If you are in corporate management, you should already know about the importance of project management to create a successful business. Although some may see project managers as akin to glorified office staff, this view is really incorrect. These are the individuals who take the notes, write the documents, and put everything together in a package for presentations. In fact, managers at nearly every level can benefit from studying project management.
Although not everyone will seek project management certification, some basic training will allow management to apply fundamental techniques to their daily organization. This includes time management, flow charting, selecting solutions, and more. Additional training in sophisticated project management software applications, including Microsoft Project, are also frequently included. Still, some operations personnel and leaders may wonder why these skills are so invaluable. They may feel that a project manager is duplicating the tasks of their managers on their teams, for example. But in general their is little overlap between a project manager and other management duties. Senior manager duties tend to be much more broad than that of a project management. It is also generally better to train a single manager in project management skills rather than hire a project manager for these kinds of positions. This is why each manager must have some of the skills needed to drive successful projects on his or her own level.
This is because effective project management will help managers find problem areas and learn where resources are most usefully invested. It provides a series of tools which allows managers to use data, brainstorming, and information provided by subject matter experts in order to determine the root cause of problems. That same information can be used to brain storm solutions, identify the best possible solution, and implement changes. Many managers feel they can produce these kinds of results outside of the structure of project management. Often, even the best managers make the mistake of jumping to conclusions when they address problems outside of a systematic methodology.
In fact, those who have been working in a certain environment the longest are often more prone to such mistakes since they often are stuck in certain unproductive patterns. This can lead to making premature conclusions prior to analyzing the many different solutions often available. A solution is put in place based on this on-the-fly decision, and managers are surprised when the solution does not bring about the desired results. Project management training teaches managers to stand back from a problem. It requires them to rely on data and solicit the opinions and feedback of others. And it will train them in how to document precisely how decision making has come about. Some may find this process a bit tedious, but experience shows that the processes taught in project management courses can save time and expenses when it comes to implementing decisions.
Of course, managers may not need to use every skill or tool that they learn about in a project management training program, but the knowledge will still be useful. Using this information, after training in project management, operations managers and others will be able to more effectively identify problems, implement solutions and their work will likely exceed expectations in the future. If you want a manager who not only meets expectations, but exceed them, project management training can be the solution!