Let me guess. You’re right here since you’re curious about discovering out whether or not the IBM Project Manager Professional Certificate is best for you?
You’re in the precise place.
Abstract overview
The IBM Undertaking Supervisor Skilled Certificates is an effective CAPM® different or course to make use of in the direction of your CAPM prep. It’s nice for novices however nonetheless has some formatting errors within the content material because it’s nonetheless new on the time of writing. In case you are planning on a profession in tech, do the IBM IT Undertaking Supervisor Certificates as an alternative.
I’ve achieved a number of mission administration coaching in my 20+ years as a mission supervisor (together with this course which I’ll inform you all about beneath), and people coaching experiences helped me perceive the delicate and exhausting abilities crucial for efficiently main tasks.
Nonetheless… it’s actually necessary to decide on a great course. If you will spend money and time on an expert certificates, it’s worthwhile to be assured that it’s value your time.
On this IBM Undertaking Supervisor Skilled Certificates overview for novices, I’ll share my experiences as a pupil on the course together with:
- Why the IBM Undertaking Administration certificates doesn’t require pre-requisites (and what you do have to move)
- Why it’s good for early profession mission managers, particularly should you suppose that the
CAPM orPMP exams are in your future - How lengthy you’ll have to spend going by means of the course supplies earlier than you move, and what that course of seems like.
This course is new (it launched in June 2023). I believed it was actually good and it may grow to be within the prime bunch of widespread on-line mission administration certifications for novices available on the market.
Earlier than we start: there’s additionally an IT model of this course
IBM has two mission administration skilled certificates: the opposite one is the IBM IT Undertaking Administration coaching.
It’s longer and consists of technical content material (as you’d anticipate) so if you’re contemplating a job in tech, why not take a look at that one too?
IBM IT Project Management Certificate
This newbie’s IT mission administration certificates from IBM offers you all the things it’s worthwhile to get hands-on expertise and break into main technical tasks.
We earn a fee should you click on this hyperlink and make a purchase order, at no extra value to you #advert
How I did this overview
I enrolled as a pupil of the course on Coursera and labored by means of the course supplies. I did the peer assignments, graded quizzes and watched the video coaching (though not all of it – extra on that later).
I spent a number of hours reviewing the supplies and learning the person programs, and I hope that point helps you make a selection about whether or not the course is an effective match in your profession wants.
Who’s the IBM Undertaking Administration Certificates for?
The Coursera IBM Project Management Certificate is aimed toward full novices.
You don’t want any prior information or pre-requisite examine, or any explicit training necessities with a purpose to take the certificates.
Nonetheless, the programs get deep fairly rapidly. In case you are evaluating to the Google Project Management Certificate, I’d say this course is extra. Extra element, extra PMI-aligned, simply extra.
I liked the
You don’t have to know something earlier than you get began. In the event you do know that specific matter, you’ll be able to skip by means of the movies on quick velocity or transfer on to the quizzes. That’s what I did to get by means of the content material extra rapidly.
This course is nice for:
- Individuals who have had no mission administration coaching and wish to reveal they perceive mission administration to allow them to land an analyst or junior PM job.
- People who find themselves main tasks for his or her firm however have had no formal coaching and want to study what they need to be doing!
- Undertaking managers who’re but to take an expert certificates however don’t meet the necessities for the course they’re , for instance, not assembly the eligibility standards for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam.
As I labored by means of the fabric, I spotted the course is just not actually for knowledgeable mission managers as a result of:
- It covers just about all the things it’s worthwhile to know to be prepared for an entry-level mission administration job, however it’s gentle on tailoring and the ‘tough’ stuff that tends to return with advanced tasks.
- There’s little or no in it about working with mission groups (admittedly, tough in a video coaching).
- It’s aimed on the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® degree pupil and mentions that ceaselessly. In the event you’ve obtained some expertise, you would most likely go straight for the PMP® exam.
In case you are contemplating a profession in mission administration, it is a low value, low-barrier-to-entry course to take a look at what the job is basically like.
In regards to the course and construction
The certificates is made up of seven programs. These are:
- Introduction to mission administration
- Undertaking administration foundations, initiation and planning
- Undertaking lifecycle, data sharing and risk management
- Undertaking administration communication, stakeholders and management
- Introduction to
Agile improvement and Scrum - Undertaking administration capstone
- Prep examination for
CAPM
This can be a very related listing because the IBM IT Undertaking Administration Certificates, besides that one additionally consists of IT fundamentals for everybody, scrum grasp necessities, and an intro to software program engineering.
In case you are aiming for an IT job, you’d be higher off taking that course.
The modules do really feel barely disjointed as if they’ve been put collectively from different programs.
I didn’t take the programs so as, though on the time of writing, I’m nonetheless doing the Capstone mission, which is my final course.
I studied a number of of the programs in parallel, ready for peer reviewed task outcomes to return in or doing the ‘simple’ quizzes on my telephone whereas utilizing my laptop computer for the modules I discovered tougher.
After getting handed all of the programs, you’ll earn the certificates.
Arrange of the course
Every of the IBM mission administration programs is made up of a number of modules that cowl a spread of subjects. The modules are damaged down by weeks so the course is structured so that you tempo your self all through. You don’t have to stay to that, I didn’t.
I actually love the Coursera platform. It’s so good for studying on. The notes characteristic is nice, the transcripts are simple to navigate, and it holds you accountable with reminders.
Coursera Plus
Limitless entry to 7,000+ world-class programs, hands-on tasks, and job-ready certificates packages in a month-to-month subscription program.
We earn a fee should you click on this hyperlink and make a purchase order, at no extra value to you #advert
This course didn’t have very many downloadable assets, though I did get some doc templates. I believe they could add extra downloads sooner or later.
The supplies embrace:
- Coaching movies – you’ll be able to management the playback velocity, hurrah!
- ‘What it’s wish to work in mission administration’ movies – these are Q&A conversations with IBMers speaking about their function and profession journey.
- Transcripts – these sit underneath the movies and the related textual content is highlighted because the speaker talks
- Dialogue boards – if you wish to participate within the dialogue boards and join with different college students, you’ll be able to.
How lengthy does the IBM Undertaking Administration Certificates take?
The advice is 10 hours of examine per week for 2-3 months.
There isn’t any method I spent that a lot time on it, however I’m an skilled mission supervisor. I didn’t watch all of the movies.
You may additionally do it a lot quicker should you ignore the weekly module breakdown and easily plough by means of the content material.
The training aspect is comparatively simple (watch the movies at 1.5x velocity to avoid wasting time), however you’ll be able to’t save time on the peer assignments or the Capstone.
The precise period of time you’ll must spend on the IBM mission supervisor certification goes to rely upon how a lot time you’ll be able to dedicate to learning and the way rapidly you choose up the ideas.
How the evaluation works
Quizzes
Every module ends with a timed, graded quiz or remaining examination. Coursera is obvious that it needs to be your personal work, so there are pop ups that require you to decide to the honour code and promise that it’s all your personal work.
There are additionally follow quizzes so you will get used to how quizzes are structured earlier than you try the graded quiz for every module.
In the event you fail a quiz, simply take it once more. You may overview your solutions, and there are notes that time you to the video to look at once more, the place you’ll discover the answer.
Peer-graded assessments
The muse course, the lifecycle course, the comms course, and the Capstone all have peer-graded assessments.
That is the place you learn a case examine, full a doc template, add it, and one of many different college students assesses it. It’s hands-on expertise of doing the legwork of managing tasks.
It’s important to assess a few submissions out of your friends with a purpose to earn your grade too.

