Content Outline of this Post:

What is the PMP Certification?
What are the PMP Certification Requirements?
How can I apply for the PMP Certification Exam?
What is the PMP Certification Cost?
What is the PMP Certification Exam Structure?
What Are the PMP Certification Knowledge Areas?
What Are the PMP Certification Exam Formulas?
How Should I Study for the PMP Exam?
How Can I Earn PMP PDUs?
When is the Next PMP Certification Exam Date?
What is the PMP Certification Exam Passing Score?
What Are the Benefits of PMP Certification?
How can I Renew PMP Certification?
What Changes in the PMP Certification Exam and When?
Conclusion

What is the PMP Certification?

Project Management Professional (PMP Certification) is the most significant and industry-recognized certification for project managers. PMP certification is truly global i.e. once you become PMP certified, you can work virtually in any industry, any location, using any methodology irrespective of any geography or domain.

PMP Certification benefits employees as well as employers. In regard to employee salary, PMP certified individuals garner a higher salary (20% higher on average) than non-certified individuals. And, in regard to employers, in the organizations having more than 1/3 of PMP certified project managers; more of the projects get completed on time, on budget and meeting original goals.

PMP Certification signifies that PMP certified individuals speak and understand the global language of project management. Further, PMP Certification connects you to a community of professionals, organizations and experts worldwide.

History of PMP Certification                     

It all started with ESA (Project Management Ethics, Standards and Accreditation) when a project team assignment was initiated at the suggestion of Matthew H. Parry. Matthew H. Parry served at different positions such as Chairman from 1977-1978, President 1976 and Vice President (Functional Operations) and he wanted to professionalize the project management. After 2 years, a special report on August 1983 was issued. This report mentioned that The ESA project has proposed a Code of Ethics for project management which is included in this special report.

A proposed set of topic areas that would constitute the framework for the unique body of project management knowledge and that are critical to the recognition of a project management profession was also presented. Also, the set of topic areas may serve as the basis for developing minimum standards for entry into the field, a task being worked on by PMI Certification Committee chaired by Dr. M Dean Martin. The set of topics may also serve to guide the development of the first nationally accredited Master of Science in Project Management Degree Program.

Six areas of knowledge were established: Human Resources Management, Cost Management, Time Management, Communication Management, Scope Management, and Quality Management. 26 people were listed as contributors to the ESA Report.

The PMBOK

Under the direction and guidance of R. Max Wideman, First Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) got developed. A detailed report on the development of PMBOK was mentioned in the August 1986 Special Issue of Project Management Journal.

Discussions were held at PMI ’86 and written suggestions were received till Dec 1986. Thereafter, revised drafts were approved by the PMI Board of Directors during a meeting on March 28, 1987, which became effective on 1^st September 1987. This product became the basis for the development of the Project Management Professional Certification (PMP Certification) Program. Later Procurement got added in the August 1986 report and Risk Management got added prior to approval by PMI Board.

Evolution of PMP Certification

A detailed report got published in March 1984 Project Management Journal about “PMP Program: Certifying Project Managers”. This report detailed the process for becoming certified and identified 3 areas in which points could be earned towards certification i.e. Education, Experience and Service

As a result, the First Certification Examination was held on October 6, 1984, in Philadelphia.

There are currently 850,000 active PMI members and more than 750,000 active PMP credential holders globally.

What are the PMP Certification Requirements?

A project manager who meets the following requirements should apply for PMP certification:

1. Lead and direct cross-functional teams to deliver projects within constraints of budget, schedule, and resources.
2. Responsible for all aspects of the project for the life of a project.
3. Indicate enough knowledge and experience to apply a methodology to projects that have well-defined project requirements and deliverables.

PMP Certification prerequisites are:

PMP Certification Education Requirement

An applicant should have a secondary degree i.e. high school diploma, associate degree or global equivalent

OR possess a four-year degree course

PMP Certification Experience Requirement

If an applicant has a secondary degree then he/she should have worked for 7500 hours of leading and directing projects

OR

In case an applicant has a four-year degree then he/she should have worked for 4500 hours of leading and directing projects.

35 Hours of Project Management Education or CAPM Certification

Either applicant should attend project management training for 35 hours so that he/she will get 35 contact hours (PDUs)

Or the applicant should be CAPM Certified i.e. Certified Associate in project management.

How can I apply for the PMP Certification Exam?

