PDU Opportunities
Add Multiple Credentials to Your NameAlthough the Project Management Professional (PMP®) and Program Management Professional (PgMP)® credentials serve two different roles, for many practitioners earning both credentials improves their credibility, resumes and earning potential.
Last October PMI completed a pilot program for the PgMP credential. And although it was not a requirement, many of these participants already held the PMP.
Here, a handful of these multiple credential holders tell PMP Passport why they added more letters to their names and what effect it has had on their careers.
PMP vs. PgMP
The PgMP is not always the next step for PMP credential holders. In fact, project management and program management are two different disciplines.
“Project management focuses on the deliverable, while program management focuses on the bigger business picture,” says Kwang Gu Baek, PMP, PgMP, manager of program management at Knorr-Bremse Railway Systems Korea, Soeul, South Korea.
But in some instances, a project manager advances into the program management role and the PgMP becomes a natural evolution.
Roger Milley, PMP, PgMP, IT/IM functional excellence manager, Exploration and Production—Americas for Shell in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, first earned his PMP credential, which immersed him in standard vocabulary and improved his overall effectiveness. His responsibilities grew.
“I had seen my career evolve from project management to program management, where I was overseeing groups of interrelated projects that were necessary to achieve an overarching strategy. The PgMP seemed like a good fit,” Mr. Milley says.
Benefits to You and to Your Organization
Earning another PMI credential has its obvious advantages for the individual. As Mr. Baek discovered since earning the PgMP credential, he has received a promotion with a salary increase and new job offers.
LeRoy Ward, PMP, PgMP, executive vice president of ESI International, a company that offers training programs and curriculum, in Arlington, Virginia, USA, said that participating in the PgMP pilot even advanced his knowledge base.
“I don’t care how long you have been practicing project and program management. Preparing for the PgMP and going through the process will teach you new ideas and techniques that will improve your skills,” he says.
But individuals are not the only ones to benefit from the PgMP. Organizations also reap the rewards.
“The PgMP, being a framework with a structured approach, will help me establish governance structure for delivering better business results as per industry best practices,” says Ajaibir Singh, PMP, PgMP, assistant vice president, Quality, Genpact (formerly GE Capital Services), Gurgaon/Delhi.
And for those who are consultants and trainers, earning the PgMP credential early was a way stay ahead of their clients’ needs and the competition.
“It was important to my organization because we've run programs for several years and several of our clients were interested in pursuing the PgMP. The best way I could validate our expertise as well as advise them was to put myself into it,” says Beth Ouellette, PMP, PgMP, president and chief consultant, The Ouellette Group LLC, Short Hills, New Jersey, USA.
The PgMP credential recognizes those who achieve an organizational objective through defining and overseeing multiple, related projects and their resources. Join more than 100 practicioners who have earned the PgMP credential since last October.
Candidates must pass three evaluations that include:
- Application Review—a panel of program managers reviews applicants’ professional project and program management experience.
- Multiple-Choice Examination—candidates demonstrate their ability to apply knowledge and skills to both situational and scenario-based questions.
- Multi-rater Assessment—candidates select supervisors, peers and project team members to rate their ability to perform tasks that are pertinent to program management.
For more information, read the PgMP credential handbook online.
