Professional Development Units (PDUs)

Professional Development Units (PDUs) is a way to maintain your certificate credential(s). If you hold the PMP^®, PgMP^®, PMI-SP^®, or PMI-RMP^® credential(s), you are required to adhere to the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program, which supports ongoing professional development through education and giving back to the profession.

Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities to earn professional development units (PDUs) toward maintaining your credential(s).

While courses and seminars are ideal ways to stay up-to-date with project management best practices, many other activities occurring in your daily professional life may count toward PDUs, too.

Continue Your Education

1. Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.) Courses : There are more than 1,100 PMI R.E.P.s worldwide who offer courses that are pre-approved for PDUs.
2. E-Learning : PMI’s e-Learning offerings allow you to increase your understanding of project management and apply real-world knowledge through simulations at your own pace. These include our eSeminarsWorld^SM courses and our Publication Quizzes.
3. PMI Community Offerings : PMI chapters and communities of practice hold events, meetings, webinars and educational sessions. PMI members can join these communities and take advantage of their offerings.
4. PMI^® Global Congresses and Regional Events : Attend a congress or regional event and learn, network and get inspired.
5. SeminarsWorld : Held throughout the year, SeminarsWorld events provide in-depth coverage of a single topic for beginning, mid-level and experienced project professionals.
6. Self-Directed Learning: PMI will recognize activities that involve personally conducted research or study, including discussions or coaching sessions with colleagues or clients. Such activities should make use of informational materials like CD-ROMs, articles, books, videos or instructional manuals.
7. Educational Programs by Outside Providers: PMI recognizes relevant educational activities or programs offered by organizations not registered with PMI.

Give Back to the Profession

8. Creating new content. Write project management-related books and articles for professional print or electronic publications, including PMI’s numerous publications or PMI Knowledge Shelf. If you’re web savvy, write a blog for your company or organization, or present a podcast or webinar. Check out PMI’s Voices on Project Management blog.
9. Volunteer Service: Earn PDUs for providing your professional services to an organization or group outside of your employer; this includes any elected offices you hold for a project management organization. PMI also has many volunteer opportunities.
10. Doing Your Job: When you practice project (project scheduling, risk, or program) management professionally, you can claim PDUs. If you work every day as a project manager, this counts toward credential maintenance.

All activities must be related to project management topics that are substantially consistent with the knowledge areas and processes outlined in the latest edition of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^®Guide) and involve appropriate expert resources.

Source: Project Management Institute (PMI)

PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)

PMI’s Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP) credential is a response to project management’s increasing growth, complexity and diversity. Globally recognized and demanded, the PMI-SP fills the need for a specialist role in project scheduling.

It recognizes your unique expertise and competence to develop and maintain project schedules, while still possessing baseline knowledge skills in all areas of project management.

The PMI-SP demonstrates skill and competence in the specialized area of project scheduling. If you’re looking to fill the scheduling specialist role on your project team, hone your basic project management skills and showcase your specialized expertise to employers, the PMI-SP credential is for you.

To apply for the PMI-SP, you need to have either:

• A four-year degree (bachelor’s or the global equivalent), with at least 3,500 hours of project scheduling experience and 30 hours of project scheduling education.
  
  OR
• A secondary diploma (high school or the global equivalent) with at least 5,000 hours of project scheduling experience and 40 hours of project scheduling education.

To apply for the PMI-SP, register and log in to PMI online system to get started. A printable PMI-SP application form is also available.

As part of PMI’s Continuing Certification Requirements program, a PMI-SP credential holder will need to earn 30 PDUs in the specialized area of project scheduling per three-year cycle. To learn more about the program, what are PDUs, how to earn and claim them, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to renew your certification, watch the CCR video. You can also reference the latest PMI-SP Handbook found on PMI.org.

Source: Project Management Institute (PMI)

PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)

PMI’s Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP) credential is a response to project management’s increasing growth, complexity and diversity. Globally recognized and demanded, the PMI-RMP^® fills the need for a specialist role in project risk management.

It recognizes your unique expertise and competency in assessing and identifying project risks, mitigating threats and capitalizing on opportunities, while still possessing a baseline knowledge and practical application in all areas of project management.

The PMI-RMP demonstrates skill and competence in the specialized area of project risk management. If you’re looking to fill the risk management specialist role on your project team, hone your basic project management skills and showcase your specialized expertise to employers, the PMI-RMP credential is for you.