It takes only 3 steps to become certified. There are 3 steps to fill the application:-

Step 1. Confirm that you are eligible

First of all, make sure that you fulfil PMP Certification eligibility requirements mentioned in the above section. That means you should have an education qualification mentioned in the section ‘PMP Certification Requirement’. Then you should have attended PMP training. Further, you should possess project management experience. Once you meet all prerequisites, then you are ready to fill the form.

Step 2 Gather your info

1. Document your experience and training by gathering information about projects you have led

• Where you have worked
• Your roles and responsibilities
• Duration of projects

2. The training you have completed

• Institutions attended
• Courses Completed
• Qualifying hours

Step 3: You need a PMI.org account to start filling the application form. You can save the application and can collect the required information as you go forward.

PMP Certification Exam application is easy but it is quite tedious and time-consuming since it asks for lots of information which may take some time.

There are 2 ways to fill out the form i.e. Online and Paper application.

PMP Certification Online Application

The application form has 3 sections.

The first section asks for general information. The second section asks for project management experience. And the last section asks for 35 Contact hours earned by attending project management education.

1. You need to fill the following information in the online application form which will guide you through the process

• Contact Information: Email, Address, Phone Number
• Education attained: School Attended, Level of Education Attained, Degree Date
• Domain Experience: Details of the projects, programs, and portfolios you have worked on. You should include qualifying hours, dates of employment, role, organization details, reference and experience summary
• Domain Education: Names of courses completed, institutions attended, dates and qualifying hours

Once you start filling the application, it remains active for 90 days.

PMP Certification Paper Application

Another way to fill the application form of PMP Certification is paper application. Hence this is an offline mode here, you have to send your application through courier. The application form is similar to the one discussed above.

PMP Certification Application Review Process

1. When PMI receives the application, they confirm that you meet the eligibility criteria, your experience and education is valid and consistent with the guidelines stated in certification handbook
2. Typically application review period will take 5-10 days.
3. A number of applications are randomly chosen for audit. PMI conducts application audits to confirm the experience and education documented on certification applications.

Payment

1. Once PMI notifies that the application is approved. Now it is time to make payment via an online system.
2. After that PMI receives the payment, PMI emails you the eligibility number that you can use to schedule your test appointment. This is valid for one year and you may take the exam up to 3 times during the year.

Schedule Test Appointment

You can schedule your exam appointment online or by telephone using eligibility code and scheduling instructions provided by PMI via email.

What is the PMP Certification Cost?

Of course, the cost is a vital component of PMP certification. Generally, we tend to include PMP Certification training and PMP certification exam fees and we forget the cost of time to be spent on studying for the preparation of the PMP exam.

Hence PMP Certification cost includes 3 costs i.e. Cost of PMP Certification Training + Cost of PMP Certification Exam + Cost of time spent in preparation for PMP exam.

1. PMP Certification Training Cost

 One of the prerequisites to appear for the PMP Certification exam is to attend at least 35 hours of project management training. You can attend this training in a training institute which can provide you 35 PDUs or 35 Contact hours.

Now that we are talking about PMP certification training cost, it depends upon whether you wish to take an online PMP certification course or a PMP certification course with a classroom format.

PMP Certification Classroom training cost may vary depending upon the country and place where you wish to attend. Generally, it ranges from 450 USD to 2100 USD. There is no fixed cost for the training.

Whereas the PMP Certification online course price will be less as compared to the PMP certification classroom training price. Online PMP certification training price ranges from 200 USD to 600 USD.

In PMP certification online mode, there are 2 modes:

• Online learning
• Instructor-led PMP training

PMP certification Online learning mode is a self-paced mode. Here you have the flexibility to attend the training program at your pace, location and convenient timings

Whereas in PMP certification Instructor-led training mode, you have the flexibility to attend from any location. However, you have to be present as per time slots of availability of instructor for the PMP course.

If we talk about PMP Certification instructor-led training cost, then it ranges from 750 USD to 3600 USD

You can read our Top 10 PMP Training post to see all PMP training options and ratings.

 2-  PMP Certification Exam Fee

Second cost is the PMP certification exam fee. After you have fulfilled the criteria of 35 Contact Hours, now you have to fill the application form. Once your application is accepted, you need to make the payment of the PMP Certification Exam.

If you are a PMI member then the PMP certification exam fee is 405 USD else you need to pay 555 USD.

And to become a PMI member, membership fees are as follows:

The duration of PMI membership is 1 year. Moreover, you get access to unlimited resources and webinars and materials at the PMI website.

As you can see above, it is advantageous to go for PMI membership and then to appear for the exam. Because you get the double benefit of saving money and access to unlimited PMP certification resources at the PMI website.

