Project Management Certifications
Project Management certifications provide a way for project management professionals in any industry to advance their knowledge and obtain recognition for their skills and abilities. The Project Management Institute (PMI) provides five certifications that are globally recognized, with over 300,000 certificates held worldwide. These certifications are applicable to any type of project management including construction, government and Information Technology, among many others.
Employers value these certifications because it provides them with an unbiased evaluation of a person's qualifications which they can use to evaluate job applicants and existing staff. Certificate holders demonstrate a commitment to their profession which can result in higher earnings, increased job opportunities and improved job satisfaction.
Project Management Certifications Available
The Project Management Institute offers five certifications as described below:
Project Management Professional (PMP) – The PMP is this most commonly obtained certification. It validates a project manager's knowledge and skills in leading and directing project teams and delivering project results within schedule, resource and budget constraints.
Certified Associate of Project Management (CAPM) - This certification is designed for project team members and validates their understanding of fundamental knowledge of project management terminology and processes.
Program Management Professional (PgMP) - This certification validates the skills needed to oversee multiple, related projects that are aligned with an organizational strategy.
PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP) - This certification verifies advanced specialized skills involved with creating and maintaining a project schedule.
PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP) - This certification focuses on the specialized area of identifying and assessing project risks while mitigating risks and taking advantage of opportunities.
Preparing for Exams
It is recommended that a training course be taken to prepare for each of these exams. Courses can be found at numerous online schools and technical training schools with many options available to suit each person's lifestyle. Boot-camps, online courses, and in-person courses are typically available with a variety of scheduling options. Self-study videos are also available. Prices for courses start at a few hundred dollars for a self-study video and rise to several thousand dollars for a boot-camp or traditional class.
Exam Content
PMP – This exam is based on PMI's "Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge" (PMBOK-Guide) and covers the following six areas of project management: initiating, planning, executing, controlling, closing and professional responsibility. It is a general exam, applicable to any industry.
CAPM - This exam covers the same six areas as the PMP exam but is limited to basic understanding of terminology and processes.
PgMP -This exam is based on PMI's "The Standard for Program Management " and covers the twelve knowledge areas presented in the book. Some topics include integration, scope, procurement and stakeholder management.
PMI-SP - The topics included in this exam include schedule mission management, schedule creation, schedule maintenance, schedule analysis and schedule communication and reporting.
PMI-RMP - This exam is based on PMI's "Practice Standard for Project Risk Management" and covers risk communication, risk analysis, risk response planning and risk governance.
Obtaining Certification
These certifications require an in-depth application process which takes a minimum of eight hours to complete. Once the application is approved, candidates need to pass the exam within one year. The PgMP certification also involves a muti-rater assessment performed by twelve of the person's colleagues. Certification exams are taken at Prometric testing locations, available worldwide. A person can take the exam up to three times within the year after approval, if necessary. Exams prices have recently been starting at $300 for the CAPM exam for non-members and have been about $1800 for the PgMP exam for non-members. Exam prices are lower for members and are subject to change.
Maintaining Certifications
Each of the five PMI certifications is valid for three years. To maintain certification, certificate holders must earn a specific number of Professional Development Units (PDUs) by attending education classes and participating in professional activities. The number of PDUs required varies by certificate. Certificate holders must also complete an application and pay a renewal fee.Who Should get What Kind of Project Management Certification?
PMP – This certification is for project managers who lead cross-functional teams to deliver projects with time, budget and scope constraints. Candidates who have a bachelor's degree need to have at least three years of project management experience and at least 35 hours of project management education.
CAPM - This certification is appropriate for those who are members of a project team as a subject matter expert or in another role. It is also a good fit for those just beginning in project management and don't yet have the experience to qualify for the PMP certification. Candidates must have either completed 23 hours of project management education or have 1500 hours of professional experience on a project team.
PgMP - This certification is for program managers who manage complex, multi-functional programs that involve multiple organizations, geographic locations or cultures. Their advanced skills include communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, leadership, influence, finance and cross-cultural awareness. Candidates must have a minimum of four years of project management experience and four years of program management experience.
PMI-SP - Designed for those with advanced skills in project scheduling, this certification requires candidates with a bachelor's degree have at least 3500 hours of project scheduling experience and 30 hours of project scheduling education.
PMI-RMP - This certification is for project team members who are responsible for assessing and mitigating project risks. Those who have a bachelor's degree must have 3000 hours of project risk management experience and 30 hours of project risk management education.
Evaluating Training Options
Some factors to consider when making a decision about where to take training classes are discussed below:
- Experience and education – Some training courses provide more thorough training than others so choosing a course that is suited to one's own educational and experience background can result in money and time saved and ensure that the person is adequately prepared for the exam.
- Training Method - Individual learning styles should be taken into consideration when choosing whether to take an online course, an intensive boot-camp style course, a classroom course or to use a self-study video. For instance, someone who learns best in an intensive, focused environment may want to take a boot-camp style course.
- Curriculum - PMI regularly updates it's body of knowledge guides and exam questions so it is important that the course chosen is using the most recent version of the curriculum.
About the Project Management Institute
The Project Management Institute is a non-profit, member supported organization that's goal is to advance the practice, science and profession of project management. There are over a million members worldwide.
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