LEARNING TO SUPPORT ONLINE TRAINING IN SOFTWARE PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR BETTER WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Abstract

Online technologies are being extensively used nowadays in our personal life, as well as in our work life. In the continuously expanding industries which develop software extensively, one of the many practices impacted by the online environment for some time now is project management. While training to become a project manager, one can use traditional ways such as attending to university or academic courses, learning from hard copies or digital versions of courses and books, but also modern ways such as e-learning, using dedicated online courses, platforms, tools and software. Some of these resources are free of charge, but others are paid and some are quite expensive, especially if they are accredited and lead to professional certification. That's why not many project management students afford certifications and would rather try to get certified, if possible, after getting employed. However, some of the medium sized to large companies out there developing software, such as IT companies or banks, invest a lot in training their employees and have a generous training budget for each employee, allowing them to take the desired courses and certifications. But what are the main e-learning resources, software and online tools currently used by project managers in the software industry? This paper is a literature survey based on recent articles and data that aims to answer the previous question and to discuss the improvements brought by online courses, tools and resources in project managers' quality of work and life, thus helping them to achieve a better work-life balance.