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| Take the Lead
Four global professionals share how earning their PMP® credential gives them the credibility with stakeholders—and within their own organizations—to put project management procedures in place.
 When it came to implementing project management procedures, Winnie Chow, PMP, always had the support of senior management at her organization. However, showing clients the benefits of project management did not come as easily—until her company required many of its employees to obtain the Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential.
“Our CEO saw the vision of providing project management as a key strategy for improving results, and he mandated that all of the employees who report directly to him should hold a PMP credential,” Ms. Chow says.
Since earning her PMP credential in 2004, Ms. Chow has shown clients the importance of project management. “My clients recognize the PMP qualification as a professional measure of my project management abilities,” she says. As a PMP credential holder, Ms. Chow is seen as a subject matter expert by stakeholders—who in turn trust her to use project management methodology to host events that help them generate corporate awareness or business leads.
Because of her PMP credential, Ms. Chow is able to implement formal and systematic procedures for the approximately 20 projects she works on each year. “My PMP [credential] has given me added credibility with clients because it stands for quality,” she says.
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 As a solution architect and project manager for SAP AG, effective communication is indispensable for Wei-Ping Wu, Ph.D., PMP, who often works with clients who have limited knowledge of project management. “I work on projects with international customers, with different ideas and different experiences, from various industries like machinery, automotive, high-tech, chemistry, and air and defense,” says Dr. Wu, who has been a SAP consultant for more than seven years.
Before obtaining his Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential, Dr. Wu was seen by clients simply as a technology expert. Now that he has obtained the credential, they regard him as an authority on all aspects of project management, and in turn see project management as a respected profession. “It’s given me more credibility with others,” he says. “And it’s made me more confident in my abilities. It’s given me more of a chance to promote project management than before.”
Now, major companies—including U.S. Steel, Tenneco, Airbus, Siemens AG, Volvo, SwissCom, Altos Hornos de Mexico and Schneider Electric—trust him to deliver quality and risk management, prioritize project life cycles and effectively lead team members.
His next step is to spread the word. “I’ll introduce the PMP [credential] in the next department meeting and try to assist my colleagues with their project management skills based on my PMP knowledge.”
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 Rosária Russo, PMP, has been implementing project management methodology since 2002. But since obtaining her Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential in July 2004, stakeholders see her as a trusted authority on project management.
Brazilian companies hold the PMP credential in high regard and see PMP credential holders as being able to deliver results on time and under budget, Ms. Russo says. “When you say you have a PMP [credential], companies know that you can manage projects. It opens doors,” she says.
In fact, many requests for proposals in Brazil now require project management practitioners with PMP credentials, she says. “If a project manager has experience, but does not have the credential, he or she is ineligible,” Ms. Russo says, adding that the PMP credential oftentimes is required not only to lead projects, but also to teach classes in project management.
She now dedicates her career to educating others about the significance of project management and the PMP credential. Soon after attaining her PMP credential, she began teaching project management courses at area colleges. Later that year, she took that initiative a step further when she was elected financial director of the PMI São Paulo, Brazil, Chapter.
Today, she is ready to embark on a career in consulting and demonstrate to the Latin American business community how formal project management can help them manage projects on task, on time and within budget. “I can see the importance of project management everywhere, from small events such as seminars run by the PMI São Paulo Chapter to country-wide events such as our elections, which permit 120 million Brazilians to vote and find out the results within hours,” she says.
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 From coaching teams as they take new offerings to market to leading process improvement initiatives, project management methodology is essential for Teresa Light, PMP. That’s why, in 2005, Ms. Light earned her Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential—providing her the influence she needed to convince clients and key stakeholders to invest in project management.
“A lot of people misrepresent themselves, especially in the area of project management, and claim they are a project manager when they really aren’t,” she says. “So having a PMP credential is a way to substantiate that you are what you say you are.”
Prior to obtaining the credential, Ms. Light found it more difficult to sell project management, especially on smaller projects, to coworkers and senior management. Because she met the rigorous eligibility requirements of the PMP certification process, “clients know I actually understand project management and I can be counted on to deliver projects that meet the customer or internal sponsor requirements,” she says.
Because of her PMP credential, “I have more credibility with all people,” Ms. Light says. “I now have a proven track record for leading teams and programs that deliver significant, positive results.”
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