You get a marking scheme, and it’s simple to comply with – grading another person’s work didn’t take me that lengthy. Nonetheless, the marking schemes for some assignments are actually prescriptive. In the event you don’t give your mission the precise title that they specify, technically, you shouldn’t get a mark.
I don’t suppose they honestly meant to be that particular, particularly as there’s nowhere within the case examine the place you get given the precise title within the marking scheme, so how would you even comprehend it?
Some workout routines throughout the programs are the identical e.g., create a RACI matrix, however the templates are totally different – that’s bizarre.
I additionally discovered a number of formatting errors; for instance, as you’ll be able to see within the picture beneath, Sarah is on this useful resource listing twice. The second title ought to be Sandra. It doesn’t cease you from doing the case examine task, however there are a number of teething issues within the course like this – most likely as a result of it’s nonetheless new.

What it’s worthwhile to move the course
In the end, to get the IBM mission administration badge, you simply want the time and focus to plod by means of the supplies.
Make a plan of how a lot time it’s important to examine and persist with it. Because it’s all on-line, self-directed studying, it’s important to be actually strict about following by means of, as nobody goes to return after you should you let it drift one other month or so.
Perhaps figuring out that you simply get 7 days free is motivating!
What certificates do you get?
If you move every of the IBM mission administration coaching programs, you get a downloadable PDF certificates. If you full all of the programs, a shareable LinkedIn badge by way of Credly.

I used to be stunned that I obtained one other Credly badge (which, personally, I believe is much extra precious than a PDF from Coursera) for the basics module.
What’s the honors content material?
There’s elective Honors content material within the course. For instance, within the Intro to
It’s helpful to do the Honors content material if you’re critical about studying sensible abilities to speak about in an interview, however you don’t must do them to move.