To apply for the PMI-RMP, you need to have either:

• A four-year degree (bachelor’s or the global equivalent), with at least 3,000 hours of project risk management experience and 30 hours of project risk management education.
  
  OR
• A secondary diploma (high school or the global equivalent) with at least 4,500 hours of project risk management experience and 40 hours of project risk management education.

To apply for the PMI-RMP, register and log in to PMI online system to get started. A printable PMI-RMP application form is also available.

As part of PMI’s Continuing Certification Requirements program, a PMI-RMP credential holder will need to earn 30 PDUs in the specialized area of project risk management per three-year cycle. To learn more about the program, what are PDUs, how to earn and claim them, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to renew your certification, watch the CCR video. You can also reference the latest PMI-RMP Handbook found on PMI.org

Source: Project Management Institute (PMI)

PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)

The PMI-ACP recognizes knowledge of agile principles, practices and tools and techniques across agile methodologies. If you use agile practices in your projects, or your organization is adopting agile approaches to project management, the PMI-ACP certification may be right for you.

The use of agile as an approach to managing projects has been increasing dramatically over the last several years. Gartner predicts that by the end of 2012, agile development methods will be used on 80% of all software development projects. PMI’s research has shown that the use of agile has tripled from December 2008 to May 2011. Furthermore, research demonstrates the value that agile can have in decreasing product defects, improving team productivity, and increasing delivery of business value. The PMI-ACP is positioned to recognize and validate knowledge of this important approach.

If you are working in organizations using agile to manage projects, the PMI-ACP can provide an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of agile practices. The PMI-ACP is not limited to project managers or Project Management Professional (PMP)^® credential holders; individuals with experience working on agile project teams can apply.

Practitioners who are seeking to:

• Demonstrate to employers their level of professionalism in agile practices of project management.
• Increase their professional versatility in both Waterfall and agile techniques.
• Hold a certification that is more credible than existing entry-level, training or exam-only based offerings.

To apply for the PMI-ACP, you need to meet the following requirements:

PMI Agile Certification Eligibility Requirements
Requirement	Description
General Project Experience	2,000 hours working on project teams These hours must be earned within the last 5 years Active PMP® or PgMP® will satisfy this requirement
Agile Project Experience	1500 hours working on agile project teams or with agile methodologies These hours are in addition to the 2,000 hours required in “general project experience” These hours must be earned within the last 3 years
Training in Agile Practices	21 contact hours Hours must be earned in agile practices
Examination	Tests knowledge of agile fundamentals

To apply for the PMI-ACP, register and log in to get started. A printable PMI-ACP printable application form is also available.

As part of PMI’s Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program, a PMI-ACP credential holder will need to earn 30 PDUs in agile project management per three-year cycle. To learn more about the program, what are PDUs, how to earn and claim them, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to renew your certification, watch the CCR video. You can also reference the latest PMI-ACP Handbook found on PMI.org

Source: Project Management Institute (PMI)

PMI Certifications Overview

Project Management Institute (PMI) offers a comprehensive certification program for project practitioners of all education and skill levels. Currently consisting of six credentials, the program demonstrates both your commitment to the profession and your expertise through certifying education, experience and competency. Rigorously developed by project managers, PMI certifications ensure that you and your projects excel.

As project management is one of the top skillsets demanded by organizations around the world, this is more important now than ever before. One-fifth of the world’s GDP, or more than $12 trillion, is spent on projects. And with many skilled practitioners leaving or scheduled to leave the workforce due to retirement — a trend the Society of Human Resources (SHRM) identifies as having a major strategic impact for 64% of organizations worldwide — there is a great demand for knowledgeable project managers

When these opportunities arise, certification helps make sure that you’ll be ready. There are already more than 460,000 PMI credential holders around the world and in every industry, from healthcare, telecommunications and finance to IT and construction.

The 2010 PMI Pulse of the Profession study found that organizations with more than 35% PMP certified project managers had better project performance. And according to a 2007 PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, 80% of high-performing projects use a credentialed project manager. Make sure you’re one of them by earning a PMI certification.

The decision to earn a project management certification is a big one, so make sure you choose one that best fits your current expertise and your future career plans.

1. Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
2. Project Management Professional (PMP)
3. Program Management Professional (PgMP)
4. PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
5. PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)
6. PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)

You can apply for any certification that matches your qualifications, and no certification serves as a prerequisite for another.

Source: Project Management Institute (PMI)