Licensed. Bonded. Insured.

As the heat wave continues to heat Las Vegas, the temperature is soaring to an all time high of 117Ao. I am waiting for the air conditioning technician to arrive to fix the unit that died last night. Licensed. Bonded. Insured. I need the first person to fix our air conditioner right now. My wife is worried about allowing anyone to work in our attic without performing a lie detector test. She wants me to ensure that he is licensed, bonded, and insured. I get that,APbecause,AP.well, wasn’t there a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode about a contractor who would put little cameras up in his clients’ attics and then later came back to commit heinous crimes at the homes?
It does make you wonder if you really want anyone who can ‘Aoget the job done’. Do you want them to be licensed, bonded, and insured? Figuratively speaking. For project management, will you need to be a certified project manager or can any experienced individual handle the job? It depends.
Let’s look at what I believe are the three levels of project or project-type initiative need.
Experience, experience, experience.
Aomust get it done quickly and correctly for your most important, highest-dollar, mission-critical projects. These are rare. There are many of them, but the average organization will have only three to four. APMaybe even one. It doesn’t matter if the project manager has been certified, it only matters that they have the experience and knowledge to succeed. This means they are able to manage the project and their team and can be relied upon to keep their heads up at all times. They are able to represent the organization well and handle any public address or key function that may be required. Their leadership and reputation are unsurpassed. If they fail to succeed, it’s likely that no one else can.
Please, someone certifiable.
Sometimes, Ai more so for government contracts that have this requirement,Ai when a certified manager of projects has to be the choice. Or you are pushing so hard in that direction that hiring someone who isn’t certified would be hypocritical. Although I believe that experience is more important than certification, I can understand when a call for certified project managers is necessary. Certification is a sign of key experience, a good understanding of approved methodologies and practices, and a common language between project managers. Sometimes it is just good business sense to take this route only.
A warm body is enough.
This scenario allows you to have a short-term project with a leader. They might be a reluctant PM. They might be a once-in-a-lifetime PM who never wears that hat again. They may not be as experienced as you think, and they are just starting their PM career. You need someone to lead the ship, and this is your man.
Summary
Some jobs require the best. Some jobs require detailed career documentation in order to meet project criteria. Others require specific levels of certification. Sometimes you just need someone who can do the job logically and fill the shoes temporarily. We must first understand the need and then address it by finding the right skill, knowledge, and experience for the job.
In case you were wondering, the APour air conditioner guy actually showed up and was licensed. He didn’t finish the job.APhe