There is a saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Such a simple phrase can encompass many scenarios in life, both personally and professionally. This idiom was originally meant to convey a stubborn person who is unwilling to take advice. I admit I have sometimes been that horse.

But as a trained project manager, I must say that lately this saying has been playing in my head even more frequently because of recent changes to the Certified Associate Project Manager (CAPM) curriculum. The concepts of “Information Management” and “Knowledge Management” have been added since the 6^th edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) guide. I think many people gloss over these additions as “just more things to manage” or “just more things to memorize for the certification exam.” However, to me, it speaks volumes to the most underlying issue that plagues all projects in every industry all around the world, and that is: information is essentially worthless until it is transferred into knowledge.

Good data management can improve decision-making, enhance collaboration, and streamline processes to boost productivity.

Cybersecurity in Project Management is a necessity in today’s environment for generating plausible results. It could be building a new CRM system or moving your existing infrastructure to the cloud. Undertaking a project without knowledge of cybersecurity can have disastrous repercussions. It leaves the organization open to exploitation by malicious actors. Despite organized project management methodologies like Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, Kanban cybersecurity has a critical role in project management. Hence, project managers need to be very vigilant about the various security threats and trends. Let’s take a quick look at the cybersecurity essentials that every PM needs to know.

As IT and cybersecurity become increasingly involved in contracts, project managers looking to improve project performance need to consider using ITIL®. In today’s world of tight budgets, delayed projects, and constant staff reductions, project managers are looking for different ways to run their projects.  Having foundational technical competence is not enough when working with IT departments on a project. Project Managers must focus not only on technology, but people and process as well. ITIL is the most widely accepted approach to IT service management and is relevant to any Project Manager working with IT services on a project. Here is an introduction to ITIL and it's importance in improving project performance.

Project Managers are tasked to complete projects successfully, efficiently, on time, and within budget. Organizations rely on trained professionals to generate and follow processes to accomplish critical goals. The Center for Leadership and Development offers courses appropriate for anyone from new project managers and those taking on the role within other departments, to more experienced professionals interested in certification.

Note: PDU list has been updated in September 2018