Project management

The PMP Advantage

Project Management Professional creditial renewal program showing how many units needed to renew.

In 2009 I did something that is largely unheard of for a TV Producer – I became a Project Management Professional (PMP). 

Why? Well, I wanted to invest in my skill set and give myself options as I moved forward in my career. Plus, I like the idea of gaining insights from experts outside of the usual on-the-job training which is how most producers learn.  It meant I had to take a continuing ed course to teach me the systems and jargon used by professional project managers and I had to take an exam that reportedly 40-50% of people taking don’t pass but I did the work and, thankfully, I passed. It helped that I also had a very supportive boss at the time! 

In many industries such as IT, construction, finance, and healthcare, a PMP credential is a mandatory requirement or at least the standard. The qualification is globally recognized, somewhat difficult to obtain, and requires constant upkeep through 3-year renewal cycles of doing 60 hours of additional training. 

PMPs are experienced in leading teams, capable of turning vision into tangible outcomes,  highly educated in managing and developing processes, and are effective at working within various constraints such as limited resources (time, money, people). 

Considering the overlap of that focus with the needs of the media industry, I am surprised that there hasn’t been more of a push for producers or production managers to take this path.  Content creation is one big project and often made up of multiple smaller ones as well. Having a streamlined system that can be standardized between projects, is efficient, and improves communications is essential to the success of any production and could, in my opinion, help the industry in many ways. 

As I am days away from yet again renewing my certificate (see photo) for my fourth (!) time, I am excited to be able to apply these skills to the impact campaigns that I’m working on. Impact campaigns are projects that need to be efficient to be effective and that’s what I strive for each time I lead a project.