or if it’s just a cut & paste mistake.  Do they want it, need it, require it, or just fear it?

If they want it, I’ve got a shot.  I’m studying, and used PM skills and strategies right out of the PMBOK.  My results speak for themselves – running projects since the 90s that smoothly took our mid-sized company from Novell to NT to Windows to Active Directory without a hiccup.  So bring it on!

But what if they need it?  What if they’re contracting with a government or some other savvy source who knows the value of a PMP, but doesn’t have any on staff?  That’s a clever way to get top-notch results and pass the costs on to the poor contractor who didn’t see it coming.  If they need a PMP certified IT guy, then I need to let them know I’m working on it.  Is that enough?  Will I ever hear back from them to know for sure?

Then there’s the mixed blessing of a required PMP certification.  There at least I can know where I stand.  At that point, I can try to negotiate, but know that it’s a buttoned up company with high standards and sharp leadership.  Not much chance they’re going to lower their expectations for me.

So who would fear the PMP certification?  My old employer perhaps, who tried setting up a PMO with a strong leader, only to find that executives found her annoying and demanding.  They wanted to keep their 70′s style processes in place, protecting the cash cow and letting every deadline slide to keep the profit numbers high every quarter.  So if it’s fear keeping the PMP out of the meeting room, the company or org is sliding down, getting pummeled by the recession.  Or maybe it’s a government agency that just can’t be bothered with too much discipline.  In any case, it’s a black hole for projects, “doomed” as Dilbert says.

Trouble with the fearful managers, is that you can’t tell until you’re deep into the interviews.  I need a job, I’m good at it,  but there are hundreds of others like me, circling, fighting to get some attention.  Maybe the black hole isn’t so bad, if there’s a paycheck in it…

Meanwhile, I’m keeping on the PMP track.  It’s clearly the future.pmp

{ 32 comments }

A Question of Ethics

by Josh

Official congressional portrait of former cong...
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Craig over at Better Projects posted something interesting. It deals with ethical implications raised by a scenario in which you are a contractor bidding on a government project with ITAR sensitivity. Some of your people are not US persons per the ITAR guidelines. I have some limited experience with this one that I would like to share.

ITAR applies not only to DOD agencies, but all companies and agencies in the United States where the type of work may pose security concerns per the ITAR regulation with the people involved.

In your stated example, I am fairly certain that your company would not be able to bid on the contract period, regardless of the status of Sara and Johnny. This is a foreign company, so pretty much anyone who is not a US Citizen is going to be unable to work on this. Presumably, the rest of your team are also non-US persons, since you are based out of Australia or wherever.

That said, let’s assume you are a US company with the majority of your staff being US-persons and fine to work ITAR projects. I work with a different agency (not the DOD) and we are having to deal with this as well. Sometimes we don’t like or agree with policies, but if we want to play their game, they are the rule makers.

To your specific question, here are my preferred approaches in order of best to worst.

  1. Find other non-ITAR projects for Sara and Johnny, and use other staff for the ITAR project.
  2. See if Sara and Johnny can be utilized in such a way that ITAR-sensitive information can be shielded from them. If this is possible and the controls are demonstrable, the agency’s contracting officer may allow it.
  3. If you have no other prospects for other contracts and Sara and Johnny have no work, declining this contract is only going to hurt the rest of the team too. If this is your only option, the last resort is to enter into contract, get it staffed with people who do not have any ITAR difficulties.  Then, I would keep Johnny and Sara in the loop and let them know I will keep them on staff and paid for as long as I can doing internal work for the company as I go out and try like hell to get another contract they can work on. I would let them know right away how valuable they are to the company and how much I would like to keep them. At the same time, I would immediately offer to give recommendations for any potential employers should they choose to start looking around.

This is a time when your team members need you the most.  The most ethical approach is to do the right thing as well as you can within the constraints and situation at hand.

{ 6 comments }