Likewise, you save money in the re-examination fee in case you fail the exam in the first attempt. Because the cost of the PMP certification re-examination fee is less for PMI members than non-PMI members.

3- PMP Certification Exam Preparation Time

Last but not least, the PMP Certification cost includes the cost of preparation time. This entirely depends on an individual’s project management background, experience and dedicated time to prepare for the PMP certification exam.

If you are a working professional then you can take 3-4 months’ target time and you need to spend studying 3-4 hours each day to prepare for the exam. In other words, if you cannot spare these many hours in a day then you can extend the months accordingly.

You must be coming across many training institutes with courses as “Pass PMP exam in 30 days” or “Crash PMP course in 30 days”. This is not an impossible target but even not an easy one. Because it will entirely depend upon the 3 factors i.e. background, experience in project management and time that can be devoted to the preparation of the PMP certification exam. However, this is possible in a reverse manner. This means that you have already prepared for the PMP examination in 2-3 months. Now as a final step for revision or clarification of queries, you are attending a PMP certification training as the last step before appearing for the PMP certification exam.

What is the PMP Certification Exam Structure?

PMP Certification exam has 200 multiple-choice questions and out of these 200 questions, 25 are pretest questions. This means that they will place these questions randomly in exam but they won’t score them. But the irony is that you need to attend all 200 questions with the same sincerity. Because you might not get to know which these questions are and where they are placed in the exam. The purpose of these pretest questions is to test the validity of future examinations.

As we know that there are 5 phases in a project i.e. Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling and Closing. Hereby, the distribution of PMP certification exam questions is throughout these phases along with domain professional conduct and code of ethics.

Earlier there was a separate domain of Professional conduct and code of ethics in the exam. But now PMI has distributed questions pertaining to this domain uniformly among the five domains.

The Duration

Now coming to the duration of the exam, it is 4 hours. There is no break scheduled in between. This doesn’t mean that you cannot take any break. But this break time will be counted in your 4 hours exam time only. In other words, just keep in mind that the clock is ticking and will continue to count down even if you are on break.

Besides, before starting the exam, you will be shown an awareness session. This session will explain the navigation through the exam like how to select the answer, how to mark the question for later review, how to navigate later to the marked questions etc. Duration of this session is 15 minutes. Point to note is that you are not allowed to make any notes during this duration.

These 15 minutes duration is not part of 4 hours PMP Exam duration.

Here you will find a table referring the PMP certification exam questions distribution phase-wise

This is with reference to the latest PMP exam content outline updated on June 2015 and the PMP handbook updated on 1^st Apr 2019.

Sample PMP question

Question: The project manager meets with the project team to review the lesson learned from previous projects. In what activity is the team involved?

1. Manage Performance
2. Identify Scope
3. Identify Risk
4. Project team status meeting

The correct answer is C i.e. Identify Risk

Should I Use Any PMP Book in My Study?

PMP certification is not an easy nut to crack. In fact, it requires a thorough understanding of the subject and concept. There are many books available in the market to understand the content in detail. But there is no single book that covers the entire subject. Hence you need to choose a combination of books to prepare for PMP certification.

Should I use PMBOK in my PMP Study?

PMBOK is considered the main reference guide for the preparation of PMP certification. However, it is not easy to follow. But it is the foundation of PMP certification training material used across the globe.

PMBOK Guide is an exhaustive book. But it is written in such a way that it can be used with the intention of using it during implementation. However, if we focus only on PMP certification then it is not mandatory to use it. But you can use this book in combination with other PMP Study books to prepare for the PMP certification exam.

Salient Features of PMBOK Guide are:

• PMBOK Guide is the basis for the certification exam to qualify Project Management Professional i.e. PMP Certification
• It is a collection of best practices, standards, and procedure for project management
• Experts consider this book as a bible for project managers.
• PMI originally published PMBOK in 1996.
• Currently, the latest version is PMBOK 6^th edition. PMI released on September 2017
• Every 3 to 5 years, PMI releases a new version.
• PMBOK guide offers extensive coverage of project management knowledge areas, process groups, inputs, and outputs.
• This book has been prepared by many experts across the globe

Cons of PMBOK Guide:

• This book lacks clarity and readability
• PMBOK guide is just like a reference book
• It doesn’t have any tips and tricks to prepare for PMP exam
• PMBOK guide doesn’t have sample questions to practice at the end of each chapter

Should I use any PMP Prep Book in my PMP Study?

There are different ways to prepare for PMP Certification like reading online material, using flashcards, learning online via self-paced, studying books, etc.

If you are a person who is into studying through books, you can certainly try any of the following books along with PMBOK

1- PMP Exam Prep Book by Master of Project Academy

We will list a sponsored PMP prep book as the first PMP book in this list from Master of Project Academy PMP Training provider. However, we do not review our book to provide an unbiased review of all available PMP books. We have just listed the features and strengths of our PMP book.

After helping 125,000+ professionals to pass their PMP certification exam with a 99.6% first attempt pass rate, Master of Project Academy has published this PMP prep book. Majority of the PMP books in the market cover theoretical project management knowledge with outdated teaching style. The unique aspect of this PMP book compared to other PMP books in the market is PMP® Prep Book by Master of Project Academy content has been organized like a real project.

While learning PMP exam content, you will be able to see the practical implications of theoretical knowledge and this will help you to grasp the details of PMP exam content easily. PMP Prep Book by Master of Project Academy will help you to pass PMP exam in your first attempt.  

Unique features of the PMP® Prep Book by Master of Project Academy are:

– Real-life project examples
– 100+ Must-to-Remember Master Points for the PMP® Exam
– 100+ Flash Cards – Mapping Practice for important concepts
– 500+ PMP®  Practice Questions – Answers & Detailed Rationales
– 550+ Pages PMP eBook PDF downloadable right after your purchase!

Besides, unlike the other PMP book providers, Master of Project Academy provides a sample free PMP book for you to review the PMP Prep Book before your purchase.

2- Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Certification Preparation 

• This is the best seller book for PMP Certification
• The first edition of Rita Mulcahy was published in 1990.
• Latest edition i.e. 9^th edition got published in 2018
• It conveys all relevant Exam content in a focused and simplified manner
• Every chapter has numerous questions to practice
• There are lots of tips and tricks from PMP test takers which help new aspirants to prepare for PMP certification
• It is a real PMP guide which is easy to access
• A straightforward approach to complex material
• More than 400 practice exam questions throughout the book
• It helps an individual to practically implement the knowledge areas of project management
• Rita Mulcahy prepares PMP aspirants to handle questions related to real-life work issues
• It offers PMP practice tests for last-minute brush up before PMP exam

This book used to be most popular more than 10 years ago. But with the evolution of online learning and several PMP certification resources, it is not a monopoly anymore in PMP books.

3- Head First PMP

• Head First PMP is a brain-friendly book to study for PMP Certification
• It has a unique way of representing a concept in pictorial form
• It makes use of an innovative multi-sensory approach to learn the PMP content
• This book uses simple language which is easy to understand
• It offers a visual format to help you grasp the big picture of project management
• This book is based on a variety of graphics and visual learning instead of heavy text approach
• You will find a lot of visual aids to understand the content
• Also, they have used concepts, pictures, exercises, games, and fun examples with emotional content to make brain remember more appropriately
• High quality of instructional design that provides easy learning
• A unique feature of multiple learning styles
• Besides, they provide memory joggers, hints, tips and tricks for attempting PMP Certification questions.
• The author has written making use of illustrations, case studies which makes it fun to read.

4- PMP Study Guide by Kim Heldman

• This book is one of the best selling books for project managers but not for PMP certification preparation
• It is different from others in a way that most books follow the PMBOK Guide structure and are organized knowledge area but Kim Heldman has written Process Group-wise.
• This book gives complete coverage of topics written in the PMBOK Guide but also the arranging of the chapters is different.
• Each chapter of the book starts with a brief introduction of the topics and processes covered in the chapter
• Even though the book focuses on exam preparation, it also provides holistic learning of project management
• You will find “Real World Scenarios” at many places which provides a complete understanding of the topic
• The book is written in a conversational manner
• It is very easy to read even for a novice project manager
• The language of the book is easy to understand
• However, there are very few figures, tables, and diagrams which makes sometimes difficult to interpret the written word.
• Another advantage of buying this book is to get access to Sybex interactive online learning environment
• On the downside, there are very few questions at the end of each chapter

5- Andy Crowe

• This book is named as “Complete Study Guide for PMP Certification Exam”.
• It provides all the information project managers need to thoroughly prepare for and pass the test
• This book is clearly organized and presents the material in an easily understandable format
• It gives a clear explanation of all the concepts, processes, input, tools and techniques, output.
• It gives a link to 60 videos of Andy explaining the concepts
• You will find over 400 practice exam questions which include end of chapter quizzes and a simulated exam
• Andy Crowe book offers insider secrets, tips and tricks to prepare for PMP certification
• Meaningful exercises to strengthen mastery of key concepts
• Inside the book, they have given provision to write study notes
• One week subscription to Insite, Velociteach PMP’s e-learning portal with additional content like an extra 100 simulated practice exam questions

Can I Prepare for PMP Certification Online?

Yes, of course, you can prepare for PMP certification online. In fact, the classroom training was the traditional approach. These days, due to busy schedule and workload, candidates want to learn at their own pace. They want to balance work and personal life. Likewise, to prepare for the PMP exam, they need the flexibility to spare their time to prepare for PMP certification.

There are many benefits listed below:

1. Online trainings are more flexible as compared to classroom training. You can learn at your own pace and can choose your timing and location to attend the training.
2. They are cheaper in regards to price. Hence they are cost-effective.
3. Online courses ensure high-quality content
4. Moreover, it gives you the benefit to go through the content as many times as you wish to.
5. Also, you can spend more time or less time to attend a specific lesson on the training course. This means you have flexibility in time to spend on training and get ample time to understand the content and grasp the information.

How Much Can I Earn After I Get PMP Certification?

PMP certified professionals earn 20% more than their noncertified peers. Not only, this is a high paying job but also, PMP certification gives more opportunities for growth, more flexibility, and better job security. If you look at the 2017 survey in the US market, PMP certified professional salary is $119.3K if you compare it with a non certified professional who earns $99.1 K.

Even if you look for salaries of PMP certified professionals at glassdoor.com, it ranges from $118K -$174K in the United States.

How Should I Choose PMP Certification Training?

Generally, PMP certification training is conducted in 3 modes:

1. Classroom training: This is a traditional physical classroom training where you need to be available as per the timings of class and instructor. It gives the benefit of face to face interaction with the trainer. But it doesn’t give the flexibility to learn at your own pace. The disadvantage is that you have to give up your office work or put extra hours after the office to attend the training which might not be a preferred option for working professionals.
2. Self-paced online learning where you can attend training at your own pace, location, and timings. Hence this has the utmost flexibility to manage your time and attend the training.
3. Instructor-led virtual PMP certification training: This is similar to classroom training but it gives the flexibility to attend training from any location be it your office, home, etc. The disadvantage is that you have to be available as per the instructor’s time slot availability which is not convenient for working professionals. They have to juggle in office work and training.

Hence when making a choice for the best training provider, look for a few points like reliability, whether contact hours are recognized by PMI. Besides, go through the student’s testimonials to determine the pros and cons of the training providers. Further, check for refund guarantee, quality of the content in feedbacks and online reviews. Last but not least, the course should be cost-effective.

You can read our Top 10 PMP Training post to see all PMP training options and ratings.

What Are the PMP Certification Knowledge Areas?

Processes are grouped by Process Groups or Knowledge Areas. PMBOK is the main reference book for PMP Certification preparation. It is organized by knowledge areas to make you understand the specific area in depth. Hence in order to prepare for PMP certification, one needs to understand knowledge areas in detail.

Knowledge areas are the identified areas of project management and they are defined by their knowledge requirements. They are described in terms of their component processes, practices, inputs, outputs, tools, and techniques.

Knowledge areas are interrelated but they are defined separately from the project management perspective.

PMBOK Guide has identified 10 knowledge areas. These 10 knowledge areas are used in most projects most of the time.

10 Knowledge areas in the PMBOK Guide are:

1. Project Integration Management

This knowledge area concerns with coordinating all aspects of the project plan. It is highly interactive. This involves identifying and defining the work of the project and combining, unifying, and integrating the appropriate processes. Besides, it also takes into account satisfactorily meeting the requirements of the customer and stakeholders and also managing their expectations.

Project planning, project execution, project work monitoring, and change control occur throughout the project and are repeated continuously while you are working on the project. Monitoring the work of the project involves anticipating potential problems and issues and dealing with them before they reach a critical point. Change control affects the project plan which in turn affects the work of the project, which in turn can affect the project management plan so you can see that these processes are tightly linked. The processes in this area also interact with other processes in the remaining knowledge areas.

It includes 7 processes:

1. Develop Project Charter
2. Develop Project Management Plan
3. Direct and Manage Project work
4. Manage Project Knowledge
5. Monitor and Control Project work
6. Perform Integrated Change control
7. Close Project or Phase

2. Project Scope Management

This knowledge area concerns with defining all the work of the project and only the work needed to successfully produce the project goals. These processes are highly interactive. They clarify and control what is part of the project and what is not. Each process happens at least once and generally many times throughout the project’s life.

