Optimizing projects is currently one of the most critical issues in business. To improve your project management ability, you can take intensive courses in addition to gaining experience.
This article is for you if you are looking for online training programs to help you with your project management. These courses promise helpful knowledge to improve your leadership and management skills.
Project management is a challenge. Yet, after registering for one of the courses below, this problem will no longer be complex for you. Scroll down for more!
1. Foundations of Project Management
Specifications:
- Difficulty: Beginners.
- Duration: 18 hours.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: Google.
Course’s Highlights
I always recommend Foundations of Project Management for those just learning about management. The knowledge in the course is quite basic, mainly dealing with the roles and responsibilities of the project manager.
This course is also highly oriented, as the lectures are primarily an introduction to jobs related to project management. I also appreciate the experience sharing that Google project managers provide during the course.
After completing the course, I could do some simple work as a project manager.
This course is essential to inspire beginners, which is also its downside. It will not be knowledgeable enough to satisfy professional middle managers.
Enroll Here: https://www.coursera.org/learn/project-management-foundations
Pros
- Highly directional.
- Inspirational course.
- No experience is required.
- Basic knowledge and easy to understand.
- Sharing comes from Google experts.
Cons
- Not suitable for experienced managers
2. Introduction to Digital Project Management
Specifications:
- Difficulty: Beginners.
- Duration: 1 Week.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: The University of Sydney.
Course’s Highlights
As the name suggests, this course focuses on providing the knowledge to develop a career in digital project management.
Instead of referring to the traditional theory, Introduction to Digital Project Management impressed me with more strange ones. Teachers will cover basic digital project structure, management methods, and performance enhancement.
Its other advantage is rich lectures, very close to actual requirements. The class examples are always relevant to today’s prominent areas, such as retail, media, and technology.
I also greatly appreciated the course’s interactive quizzes and exercises. They help me review, systematize knowledge and learn more exciting knowledge.
The downside is that it focuses on solving digital project management problems. To learn about project management, you should look at more general courses.
Enroll Here: https://www.udacity.com/course/introduction-to-digital-project-management–ud043
Pros
- Various exercises.
- Rich lectures.
- New and updated knowledge.
- Interesting interactive questions.
- Examples are associated with the practice.
Cons
- The final learning project isn’t too helpful.
3. Introduction to Project Management
Specifications:
- Difficulty: Beginner.
- Duration: 1 Hour.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: Codecademy.
Course’s Highlights
Right in the first lecture, this course mentions the skills and responsibilities of a project manager. The course also details project management models and provides detailed instructions on organizing a complete project.
All of the above knowledge is taught in just about an hour. Although the time to complete the course was quick, I have grasped the essential information.
I was particularly impressed with the management approach the course provided. It simplifies enterprise project management tasks and minimizes risk.
After the course, the instructor has systematized all the knowledge that has appeared before. Even so, I don’t overestimate what the system offers. It is still sketchy and not highly generalizable.
Enroll Here: https://www.codecademy.com/learn/introduction-to-project-management
Pros
- Short study time
- Include much important information
- Good support for enterprise project management.
- Describe the manager’s skills and responsibilities.
- Detailed guides on how to organize a complete project.
Cons
- The last lectures are not practical.
4. Project Management: Methods & Tactics for Success
Specifications:
- Difficulty: Beginner.
- Duration: 1h 8m.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: SkillShare.
Course’s Highlights
If you want to get started with the art of total project management, Introduction to Project Management: Methods & Tactics for Success is the course for you.
This course impressed me with the most basic knowledge. It introduces project management skills, offering traditional management methods. Not only that, but it also includes tips for managing people and introduces many tools for my work.
The only downside is its focus on introducing theoretical knowledge. So, I get almost no examples and practical exercises. Yet, the ability after completing the course was enough for me to optimize my workflow.
Pros
- Provide basic knowledge.
- Suitable for beginners.
- Introduce many tools for management
- Learners can optimize their management process.
- Include many tips and knowledge for managing people.
Cons
- Not many examples and practice exercises.
5. Beginner’s Guide to Project Management
Specifications:
- Difficulty: Beginner.
- Duration: $19 per month after a ten-day trial.
- Price: 1h 40m.
- Provider: Casey Ayers.
Course’s Highlights
I signed up for Beginner’s Guide to Project Management during my CompTIA certification exam. And this 2-hour course has brought a massive change for me.
Like everything else on the list, Beginner’s Guide to Project Management deals with project management skills and principles.
Yet, with its unique teaching and exciting knowledge, I was ready to take the CompTIA Project+ exam after completing the course.
The most significant change I noticed after the course was that I was more confident and proactive in leading projects.
The study also covers other essential techniques, such as developing projects to meet requirements and managing projects within budgets.
In short, Beginner’s Guide to Project Management is a great course to prepare for the certification exam. Yet, as the name suggests, it’s just for beginners.
This one will probably disappoint you if you are looking for systems that offer more advanced knowledge.
Enroll Here: https://www.pluralsight.com/courses/beginners-guide-project-management
Pros
- Short duration and flexibility
- Unique and engaging teaching method.
- Available for certification review purposes.
- Mention project management skills and principles.
- A guide to project management that fits within the budget range.
Cons
- Not suitable for experienced people
6. Google Project Management
Specifications:
- Difficulty: Beginner.
- Duration: 6 months.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: Google.
Course’s Highlights
If you want to succeed in an entry-level project management role, Google Project Management is the course you should sign up for.
Over more than 6 months, I have been taught how to build and manage projects in various stages. It offers extensive coverage on popular project management platforms like Agile and Scrum.
High interactivity is also an advantage I am impressed with. During my studies, I had to deal with real-world project management situations, practice strategic communication, and complete other tasks.
This course, combining video lectures and hands-on activities, honed the skills essential for my project management. But, because of its detail, it will take quite a while to complete.
Enroll Here: https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-project-management
Pros
- High interactivity.
- Combine video lectures and hands-on activities.
- Require learners to handle many real-world projects.
- Provide the foundation for learners to succeed.
- Help learners understand how to manage projects in phases.
Cons
- It takes a long time to complete.
7. Digital Project Management
Specifications:
- Difficulty: Beginner.
- Duration: 1 Month.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: Udacity.
Course’s Highlights
I learned many skills in Digital Project Management. It teaches in detail how to allocate management time, navigate human development, and much more.
In particular, I was impressed with the lecture on dealing with issues related to interests and internal conflicts. Conflict and cooperation have been essential parts of management.
Unfortunately, not many courses cover this issue in as much detail as Digital Project Management. The lectures in the course are pretty interesting to me.
The biggest problem is that the lessons will focus on only one method and tool. Learners will have to connect the lessons learned before completing the project.
Enroll Here: https://www.udacity.com/course/digital-project-management-nanodegree–nd043
Pros
- Lectures engage learners.
- Include digital project management skills
- The actual final project is quite interesting.
- Refer to conflict resolution in project management
- Simple and easy-to-understand communication.
Cons
- Lessons need to be more coherent.
8. Project Management Principles and Practices
Specifications:
- Difficulty: Beginner.
- Duration: 5 months.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: University of California, Irvine.
Course’s Highlights
The lessons that impressed me most were defining project scope, building work schedules, and managing risk. In particular, I was incredibly impressed with the lecture content on risk identification and management.
Lectures have highly practical applications. They detail the steps for planning and implementing changes as needed. As soon as I finished the course, I managed my work project effectively.
Project Management Principles and Practices Specialization also comes with an applied learning project. Yet, I don’t overestimate this project, which is quite simple with no proper evaluation methodology.
Enroll Here: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/project-management
Pros
- Suitable for beginners.
- Only mention the most critical content.
- Lessons are easy to understand and detailed.
- The knowledge in the study is highly applicable.
- Lectures related to risk identification and management.
Cons
- The final learning project isn’t too helpful.
9. Agile Project Management Training
Specifications:
- Difficulty: Intermediate.
- Duration: 2 days.
- Price: $1,495.
- Provider: Learningtree.
Course’s Highlights
The lectures in Agile Project Management Training are mainly related to product improvement and quality improvement. This approach is relatively new when focusing on value-driven project management.
Although teaching about new management methods, the course did not reduce my interest. On the contrary, its skills, techniques, and systems thinking are pretty understandable and helpful.
The course also teaches a lot about collaborating and adapting projects to increase productivity. Yet, this program covers all the knowledge so that I can solve real-world problems.
Agile Project is a pretty helpful course. Yet, because it deals with a new approach to management, it won’t be the best choice for beginners.
Enroll Here: https://www.learningtree.com/courses/agile-project-management-training
Pros
- Knowledge is highly applicable.
- Many practical illustrative examples.
- Introduction to value-driven project management.
- Training management skills and thinking for learners.
- Teaching about collaborative project management.
Cons
- Not suitable for beginners.
10. Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management
Specifications:
- Difficulty: Beginner.
- Duration: 8 hours.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: University of Virginia.
Course’s Highlights
Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management is a pretty introductory course I always recommend for beginners. As the name suggests, its content revolves around the planning and execution of projects. The most crucial part is the project scope, the task process, and the master plan.
Plus, it shares a wealth of knowledge on assessing and managing project risks. One of them is to monitor and control your work progress more effectively. Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management has done a pretty good job providing its basic theory.
If you need lots of practical examples and practice exercises, a course for beginners like Fundamentals of Project Management won’t be the right choice.
Enroll Here: https://www.coursera.org/learn/uva-darden-project-management
Pros
- For beginners.
- Provide basic knowledge.
- Detailed guidance for defining project scope.
- Share about project risk management.
- Teaching about work progress control.
Cons
- No real examples and practice exercises
Learning Guide
It is not difficult to find courses that teach project management skills. Yet, to find a suitable course, you will have to consider the following issues carefully.
Learning objectives
Are you looking to learn about project management, or are you studying for a certificate? You will have the right course to meet expectations with each different need.
Course difficulty
To keep up with the lectures, you must choose the right course for your current level. Currently, most systems are beginner, intermediate or advanced. You need to consider these issues before enrolling in any course.
Teaching style
This factor depends on your study habits. Consider the benefits of pre-recorded lessons and personalized learning experiences to choose the best fit.
FAQs
What is the highest qualification in project management?
PMP is the highest certification in the field of project management.
What are the best practices related to good project management?
The five best practices for project management are building the right business environment, building a project brief, creating a plan, maintaining a schedule, and managing risk.
What are the three most essential things in project management?
The 3 important things that do a successful project are communication, leadership, and management.
How many types of project management certifications are there?
PMI has eight types of project management certifications.
Who can study project management?
Anyone can learn project management. But those with a background in business administration will have an excellent foundation to study in this field.
Final Thoughts
Through the list above, you will get your own ideal course depending on your current level and learning needs.
For example, Foundations of Project Management is a suitable course for many people. Meanwhile, Agile Project Management Training is well worth taking if you’re looking to dive deep into any aspect.
So, which course is best for you? Refer to the suggestions above again and find an option that goes well for your needs. Thank you for reading!