Project management qualification

Forums › Off topic › Project management qualification - which one to take?

heavenlywild

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#320378 7-Aug-2025 09:08

As per the title. I am keen to get qualified in this space. I have led projects but would like a formal qualification to go with it.

I know there is PMP, Prince2, PIM etc. Which one would you recommend and why? And do you have a recommended provider?

wasabi2k

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#3400575 7-Aug-2025 09:58

Depending what industry you're planning on working in (I'm assuming IT) - a certificate is usually a hygeine factor, second to experience.

When I am hiring/recruiting, I would look at:

Experience - have you been a PM or coordinator before? What projects have you worked on, what was your role etc.
Manner and Team fit - how do you present yourself, can you have a conversation, can you present professionally tec.
Qualifications

So I'd treat the qualifications as an opportunity to learn that you can then build on through experience (potentially as a coordinator/junior PM start).

WIth regards to a qualification - Prince 2 is pretty common in NZ, has a foundational qualification and provides some useful tools in the toolbox focused on governance and control. PMP from my knowledge if aimed at people with more experience doing project management and from memory had a CPD requirement.

If you're aiming to work in IT I'd suggest you want some level of Agile Delivery knowledge experience - be it scrum master, SAFe or similar.

Depending on your experience, employment etc - I would say get the basics with a Prince 2 Foundation, build some agile experience/learning (terms, ceremonies, user stories, epics, features, burn rates, backlogs, velocity etc.) then build out your practical experience supporting projects.

Once you've got experience under your belt you can see which direction/certification suits your direction and interest.

Edit: Just reread your post - I'm not a fan of sit down courses with a trainer. Much prefer self study + exam - but up to you.

Edit 2: I see you've "led projects" - does that mean a 4 week project with a team of 1, or a multi year, multi million dollar implementation project - and what do you want to be leading?

gregmcc

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#3400593 7-Aug-2025 10:56

I've done the Prince2 course, foundation and practioner, it was all about how to pass the exam, not really much on actual project management, I am in the progress of doing the Open Polytech Project management course which is quite good as it gives a healthy dose on how to actually manage a project and runs you through several examples.

my advice is do the Open Poly Tech course, it gives you some NZQA credits and standards. It's not grounded in a particular type of project management but gives you a very solid background if you want to go in to a particular style of project management such as Prince2 or agile or whatever.

wasabi2k

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#3400622 7-Aug-2025 12:21

Also be clear on what you're after - better employment prospects or learning.

For someone hiring - experienced PM > someone with industry cert > someone with NZQA PM > someone with nothing.

For learning - as noted a lot of cert programs are about passing the exam (and learning on the way) - demonstrating your knowledge.

heavenlywild

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#3400677 7-Aug-2025 12:59

I work in the L&D field, leading the build of learning programmes and implementing digital learning platforms. So we are not talking large construction or IT type projects.

I do have an Agile qualification, and so I am keen to stand out in the crowd and see if it is worthwhile getting a Prince2 qualification, or similar.

I am also keen to learn online and sit exams online as well.

heavenlywild

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#3400678 7-Aug-2025 13:00

If I do go with Prince2, where would you recommend I do this with? Prefer a remote option.

rscole86

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#3400679 7-Aug-2025 13:09

I did Prince2Agile as a week long course, in person, covering foundation and practitioner, like gregmcc I found it focused on passing the exam and not much on actual use. I did pass, so I can't fault them really.

I can't really give a recommendation as I've not had to put my learning into practice yet.

Senecio

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#3400681 7-Aug-2025 13:31

I've completed Prince 2 (foundation and practitioner) and I would advise against it for all but a very small group of specialist project managers. If you're building bridges, skyscrapers or other large infrastructure projects then by all means go down the Prince 2 path. But i think there are better courses available for those of us with more modest needs in project management.

If I had my time again I would have gone down the PMP path but even Polytech as has been mentioned earlier or even looking at some courses available on LinkedIn Learning.

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TwoSeven

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#3400780 7-Aug-2025 17:18

I can only speak for myself, if I were thinking of certifications, do both Prince and PMP. Depending on the environment, choosing for myself, I would look at PMP/PMI first, but would also take a good look at Prince foundation as well.

I think, PMP makes a good execution phase for Prince, they kind of go together.

While I can’t speak for their use outside of IT development, back in the day when I used to wear a ‘methologist’ hat, I found building a good framework usually also helped - so techniques such as CMMI, ISO9001, Scaled Agile, Lean, Kaizen, TQM and Six Sigma, especially when working towards process maturity.

Those are the techniques I keep outlined on my process/kaizen board, along with snippets such as remasc, Cairo, interaction design etc.

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