Best way to start documenting your PM experience?

N2IT

I am currently in an engagement working under a engagement manager. This role has me going through a lot of the high level documents, SOW, SLA statements, and procedure handbook. Revising the documents and letting our technical/grant writer rebuild. This should happen over several iterations.

I've also been involved in high level reporting and other PM based functions.

What is the best way to start tracking this? Has anyone gone through this and what was the best means to do so?

Any advice is welcome.

eMeS

You might be looking to make a mountain out of a molehill here.

When you sign up with PMI, as I remember it their online application somewhat walks you through the process of documenting your experience. I seem to remember being able to save it mid-way through and come back to it later.

As I recall it's simply a matter of describing your projects, listing contacts that can verify the work you did, and specifying the process areas where experience was gained. It's been a while, so I might be leaving something out, but honestly it didn't strike me as difficult as much as it was time consuming.

MS

N2IT

eMeS wrote: »

You might be looking to make a mountain out of a molehill here.

When you sign up with PMI, as I remember it their online application somewhat walks you through the process of documenting your experience. I seem to remember being able to save it mid-way through and come back to it later.

As I recall it's simply a matter of describing your projects, listing contacts that can verify the work you did, and specifying the process areas where experience was gained. It's been a while, so I might be leaving something out, but honestly it didn't strike me as difficult as much as it was time consuming.

MS

MS thanks for the heads up

powerfool

eMeS wrote: »

You might be looking to make a mountain out of a molehill here.

When you sign up with PMI, as I remember it their online application somewhat walks you through the process of documenting your experience. I seem to remember being able to save it mid-way through and come back to it later.

As I recall it's simply a matter of describing your projects, listing contacts that can verify the work you did, and specifying the process areas where experience was gained. It's been a while, so I might be leaving something out, but honestly it didn't strike me as difficult as much as it was time consuming.

MS

That is good to hear... but that can still be daunting, I believe. I took a week long course covering the PMBOK a couple of years ago, and while I had more than enough experience, it was just going to be a nightmare to document it. I am taking my Cisco IPS exam next week, and then it is PMP or Die... This past year-plus will be easy to document from the standpoint that I have essentially been working on one project. Beyond that, my last job left me with plenty of contacts to verify my experience on the numerous projects that I worked on there in my nearly three-year tenure. Hopefully that will get me over the hump.

N2IT, I hope your experience goes well.

I am planning on taking the PMP sometime in May... I have the latest PMBOK, the PM PrepCast (counts as the 35 contact hours required and is only $100), and the SkillSoft materials, as well as three or four PMPs that I work with for guidance. Let me know how things go for you. I am planning on studying one section of the PMBOK every two days, going through it and the correlated topics in my other resources. Maybe if I document about 100-200 hours a day throughout that process, I will be done with my documentation... I guess that is part of it... using your PM skills to get through the entire certification process, not just the exam.

N2IT

powerfool wrote: »

That is good to hear... but that can still be daunting, I believe. I took a week long course covering the PMBOK a couple of years ago, and while I had more than enough experience, it was just going to be a nightmare to document it. I am taking my Cisco IPS exam next week, and then it is PMP or Die... This past year-plus will be easy to document from the standpoint that I have essentially been working on one project. Beyond that, my last job left me with plenty of contacts to verify my experience on the numerous projects that I worked on there in my nearly three-year tenure. Hopefully that will get me over the hump.

N2IT, I hope your experience goes well.

I am planning on taking the PMP sometime in May... I have the latest PMBOK, the PM PrepCast (counts as the 35 contact hours required and is only $100), and the SkillSoft materials, as well as three or four PMPs that I work with for guidance. Let me know how things go for you. I am planning on studying one section of the PMBOK every two days, going through it and the correlated topics in my other resources. Maybe if I document about 100-200 hours a day throughout that process, I will be done with my documentation... I guess that is part of it... using your PM skills to get through the entire certification process, not just the exam.

Keep us posted I really would like to hear from your experiences

My whole job is modifying these documents and capturing processes over and over again. To be honest it's extremely stressful, but it's going to be worth it. I am consistently being critqued on how I deliever a message or meeting. I am consistently being corrected and offered improvement ideas.

Keep in mind my "mentor" is a an ex director of a major sourcing/consultant company. Infact he worked with several reviewers on the V2 ITIL framework.

On a side note I asked him about certification etc and he laughed. He stated I have no idea what to say to that LOL He is clearly old school and could give a rats ass about ITIL PMP certifications, yet he uses all these frameworks.