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Summary:   For project management insiders, the overall discipline is composed of three sub-disciplines called project, program, and portfolio management.  Comparatively, an overwhelming amount of attention is given to project management. It is by far the most popular, as demonstrated by having over 1,000,000+ active PMPs in the world. But as organizations strive to attain additional competitive advantage, program and portfolio management are entering the forefront.

This webinar provides an introduction and comparison of project, program, and portfolio. Using a career ladder, it shows how professionals can build their experience and climb this ladder beyond project management. We will then discuss the challenges and opportunities preparing for these advanced certifications.

Description:   This webinar is designed for advanced project management professionals who are looking to attain skills and certifications beyond project management.  Project management serves as the foundational building block to completing time-sensitive and often important endeavors. But as an organization increases its maturity, as competition heats up, and as our society is becoming ever more integrated and complex due to changes such as digitization, globalization, and regulation, project management itself is no longer sufficient to achieve that sustainable advantage.

In this webinar, we will highlight two advanced project management disciplines: program and portfolio management.  Program management is the management of a collection of highly-related projects. To effectively lead and govern programs, program managers require specialized skills that are beyond project management. Recognizing this important trend, PMI introduced the Program Management Professional (PgMP) certification in 2007. Today, with nearly 3,000 active practitioners, PgMP is viewed as the technical apex of the project management career ladder.  

For those who are more interested on the business side of project management, such as acting as investment managers by helping organizations identify, categorize, prioritize, and select projects and programs, portfolio management is the discipline of choice. Unlike programs, portfolios are a more loose collection of projects and programs.  They generally share some important attributes, such as a collection of endeavors all designed to achieve a strategic objective. Acting as a bridge between strategy and project/program implementation, portfolio management is often seen as the top of the business-side of project management. Strong portfolio leaders often evolve to become senior executives of organizations, including serving as the head of a PMO or becoming the Chief Project Officer. In 2014, PMI introduced the Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) certification and increased the “head room” for the entire project management career ladder.

If you are reading this, chances are, you are looking ahead and deciding what to do.  For experienced project managers already with PMPs, a likely question is what should they pursue next?  This webinar will highlight program and portfolio disciplines, provide insights on the career opportunities and how to best prepare for the certifications, and guide you on your journey.

Why Attend ?  Learn the next steps in the project management career ladder – program and portfolio management. If you already have earned a PMP, which is better for you – program or portfolio management?

Earn PDU: For PMI certification professionals, this webinar earns 1 PDU toward re-certification.

Who Will Benefit ?   All project professionals who have an interest to learn more about the full project management career ladder, especially curious about program and portfolio management and the associated certifications: PgMP and PfMP.

Outcome: 

• Understand the broader world of project management, including program management and portfolio management
• Articulate a project management career ladder that spans from the entry-level to the top-most level of Chief Project Officer, with program and portfolio management as stepping stones toward the apex
• Compare and contrast project, program, and portfolio management
• Describe the requirements for the Program Management Professional (PgMP) and the Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) credentials
• Develop a working plan to attain one or both of these certifications

Meet the Presenters

Recording of a previous webinar on this topic: