How PMP Enhances Military Planning (MCPP and MDMP)
The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification significantly improves the Marine Corps Planning Process (MCPP) and the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP) by integrating industry best practices in planning, resource management, communication, stakeholder management, quality assurance, change management, and team development across various missions (projects).
With our team having over 200 years of military experience, we are very familiar with the Military Planning Process and its application. It served as the foundation for preparing exercises and deployments, as well as conducting wargames and simulations. Later in our team members’ careers, they were introduced to Project Management when their unit funded a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification course, which provided them with additional tools to strengthen their foundation.
Everything they used in MCPP (or MDMP for our Soldiers out there) was nested directly within the PMP framework, which gave them a wide range of extra tools, especially for managing projects that didn't fit with "Big Blue Arrows" and operational planning. This included things like maintenance inspections, technology implementation, and readiness inspections. Heck, even the Birthday Ball.
Why does the industry process complement so well? Industry values speed and tempo just like the military does, but they also prioritize a few other key elements: customer satisfaction, quality, and profitability.
So, where to begin? At first glance, the two processes are quite similar. Both MCPP and PMP follow a logical planning flow. MCPP does a better job of assessing different plans and comparing them through the COA comparison and COA wargaming process, which resembles Agile. Understanding Agile processes would be very helpful here.
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Further analysis shows that the entire military planning process is contained within the first two steps of the civilian PMP process: initiation and planning. After the orders are issued, the military planning process ends, as shown in the diagram below. This doesn't mean the mission stops, but rather that the framework for measuring project performance and ongoing planning has concluded. Elements like Earned Value Management and Change Management are absent.
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Where PMP builds on military planning is in the execution and closing phases. This is also why veteran leadership is highly valuable in civilian project management. (Even without formal PM training and certifications, veterans understand the planning and mission execution aspects and grasp the leadership responsibility to develop and manage a team through project execution. They just lack the specific knowledge and processes needed in the civilian world.) More accurately, the PMP process isn't five sequential steps, but rather four steps, with a fifth—monitor and control—that surrounds and supports the others. The monitor and control process is essential and plays a crucial role in ensuring a project is completed on time, within budget, and in scope.
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So, what does PMP teach that military planning does not? This could be an article in and of itself, but we have listed a few key elements below:
• Stakeholder Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Communications planning: Message, medium, frequency
• Earned Value Management (Planned vs actual performance, both schedule and resource consumption)
• Change Management (within scope or not & Impact to scope/cost/schedule)
• Agile framework
The main point we want to emphasize is that PMP® certification is not only a civilian certification but also a benefit for those on active duty. Getting PMP trained and certified while on active duty provides leaders with tools that go beyond military planning and will greatly enhance your professional credibility as you one day enter civilian life. Another important advantage of pursuing certifications like PMP while in uniform is that there are funding resources available to you that tend to disappear the closer you get to transition.
Army: Army IgnitED or Army Credential Assistance ($2k per FY for all soldiers with no ADSO)
Coast Guard: USCG Credential Assistance ($4500 for all active duty and Coast Guard civilians with no ADSO)
Air Force: AF COOL ($4500 for all active duty enlisted Airmen)
Any DoD/Federal Employee: Unit Funding (any federal employee up to $25k)
Veteran/Family: Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Only one month is required for any approved veteran or family member to cover each certification)
Disabled Vet: VR&E ($2k for any approved veteran)
Spouses: MyCAA provides up to $4000 for certifications
We would love to continue this discussion with anyone interested in Project Management, using benefits while on active duty, or transitioning in general. If you want to schedule a class for your unit or attend one yourself, we would be happy to help.
Thank you for everything you do; it’s an honor to serve you.