Project DPro Practitioner: More than passing an exam for a certification,
it was an educational experience accompanied and guided by a mentor.
In the past few days, I had the opportunity to complete my certification process as a Project DPro Practitioner and I have to tell you that it was an enriching experience and totally different from the traditional professional certification processes. Beyond taking an exam to “empty” the knowledge and pass to be certified, PM4NGO’s has put into practice a model of active professional development, mentoring and accompaniment that make the certification process a learning, professional, and personal growth experience itself.
To complete the Certification as Project DPro Practitioner, you must complete the learning activities in the areas of Professional Development, Informal Learning and Knowledge Sharing (“Give Back”) for which you have a period of one year, and where you will be guided by a mentor who will be constantly evaluating your performance and providing guidance and feedback. Your mentor will help you strengthen the competencies, skills, and knowledge that a true Project Management Practitioner should have.
As in ancient times, the “experts” were made by passing through the hands of many mentors and being recognized by a “Master” who testified about his skills and abilities to be accepted in the guild to which he aspired. This methodology guaranteed that the apprentice was tested by individuals who had the experience and the necessary capacity to validate that the candidate was worthy of carrying the professional or vocational title to which he was aspiring. Through history, mentoring has been an extraordinary way to achieve the formation of highly qualified individuals to achieve an active participation in the search for solutions to their individual and collective needs.
Through this process, PM4NGO’s has made the Project DPro Practitioners professionals highly committed to project management in the development, humanitarian, community and social sectors and who implement their skills and leadership in the management of real projects to generate fundamental changes in their organizations and in the communities in which they operate.
In the process to achieve the Certification as a Practitioner, the candidate has, not only to take and pass academic courses, but must be able to go further and share tools, best practices, and knowledge that help others to success in their projects. The process teaches and emphasizes that a good Project Manager and Leader not only acquires knowledge and tools for himself and for his own benefit, but they also have a moral responsibility to share those tools and to be a promoter of the democratization of knowledge to get our communities and organizations to a continuous improvement and to really achieve a significant impact through their interventions.
The Practitioner Certificate is proof that we can apply the best project management practices to our work through the methodology and tools that Project DPro provides us, but also that we can become mentors to other individuals who have the same desire to grow and serve by becoming true experts in Project Management.
The World faces an Economy driven by the implementation of Projects and the greatest risk we could face is placing those projects in the hands of “Project Managers” without the necessary skills and experience to bring them to a successful completion. In addition, in today’s organizational environment, where the development of technology and knowledge advance exponentially at speeds never seen before, the only way to stay relevant is by making alliances, having mentors, and mentoring others, maintaining a commitment to ourselves for improvement and continuous learning, and being loyal to values that help us always maintain an ethical and correct behavior.
As Project DPro Practitioners, we are called to continue preparing others and to do our best to achieve the success of the thousands and thousands of projects that are and will be implemented in our countries in the coming years. Now it’s my turn, I’m ready to help others grow and I will continue to grow in the process. I invite you to accept the challenge and become a Project DPro Practitioner, and you will see that it is more than just a professional certification, but it is personal initiation in an extraordinary group of professionals committed to the continuous development of knowledge, with the well-being of our communities, and with the evolution of our profession as Project Managers.
Jesús E. (Nesty) Delgado
OKA Project Management & Strategic Leadership
Puerto Rico