Your Free OnlinePMCourses Roadmap and Resource Guide
We have put this page together to help you, if you either:
On this page, we have colated all of our information, tools, and resources, to help you from your first investigations, to a long and successful project management career.
And, to keep it simple, we have divided it into Six Steps...
STEP 1: START YOUR JOURNEY
Is Project Management Right for You?
Let's start with the absolute basics.
Let's understand What is Project Management?
We also have four introductory articles & videos for you. Each will help you decide whether Project Management is the right career for you:
- Project Management Skills: What Makes Them Super Valuable? I’ll Tell You
- Why Project Management? 13 Great Reasons to Go for a PM Career
- How to Be the Best Project Manager You Can Be
- Committing to Be a Professional Project Manager
1
It's good to keep your career options open. Project Management is a great core skill that opens up many opportunities.
In this article, you'll learn 10 transferable skills you'll learn and enhance by studying and practicing Project Management
2
This is a short article that sets out why you should consider a Project Management career. And, while it's a great career with the likeliood of secure and high-status employment, there are plenty of other reasons too, like:
- Building a business (yup - that's me), and
- Getting things done (like this guide)
3
In this article, we offer the Project Management Triangle - the three aspects of what Project Management is. And, alongside it, we'll share our 7 secrets of being a good Project Manager.
4
This is a short video that asks what point do you become a Professional Project Manager? I started wondering this in a meeting with a client. We were talking about different people in their organization.
A LITTLE TASTER...
To help you decide if Project Management Training is right for you, here's a Beginner's Guide to Project Management.
This is a short video (around 18 minutes). It will give you a flavor for what project management is and how it works.
If you like it, there is a lot more to follow, and this roadmap will help you navigate the next steps.
If you don't like it, then at least you'll have learned the basics of project management... at no cost!
And here are three articles you might like...
STEP 2: CONSIDER YOUR OPTIONS
Should You Take Project Management Training.
This is a simple question to ask.
But it's not always that easy to answer. After all, many people manage projects in their work without ever taking a course - or even getting any formal learning.
The real question is:
'Is Project Management Training right for you?'
Things to consider include:
The scale, complexity, and profile of the projects you need to deliver
Whether you see Project Management as your career - or a key part of it
To help you think through your options, here are three articles:
1
In this short article, you'll learn the ruth about your current Project management knowledge.
2
Are you ready to find the best Project Management course for you?
In this article, you'll learn:
- The four factors for evaluating a course, and
- the 10 questions to ask
- with a free course selector spreadsheet
3
In this article, you'll learn the 10 reasons why online training is better than live training, and why it matters.
STEP 3: COMMITTED TO LEARNING
Now you've made your decision, you're firmly on your learning journey.
If you want to get started in Project Management, you first need to learn the basics. And there are two ways. You can learn your Project Management skills on the job. And you can learn from a basic Project Management beginner’s course.
This article tackles the most important questions about a Project Management Beginner’s Course:
- Why Should You go for a Project Management Beginner’s Course?
- What Should be in a Project Management Beginner’s Course?
- What Should You Look for in a Project Management Beginner’s Course?
- How Can You Take a Project Management Beginner’s Course? (Formats)
- Where you should look for a Project Management Beginner’s Course
Stage 1: Preparation
The first stage is preparing to learn by soaking up some simple introductory content.
I'd start with three things.
And the good news is...
They are all FREE!
- Our Project Management Fundamentals course in the Free Academy of Project Management.
- Our free ebook, Be on the Inside: Decode the Jargon of Project Management
- Sign up to our weekly newsletter with tips, ideas, and occasional offers.
1
This is the most popular course in our Free Academy of Project Management. It will guide you through the four essential stages of a typical project:
- Define Your Project
- Plan Your Project
- Deliver Your Project
- Close Your Project
2
Do you feel 'out of the loop' because you hear words and phrases you don't understand?
The world of project management is riddled with jargon and technical words.
Here's a simple guide to over 230 common project and project management terms?
3
"How do you consistently give such actionable tips?"
"Much of what I hear being tagged as "project management tips" are excellent sleeping pills: boring as can be. That's why you stand out. How do you keep your tips fresh and relevant?"
If you like these resources, but are not yet ready for a significant investment in full learning resources, we have a low cost learning program to get you started.
This offers you a lot of great content at a low price.
The Project Manager's Secret Success Formula
With this system, you will be able to:
- Navigate the stages of a successful project
- Define your project to build the foundation to success
- Pull together robust plans
- Do everything you need to during the crucial delivery stage
Included in your ten week email course are:
- Checklists for essential project activities
- Top tips from an experience project manager
- Downloadable tools to help you
- 10 exercises to help you through your first project
- Discounts on premium courses worth up to $100
Stage 2: Structured Learning
The second stage is structured learning.