Project Scope Management covers both product scope and project scope. Product scope is related to the characteristics of the product, service or result of the project. It is measured against the product requirements to determine successful completion or fulfilment. The application area usually dictates the process tools and techniques you will use to define and manage the product scope. The project scope involves managing the work of the project and only the work of the project. Project scope is measured against the project management plan, the project scope statement, the work breakdown structure (WBS) and WBS dictionary.

It includes 6 processes which are:

• Plan Scope Management
• Collect Requirements
• Define Scope
• Create WBS
• Validate Scope
• Control Scope

3. Project Schedule Management

The third knowledge area is about estimating the duration of the project plan activities, devising a project schedule, monitoring and controlling deviations from the schedule. Collectively this knowledge area deals with completing the project in a timely manner. Time management is an important aspect of project management because it is about keeping the project activities on track and monitoring those activities against the project plan in order to ensure that the project is completed on time. Each process in this knowledge area happens at least once in every project and sometimes more. In many cases, particularly on small projects, Sequence Activities, Estimate activity duration and Develop Schedule are completed as one activity. In a small project, only one person is needed to complete these processes and they are all worked on at the same time.

It involves 6 Processes which are:

• Plan Schedule Management
• Define Activities
• Sequence Activities
• Estimate Activity Durations
• Develop Schedule
• Control Schedule

4. Project Cost Management

This knowledge area concerns with cost and budgets. The activities in this knowledge area set up cost estimates for resources, establish budgets and keep watch over those costs to ensure that the project stays within the approved budget. Project Cost Management knowledge area primarily concerns with the costs of resources. It also includes ongoing maintenance and support cost for software considered for the project. Depending upon the complexity of the project, these processes might need the involvement of more than one person. On small projects especially of smaller scope, cost estimating and cost budgeting are tightly linked. You can view it as a single process that a single person can perform over a relatively short period of time.

It involves 4 processes which are:

• Plan Cost Management
• Estimate Costs
• Determine Budget
• Control Costs

5. Project Quality Management

This knowledge area concerns with assuring that the project meets the requirements that it was undertaken to produce. It focuses on product quality as well on the quality of the project management processes used during the project. The processes of the Project Quality Management measure overall performance and monitor project results and compare them to the quality standards set out in the project planning process to ensure that the customers will receive the product, service or result they commissioned. It also supports continuous process improvement activities as undertaken on behalf of the performing organization.

It involves 3 processes which are:

• Plan Quality Management
• Manage Quality
• Control Quality

6. Project Resource Management

This knowledge area concerns all aspects of project management and personal interaction including leading, coaching, dealing with conflict, conducting performance appraisals and more. The processes of Project Resource Management ensure that the human resources allocated to the project are used in the most effective way possible. Each stakeholder requires the use of different communication styles, leadership skills, and team-building skills. A good project manager knows when to enact certain skills and communication styles based on the situation. The processes in this knowledge area ensure that the right resources will be available to the project manager and project team at the right time and place.

There is a distinction between the skills and competencies needed for the project manager to manage team resources versus physical resources. Here physical resources include equipment, materials, facilities, and infrastructure. And Team resources or personnel refer to human resources. Personnel may have varied skillsets and may be assigned full or part-time and may be added or removed from the project team as the project progresses.

It involves 6 processes which are:

• Plan Resource Management
• Estimate Activity Resources
• Acquire Resources
• Develop Team
• Manage Team
• Control Resources

7. Project Communications Management

The Project Communications Management knowledge area concerns with general communication skills, but they encompass much more than an exchange of information. Communication skills are considered general management skills that the project manager uses every day. The purpose of the processes in this knowledge area is to guarantee that all project information including project plans, risk assessments, meeting notes etc is collected, documented, archived and disposed of at the proper time. These processes also ensure that information is distributed and shared with stakeholders, management and project members at appropriate times.

When the project is closed, the information is archived and used as a reference for future projects. This is referred to as historical information in several project processes. Everyone on the project has some involvement with this knowledge area because all project members will send and receive project communication throughout the life of the project. It is important that all team members and stakeholders understand how communication affects the project.

