Whether it's an MBA, Ph.D. or Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential, advanced training and the designation that comes along with it confer power and authority. In the eyes of employers, the three letters, PMP, are shorthand for skills, ability and leadership.
PMP certification adds to the respect that a project manager commands, according to Chris Kindermans, PMP, founder and owner of Proyecta, Mechelen, Belgium. It vouches for that person's capabilities, experience and grasp of the project management knowledge base, he says. In fact, to ensure that newly credentialed PMP holders are up on the latest tasks, knowledge and skills in the rapidly evolving field, PMI debuted new certification tests in September 2005.
Mr. Kindermans says obtaining a PMP certificate isn't just a matter of gaining theoretical and conceptual knowledge. “One has to have first-hand experience in the initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing processes,” he says. Mr Kindermans cites his own experience leading several large information and communication technology projects as being indispensable in leading to his certification and beyond.
Candidates for the PMP must have 7,500 hours in a position of responsibility leading and directing project tasks within 60 months of project management experience. Those with a baccalaureate degree (or equivalent) are required to have 4,500 hours leading and directing project tasks within 36 months of project management experience.
Consider the case of Ken Holley, who says he “fell into” project management. He realized that the work he was performing—order engagement, planning, cost monitoring was project management in all but name. To formalize his project management knowledge, he joined PMI and achieved his PMP credential in about three years. “I thought that project management was an emerging profession,” Mr. Holley says. “A lot of businesses are putting structures around growth deliverables using the project management methodology.”
Maintain Your Edge
PMP holders must obtain a minimum of 60 professional development units per three-year cycle beginning on 1 January following the date the certification exam is successfully passed. Credits can be earned by attending continuing education classs offered by your employer or external provider, enrolling in academic institutes, attending project management-related meetings, writing books and articles about project management, reading project management literature or volunteering with PMI to progress the profession—to name a few activities that will earn you PDUs.
CAPM holders are certified for five years. Before the end of their fifth year, they may take the CAPM exam again to retain the certification or apply for the PMP exam if eligible. The CAPM examination will have been updated in this timeframe to reflect the next edition of the PMBOK® Guide so retesting for the CAPM reflects an ongoing mastery of project management information. Recertification applications for both can be filled out online at www.pmi.org/prod/groups/public/documents/info/PDC_Cert_CCR_Rep_Forms.asp.
Today, Mr. Holley serves as financials practice leader with the iE3 Group Ltd., Auckland, New Zealand. He says the training he undertook to obtain the PMP credential helps him align the interests and goals of relevant stakeholders. Along with boosting his own skill set, Mr. Holley is able to teach other project managers how to improve their own performance in a number of areas including communications.
Rodolpho Ambriz, PMP, managing director at the International Institute for Learning Mexico says the reading he did for the exam helped him open his mind and increase his knowledge to different approaches. Once he received his PMP, he says, he had a great network of colleagues all over the world.
“The PMP certification has provided a level of integrity to my project CV,” says Diane Bussey, PMP, managing director of FACT Solutions Ltd., Auckland, New Zealand. It serves as an “indication of my commitment to furthering the project management profession. In addition, it has provided a basis for further study by providing a common project language and general best practices as seen by my peers in the project management profession.”
PMP certification can be too difficult for some project managers to achieve, especially if they are just starting out in the field or if their experience was not at the leading or directing level. Enter the CAPM. Although it's not as well-known as the PMP, the CAPM fills the need for credentialing project team members or project managers who have not met the requirements for the PMP. For entry-level project managers as well as team members, the CAPM provides grounding in the industry's terminology, Ms. Bussey says. And for team members who don't necessarily want to pursue a formal project management career path or are entering the career path, the CAPM credential offers an acknowledgement that they have the necessary knowledge to help the project manager deliver success.
Some project managers opt to pursue an MBA, but Ms. Bussey says it's not always a stepping stone within a project-related career. “General management training such as delivered by an MBA is useful as background,” she says. “However, there are many ways to gain that knowledge in a project environment.” Instead, Ms. Bussey recommends seeking one of the many master's degree programs specializing in project management work. She also suggests working on people-related skills: leadership, strategic alignment, implementation, and building and managing teams.
Project managers trying to squeeze time for credentials into already overcrowded calendars should view training as an investment in their futures.
“To be a project manager requires constant, consistent effort in growing new skills,” says Ms. Bussey. “To make the time in a tight schedule, you need to plan for it.” She suggests dividing available resources along a 10:70:20 ratio, with 10 percent devoted to the future, 70 applied to present duties and 20 toward organizing past achievements. Those “resources” include both time and money. “Allocate some budget to training not only for the project team, but for yourself as well,” she says.
Worldwide Endeavor
Throughout the world, an increasing number of PMPs are assuming their places as leaders of the project management profession. “PMP volume is certainly on the rise,” says Chris Kindermans of Proyecta.
As the Asia Pacific licensee for Cheetah Learning Inc., Diane Bussey has a good perspective to see the expansion of PMP credential in her region. “I believe it won't be long before there are more PMPs outside of the United States than inside,” she says.
When Rodolfo Ambriz became a PMP at the beginning of 1998, not many people had heard of either the credential or PMI in Mexico. Things are starting to change in Latin America, however. Some companies, particularly in the IT business, have begun demanding PMP-certified project managers, Mr. Ambriz says. However, most of his clients at the International Institute for Learning in Mexico City, Mexico, still are taking the PMP classes to improve their project management skills rather than for the caché of the PMP certification, per se.
Some public bids in Mexico now require that a PMP-certified project manager be available to assume charge of a project before a proposal even can be presented. Mexico is not alone in taking that path. Ms. Bussey says PMP certification is required for all those working on government-related projects in India.
Continuing education and training, an integral part of the certification process, are vital to your success as a project manager. The time and money you invest in yourself will allow you to reap rewards down the line and grow into a better, more accomplished project manager.
Aaron Dalton is a freelance writer based in New York, N.Y., USA. He contributes regularly to business publications such as CMO, IndustryWeek and Workforce Management.