Our Core Project Management Courses are built in a modular way. They are based on Mike Clayton's live training, which he has honed over more than 20 years, with thousands of participants.
Each is larger and more comprehensive than the last, yet contains the same models and ideas, for learners who want to upgrade easily. And our easy upgrade promise means you'll never pay more by upgrading. The cost of the course you upgrade two will be discounted by what you've already paid.
Check out our Core Course comparison page.
Or review our individual courses, below...
Accelerate your was to Project Management success
Equivalent to 1 day of live training
This is right for you if you are a manager or professional who wants to feel confident taking on a small to mid-size project.
Master all the basic skills of Project Management
Equivalent to 2 days of live training
This is right for you if you are serious about succeeding in your first significant project, and see project management as a vital part of your job.
A deep dive into Project Skills for serious practitioners
Equivalent to 4 days of live training
This is right for you if you are committed to making your next project the successful foundation of a long-term project management career.
Stage 3: Informal Learning
What? You want more? Then you shall have it!
Supplement your formal, structured learning with informal learning.
We have plenty of FREE resources on our site, and other informal learning assets for you to enjoy and learn from.
Here's a taster...
- The Free Academy of Project Management
- Our Weekly feature articles
- Project Management Bookshop
- Kindle-exclusive Project Management eBook series
- Project Management Personality quiz
1
A growing collection of collated learning materials, all completely FREE - not even a sign-up needed.
2
Long-form articles that cover a key aspect of Project management thoroughly. Regular guest articles too.
3
Books by OnlinePMCourses founder, Mike Clayton, and others we recommend.
4
Exclusive eBooks by OnlinePMCourses founder, Mike Clayton, at low prices from the Amazon Kindle Store.
5
And join in with a network of like-minded Project Management professionals through our social media channels.
OnlinePMCourses
YouTube Channel
OnlinePMCourses
Facebook Page
OnlinePMCourses
Pinterest Boards
TheProjectManagers
Facebook Group
Dr Mike Clayton
LinkedIn account
@OnlinePMCourses
Twitter account
STEP 4: WHAT NEXT? AGILE PM
As Project Managers, we can no longer afford to ignore Agile.
So, we've pulled together a whole page, like this one, titled:
'I Want to Study Agile Project Management'
The page introduces you to what Agile PM is. It takes you through the steps of:
- Start Your Journey
- Consider Your Options - what sort of Agile and whether to go down a certification route.
- Committed to Learning
- Final Preparations, if you choose a certification route, and then, of course...
- Take Your Exam
STEP 5: WHAT NEXT? PM QUALIFICATIONS
For many roles, a recognized qualification will give a big boost to your CV or resumé
The first question you should ask: 'Should I get a Project Management Qualification?'
1
In this article, you'll learn:
- What types of qualifications there are
- The reasons for getting a qualification
- Which type is right for you
If you do decide to study for a qualification, we recommend our article: 'How to Get the Best from Your Project Management Learning'.
2
In this article, you'll learn:
- 3 Questions to ask before you start
- 10 Principles to help you learn effectively
And you may want to take a look at all the certification / qualification courses we can offer, through our partners, the Professional Training Center of Excellence (PTCoE).
3
Then, you will need to decide what sort of qualification.
The article will also start you on that thinking journey, but you may also want to take a look at our three guides to the principle qualification routes:
- PMI's Project Management Professional (PMP)
- The PRINCE2 qualifications
- The array of Agile qualifications
Each of the guides is set out like this one, taking you from the start of your journey, through to examination. They will give you a good idea of what to expect, and the resources we can offer to help you.
STEP 6: WHAT NEXT? DEEPEN & BROADEN
We'll help you get advanced skills to grow, to become the best Project Manager you can.
Keep Learning.
For a professional, learning never stops. So, we are committed to creating and sourcing a wide range of resources to help you learn and develop, in your:
- Technical Project Management
- Management and Leadership Skills
- Personal Professional Effectiveness
We are always interested to know what topics you'd like us to offer, so please do get in touch and let us know.
We're building a selection of toolkits to help you get your day-to day Project Management work done, easily, efficiently, and effectively.
Our toolkits include:
- Project Management Checklists
- Templates Kit
- Project Definition Kit
A growing catalogue of courses to help you develop the essential skills to become a mature project manager, beyond a basic technical understanding.
Our Project Management Skills Programs will enhance and deepen your Project Management capabilities, in...
- Advanced Project Management
- Management and Leadership
- Personal Effectiveness
STEP 7: YOUR PROJECT MANAGEMENT CAREER
VOLUME LICENSING
If you run a business and have several (or many) people to train, see Volume Licensing of Project Management Courses.
