Great business owners need to be both detail-oriented and strategic thinkers. The PMP and Lean Six Sigma certifications can provide the perfect one-two punch to help you achieve this balance.
PMP: The Accountant in Project Manager’s Clothing
Let’s say you’re launching a new product line. Earning your PMP equips you with the skills to manage this project effectively, ensuring you get the most out of your investment. Here’s how:
- Resource Management: The PMP framework teaches you to plan and allocate resources efficiently. This could involve software, personnel, or raw materials. By understanding project needs from the start, you can avoid overspending and ensure you have what’s needed to complete the project on time.
- Scope Creep Control: PMP training emphasizes keeping project scope in check. This means avoiding feature creep, or adding unnecessary elements that drive up costs and delays. Imagine your new product launch – a well-managed PMP approach would ensure you focus on the core features that deliver value to customers, without getting bogged down by expensive bells and whistles.
- Budgeting and Tracking: PMP teaches you to create realistic budgets and track progress against them. This allows you to identify and address cost overruns early on, preventing them from derailing your project’s profitability.
Lean Six Sigma: Streamlining for Success
While the PMP focuses on managing a single project, Lean Six Sigma equips you with tools to continuously improve your entire business. Imagine you run a bakery. Lean Six Sigma can help you:
- Identify Waste: Through process mapping and analysis, you can pinpoint areas where resources are wasted. This might be excessive packaging materials, unnecessary steps in production, or even inefficiencies in customer service.
- Focus on Customer Value: Lean Six Sigma emphasizes delivering value to the customer. In the bakery example, this might involve analyzing customer preferences to identify the most popular pastries and streamlining production of those items.
- Communication and Problem-Solving: Lean Six Sigma fosters a culture of open communication and data-driven problem-solving. Bakery staff might identify inefficiencies in the ordering process, and through clear communication with management, develop solutions to improve order accuracy and speed up delivery.
The Profitable Marriage
By combining the project management prowess of PMP with the continuous improvement mindset of Lean Six Sigma, you become a business owner who can both manage projects effectively and optimize your entire operation. This translates to not just completing projects on time and within budget, but also ensuring those projects contribute to your company’s long-term success.