What I appreciated about it
Some great benefits of the IBM Project Management certificate are:
- It’s from IBM, a model that employers will worth.
- There are real-life interviews with IBMers, supplying you with an perception into the job, together with profession help assets.
- It takes you from figuring out nothing to having an honest understanding of what it means to guide a mission, protecting a variety of content material in depth.
It’s cost-effective should you work by means of the course rapidly. The associated fee racks up should you spend months on it however dedicate your self to getting on with it, and it really works out cheaply.
Lastly, and it is a massive bonus, you’re employed by means of examples, demos, and case research within the course, together with within the Capstone, so that you get to place your abilities into follow (useful for once they ask you at an interview you probably have ever achieved XYZ).
To earn the certificates and get the aggressive edge, all it’s important to do is full all of the work! Don’t underestimate how a lot time it should take, although.
There’s a number of wonderful materials within the course, and whereas the graded quizzes are simple, the peer assignments aren’t.
There isn’t any remaining, pressured examination, however there’s the Capstone to work by means of. In case you are nervous about taking invigilated exams, that’s another excuse to take this course over one which makes you sit a remaining examination!
What I didn’t like about it
The disadvantages that I discovered are as follows.
Among the workout routines had been the identical, for instance, making a RACI or a RBS, however that they had totally different templates. One task requested me to fill in a area on the template, however the template didn’t have that area – it felt a bit like a sneaky check: are you able to full the train though we haven’t made it simple so that you can get all of the marks?
The comms plan task requested me to create a doc that wanted a piece breakdown construction, however I didn’t have a WBS.
One task required two paperwork to be uploaded. The marking rubric required each paperwork to have the title of the mission on the prime, and the rubric learn like it’s important to use the precise mission title to get the mark, however they had been two totally different names!
On one course, it asks you to overview the PDF, however there isn’t a requirement to add the content material as a PDF (different programs particularly ask you to avoid wasting your content material as a PDF – so far as I can see, it makes zero distinction to with the ability to entry the content material to mark it).
The modules really feel disjointed, like they’ve come from different programs and have been put collectively for this certificates, which they’ve.
These are all tiny gripes about formatting and content material, they usually don’t actually take away from the credibility of the certificates. I’m certain they are going to be resolved over time as college students level them out and they’re fastened.
My larger gripe is that the course may be very PMI-focused. Within the comms course, the quiz particularly says these are the form of questions you’d get in a

I discovered the quiz questions very course of pushed in locations: “What course of are you performing while you do X?” or “What doc do you fill in throughout this stage however earlier than that is achieved?”
This isn’t actual life. It can aid you move the
It’s additionally not very
Suggestion: Do you have to purchase this course?
In case you are significantly contemplating a profession in mission administration and need a certificates to place in your job functions from a coaching supplier that folks will acknowledge, then it is a improbable entry-level certificates.
Join the free trial, take a look at the course, and work by means of the content material to earn the badge.
I ought to let you realize that I’m impressed with the course and that I’m now an affiliate for the Coursera platform so I can advocate it, however I solely advocate merchandise I’ve examined out and am assured in.
FAQ
Is the IBM Undertaking Administration Certificates value it?
I believe the certificates is value it for entry-level and newbie mission managers, and people who are contemplating transferring into mission administration from one other area. The course is nice high quality, in-depth and focuses on in-demand abilities.
Is the Coursera IBM Undertaking Administration Certificates free?
No, it’s not free, however you’ll be able to audit the course without cost. Which means you’ll be able to examine the course content material, however you’ll be able to’t take the graded quizzes or be eligible to earn the certificates. If you wish to find out about mission administration however don’t want the certificates, you’ll be able to examine without cost. There’s additionally a free trial.
Is the IBM Undertaking Administration Certification equal to a PMP?
No, it’s not. The IBM Undertaking Administration certificates is just not equal to a PMP as a result of the Undertaking Administration Skilled® certification has the pre-requisite of 36 months of expertise working as an expert mission supervisor. The IBM PM certification is nearer to a prep course for the CAPM.
Does the IBM PM certificates depend in the direction of PDUs or PMP coaching hours?
Sure, you need to use the coaching course as hours in the direction of your PMP 35-hours of mission administration training eligibility standards. Nonetheless, it’s not a PMP coaching course so I might advocate if you’re going for PMP, you want one other course as nicely. It can additionally aid you examine for the CAPM examination.
The IBM mission administration programs on Coursera additionally depend in the direction of Skilled Growth Models (PDUs).
How a lot does the IBM IT Undertaking Administration Certification value?
The certificates is made up of seven programs out there on a subscription foundation which is £39 a month, or the equal in your nation. You will want a subscription to take the graded quizzes and to earn the certificates. The quicker you’re employed by means of the supplies, the less months of coaching subscription it’s important to pay for.