Changes are coming to the Project Management Institutes (PMI)® Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program. As a PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP)® you should be aware of how these changes will impact the path toward your certification renewal.
The CCR program updates are intended to help the program better correlate to the project talent needs of businesses. Project management talent demands are high, if not rising. However, employers are seeking project management talent with a broader range of skills that better support strategic objectives. The project management skill set sought by employers is demonstrated in the PMI Talent Triangle™.
Each of the three aspects of the PMI Talent Triangle has an equal weighting, and are as follows: Technical Project Management, Leadership, and Strategic & Business Management. An emphasis on the PMI Talent Triangle is soon to be incorporated into the CCR program, and the updated requirements will provide a more guided program.
However, the overall framework of the CCR program is mostly unchanged, where certified PMPs earn professional development units (PDU) in categories of Education and ‘Giving Back’.
This article describes changes to the CCR program to help prepare certified PMPs with the knowledge they need to adjust their CCR achievement plan accordingly.
Because the framework of the CCR program is mostly unchanged, you can still earn PDUs for all the activities you could in the past. These include:
- Taking course work from registered education providers
- Attending educational activities and events
- Self-directed learning activities, such as reading project management books
- Creating new knowledge in project management
- Volunteering
- Experience as a project manager
The difference is the new emphasis on the PMI Talent Triangle, Figure 1.
Figure 1
The PMI Talent TriangleTM is a service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
This impacts, in particular, how education professional development units (PDU) are earned. The table in Figure 2 displays the required distribution of PDUs among Talent Triangle Technical Project Management, Leadership, and Business & Strategic Management skill areas.
Figure 2
You must earn at least 8 PDUs from each area on the Talent TriangleTM. This comes to 24 PDUs focused on the PMI Talent Triangle. As shown in the table, 11 PDUs are like freebies that can be from any of the three talent skill areas. Also, the total minimum Education PDUs comes to 35, but you can earn more, if you like.
The new CCR guidelines also restrict or limit PDUs earned from activities that ‘Give Back’ to the profession. The table in Figure 3 shows the breakdown.
Figure 3
Note that only a total of 25 PDUs may be described as ‘Give Back’ to the project management community. However, all 25 of these PDUs may come from either Creating New Project Management Knowledge or Volunteering. A maximum of only 8 PDUs are allowed from experience as a Project Professional. This is lower than the previous guidelines allowance and may be discouraging news to those whose project management work used to earn them up to 15-PDUs per cycle from this category alone.
It is important to note that these requirements are in place for all PDUs earned on or after December 1, 2015. PDUs submitted before the December launch date may be submitted the usual way. Prepare your educational CCRs, accordingly, so you will stay on track to achieving your required 60-PDUs before your certification expires, which will make certain you maintain your certification status in good standing.
Summary
In an effort to emphasize the PMI Talent Triangle desired by businesses, additional guidelines were applied to the education PDUs, and further restrictions were placed on ‘Give Back’ professional PDUs. Again, the main framework is the same, but you are directed to study the skill areas of Technical Project Management, Leadership, and Business & Strategic Management.
The switch over occurs on December 1, 2015, so complete your PDUs before then or adjust your certification renewal path, as needed. The new CCR process is designed to make PMI certifications more sellable to businesses, and in turn improve the benefits that are well worth the required level of effort.
Survey
What knowledge and skills are most important to you? Take our survey here and get a copy of the results.
PMI and PMP are registered marks and The PMI Talent Triangle is a service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.