Project Communications Management consists of 2 parts. The first part is developing a strategy to ensure that communication is effective for stakeholders. The second part is implementing the activities necessary to fulfil the communication strategy

It involves 3 processes which are:

• Plan Communications Management
• Manage Communications
• Monitor Communications

8. Project Risk Management

This knowledge area concerns identifying, analyzing and planning for potential risks, both positive and negative that might impact the project. This means minimizing the probability and impact of negative risks while maximizing the probability and impact of positive risks. These processes are also used to identify the positive consequences of risks and exploit them to improve project objectives or discover efficiencies that might improve project performance. Always remember that risk includes both threats to and opportunities within the project. At times, organizations combine several of these processes into one step. The important aspect of the Project Risk Management Knowledge area is to strive to identify all the risks and develop responses for those with the greatest consequences to the project objectives.

Risk exists at 2 levels within every project. It is important to consider the riskiness of the overall project which arises from the combination of individual project risks and other sources of uncertainty. Processes in these knowledge areas address both levels of risks in projects. Individual project risk can have a positive or negative effect on project objectives if they occur. Unmanaged threats may have results such as delay, cost overruns, performance shortfall, or loss of reputation. Opportunities that are captured can lead to benefits such as reduced cost and time, improved performance or reputation. Management of overall project risk intends to keep project risk exposure within an acceptable range by reducing drivers of negative variation, promoting drivers of positive variation and maximizing the probability of achieving all project objectives.

It involves 7 processes which are:

• Plan Risk Management
• Identify Risks
• Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
• Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
• Plan Risk Responses
• Implement Risk Responses
• Monitor Risks

9.  Project Procurement Management

This knowledge area concerns with processes involved with purchasing goods or services from vendors, contractors, suppliers, and others outside the project team. Also, it contains the management and control processes required to develop and administer agreements such as contracts, purchase orders, memoranda of agreements (MOA) or internal service level agreements (SLA). This process involves agreements that describe the relationship between 2 parties – a buyer and a seller.

For smaller organizations or start-up companies and those without a purchasing, contracting or procurement department, the project managers may assume the purchasing authority role to negotiate and sign contracts directly. For mature organizations, the actual procurement and contracting functions will be carried out by a separate department with the specific role to purchase, negotiate and sign contracts.

The project managers not only need to be involved along the way but also they should assist the procurement department with project input, they must also plan the amount of time that the procurements will take. The procurement process follows from start to finish. Processes define how procurement management works on a properly managed project and how it relates to the project life cycle and the project management process.

It involves 3 processes which are:

• Plan Procurement Management
• Conduct Procurements
• Control Procurements

10. Project Stakeholder Management

This knowledge area concerns identifying all stakeholders, analyzing their power, interest, and level of engagement, elicit their requirements and expectations and then evaluate and incorporate all of that information into product and project scope. Every project has stakeholders who are affected by or can affect the project in a positive or negative way. Some stakeholders may have a limited ability to influence the project work or outcomes. Others may have a significant influence on the project and its expected outcomes.

Always remember that engaging stakeholders should take place throughout the life of the project. In other words, you need to build and maintain positive relationships with stakeholders. Also, make sure that they continue to be involved in the project at a level necessary to make a success. Processes in this knowledge area support the work of the project team to analyze stakeholder expectations, assess the degree to which they impact or are impacted by the project. They develop strategies to effectively engage stakeholders in support of project decisions and the planning and execution of the work of the project. The skills of the project manager and team to correctly identify and engage all the stakeholders in a suitable way can mean the difference between project success and failure.

It involves 4 processes which are:

• Identify Stakeholders
• Plan Stakeholder Engagement
• Manage Stakeholder Engagement
• Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

What Are the PMP Certification Exam Formulas?

One of the areas to focus while preparing for PMP certification is PMP formulas. They are really significant to pass the PMP certification exam. You may find a number of simple and direct questions based on PMP formulas in the exam. Hence it is necessary to understand these formulas to have a good hold on scoring in the PMP certification exam.

I am going to list below most important PMP formulas categorized by knowledge area:

Integration Management

Economic Measures for Project Selection

Economic measures use a comparative approach. Organizations consider these factors when selecting a project.

• Internal Rate of Return (IRR):

This is the amount of money project that will return to the company that is funding it. It is how much money a project is making for the company? Generally, it is expressed as a percentage of funding that has been allocated to it.

For instance, if a company has 2 projects i.e. Project A with 12% IRR and Project B with 10% IRR, in which it can invest. The company will select project with the highest IRR. Hence answer is Project A.

• Present Value (PV):

This means the value today of future cash flows. It can be calculated by this formula:

PV = FV/ (1+r) raised to n

• Net Present Value (NPV):

This is the actual value at a given time of the project minus all of the costs associated with it. In other words, NPV is the present value of total benefits (income) minus the costs over many time periods.

