3 Expert-Rated Online Project Management Courses for New PMOs

As a Project Management Officer (PMO), you will support successful project delivery by providing standards for project management. In addition, you'll empower project managers, as well as increase the visibility of project management across the organization. To achieve these key objectives and remain relevant, you need to be consistent and proactive in your work and your professional development.
Dedicating time to training will make you better at your job, benefit the business-at-large, and will, of course, help to make the case for future promotions. In short, you will be more effective in your role. 
According to research from PMI, organizations that are effective at portfolio management had 62 percent of products meet or exceed expected ROI. 
With those benefits in mind, here are 3 expert-rated online project management courses for new PMOs:

Project Management Basics Courses

You need to communicate with project managers and other stakeholders in the language they understand. For more experienced project managers, revisiting the basics can refresh your approach to—and enthusiasm for—your work.
Here's a Coursera 'specialization' made up of 4 courses that we'd recommend:

Project Management Principles and Practices Specialization : Coursera
This specialization consists of 4 courses with an average rating of 4.7/5 from over 36,000 reviews. The lessons are run by Margaret Meloni MBA, PMP.

• Initiating and Planning Projects (5 hrs 20 mins)
• Budgeting and Scheduling Projects (5 hrs 20 mins)
• Managing Project Risks and Changes (5 hrs 20 mins)
• Project Management Project (6 hrs 40 mins)

You don't have to do them all in one go—Coursera makes it easy for you to pick and choose which you'd like to complete. If you're looking for a one-stop PMO boot camp, this is it.

We also recommend this other course from Coursera:

Project Management: The Basics for Success: Coursera
This course gathers the essential components of project management, people management and team leadership into one program. Rob Stone, PMP, M.Ed. heads up these lessons.
This one is 8 hours in total and covers the following topics:

• The role of high performance teams and leadership in project management.
• Tools and techniques for developing and strengthening high-performance teams.
• Stages in the project lifecycle.
• Best practices to develop competencies and skills in planning and managing projects.
• How to monitor project activities and assess progress.
• How to communicate proficiently with all stakeholders.

Rated 4.6/5 with over 9,000 reviews, this is a popular, slightly more condensed option.

A note on Coursera pricing
Coursera offers a 7-day free trial with a subscription fee of around $30 per month thereafter. Financial aid is also available for a range of courses they provide.

PfMP Exam Preparation Course

If you're thinking of taking the Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) exam, Udemy has a course that'll help you prepare.

Get Your PfMP Certification on Your First Attempt: Udemy
Participants have given the course an average rating of 4.2/5 from 235 reviews and over one thousand students have taken it.
Revision course cost: $13.99
Exam cost: $1,000
Topics covered include:

• Definitions of the project, program and portfolio as per the PMI.
• Outline of portfolio management, portfolio management process groups and the five portfolio management knowledge areas.
• A dictionary of portfolio management tools and techniques.
• Important portfolio management tips to complete your understanding of the portfolio management standards.
• A case study to help you put these principles into practice.

If you need to get PfMP exam-ready, this is a revision tool worth considering.

Knowledge is Power

Whether you are a seasoned PMO or someone who has just entered the project management world, it's essential to maintain and improve your skillset in order to advance in your career. PMOs with project management certifications can get an edge over others and command higher salaries than those with experience alone.
Start working on and improving these skills, today, with the courses listed above. If you've found this post helpful, check out the Planisware blog for more expert articles.