14 September 2007

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Program Management Professional Credential Will Launch
on 1 October

As of 1 October, program managers will be able to obtain a prestigious credential that recognizes their knowledge, experience and skills with PMI’s Program Management Professional (PgMP^SM).

The PgMP credential recognizes those practitioners who are responsible for the coordinated management of multiple, related projects that advance organizational objectives and strategic goals.

Building on the rigorous process it takes to achieve other certifications in PMI’s family of credentials, the PgMP uses three pass/fail evaluations that include:

An application review by a panel of program managers,

A multiple-choice examination and

A Multi-rater Assessment (MRA) in which a team of raters that the candidate selects review the candidate’s abilities to perform tasks that are relevant to program management.

“I was surprised (in a good way) at the difficulty in the process… it’s definitely not an achievement that can be met by a weekend of study or crash course,” said David Attard, PMP, PgMP, administrative director, biomedical engineering and emergency management at Harris County Hospital District in Houston, Texas, USA.

Completing the three evaluations not only allows program managers to assess their knowledge and skills against industry standards but also provides them with feedback through the MRA process that they can use for professional development.

“It was a very good opportunity to test myself to find where [my skills are] located [according to] program management standards and to see where I need to develop in this specialty…” said Kwang Gu Baek, PMP, PgMP, program manager for Eaton Korea, an automotive company in Pyungtek-Si, Republic of Korea.

Mr. Attard and Mr. Gu Baek are among the first PgMP credential holders worldwide, who participated in the pilot conducted earlier this year.

Because the evaluations are progressed in an online environment, a panel of program managers from across the globe are able to assess the candidate’s professional experience in the first evaluation. Candidates also can select MRA raters from anywhere in the world to participate in the third evaluation.

“PMI has certainly made a good decision when launching this credential in a truly global manner...” said Daniel A. Luna Jeri, PMP, PgMP, program manager for Alcatel-Lucent in Lima, Peru.

Candidates may be eligible for the PgMP credential with a minimum of four years of professional project management experience and four years of professional program management experience, but in many instances, the experience documented on applications exceeds those minimum requirements.

Like Project Management Professional (PMP^®) credential holders, PgMP credential holders participate in the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program to maintain the credential and to continue their education and professional development in the field.

Also, those practitioners dedicated to earning the PgMP credential are more likely to seek project managers and project team members who have similar certifications, such as the PMP and the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM^®). PMI's family of credentials measure knowledge, skills and abilities in the same manner.