Always remember, if NPV is positive, the investment is a good choice. Hence, choose a project with greatest NPV.

For instance, the organization has 2 projects i.e. Project A with 3 years to complete and has NPV of $40,000. Project B will take 5 years to complete and has an NPV of $75,000. Which out of the above is a better investment, the company should make in?

The answer is Project B. Note that the number of years is not relevant as it has been considered while calculating NPV

• Payback Period:

This refers to the length of time it takes for the organization to recover its investment in a project before it starts accumulating profit.

For instance, there are 2 projects i.e. Project A with a payback period of 5 months. And, Project B with a payback period of 15 months. Which out of the above will the organization select?

The answer is Project A. Point here to remember is the one should choose the project with a shorter payback period.

• Cost-Benefit Analysis:

This refers to a comparison of the expected costs of a project to the potential benefit it could bring to the organization.

Here if the benefit-cost ratio i.e. BCR is greater than 1, it means the benefit is greater than costs

And if the benefit-cost ratio is less than 1, it means costs are greater than benefits.

If the benefit-cost ratio is equal to 1, it means costs and benefits are equal.

Note that if the benefit is higher than the cost, the project is a good investment.

For instance, to choose a project out of 2 projects with different BCR values. Always choose project with higher BCR.

• Opportunity Cost:

This refers to the money you don’t get because you chose not to do a project. It is like when an organization has to make choice between 2 projects, it is always giving up the money it would not work on. In other words, it refers to the opportunity given up by selecting one project over another.

For instance, an organization has 2 projects i.e. Project A with NPV of $50,000, Project B with NPV of $90,000. What is the opportunity cost of selecting project B?

The answer is $50,000 because the opportunity cost is the value of the project not selected.

• Sunk Cost:

This refers to expended costs. Accounting standards say that don’t consider sunk cost when deciding whether to continue with a troubled project.

For instance, an organization has a project with an initial budget of $2,000,000. The project is half complete. And it has spent $3,000,000. Now at this stage, they are already $1,000,000 over budget. Should the organization consider the fact that it is already over budget when determining whether to continue with the project?

The answer is no; they shouldn’t consider this money as money spent is gone.

Schedule Management

• Three-Point Estimating:

This calculates a risk-based expected duration estimate for an activity by taking a simple average or weighted average of 3 estimates. Time and cost estimates use this formula

Standard Deviation =(P-O)/6 where P is a pessimistic estimate and O is an optimistic estimate of activity

Simple average: Another name is triangular distribution. Formula to calculate is  (P+M+0)/3

Weighted average: Another name is beta distribution. Formula to calculate is (P+4M+0)/6 where P is a pessimistic estimate, O is an optimistic estimate and M is a most likely estimate of each activity

• Float:

Generally, they use Float for schedule flexibility. It is the amount of time an activity or project can be delayed without delaying the project end date or early start date of the successor activity

Formula to calculate float is LS-ES or LF-EF Where LS is the late start of an activity, ES is early start of an activity

And LF is late finish of an activity and EF is early finish of an activity.

Cost Management

• Earned Value Measurement:

This is used in performance reviews to measure project performance against the scope, schedule and cost baselines. The earned value uses a combination of these three baselines known as performance measurement baseline.

Here are a few terms used in the following formulas:

• Planned Value is PV. It refers to as of today, what is the estimated value of the work planned to be done?

PV= BAC* Planned% complete  where Planned% complete =Given Amount/Total amount

• Earned Value is EV. It refers to as of today, what is the estimated value of the work actually accomplished?

EV= BAC*Actual% complete where Actual% complete=Actual Amount/Total Amount

• Actual Cost is AC. It refers to as of today, what is the actual cost incurred for the work accomplished?
• Budget at completion is BAC. It refers to, how much did we budget for the total project effort?
• Estimate at Completion is EAC. It refers to, what do we currently expect the total project to cost?
• Estimate to Complete is ETC. It refers to, from this point on, how much more do we expect it to cost to finish the project?
• Variance at Completion is VAC. It refers to, as of today, how much over or under budget do we expect to be at the end of the project?

If you are in a small project, it is easy to figure out whether you are on track. But, in a large project, when many people are doing lots of different activities. Some of the activities are on track, some are ahead of schedule and some of them are behind schedule. Hence if you want to track whether you are meeting the goal or not, the following formulas will help you to determine the same.

If you want to know whether you are ahead of or behind schedule then

Schedule Performance Index (SPI) =EV/PV. This means if SPI is greater than 1 that means EV is bigger than PV so you are ahead of schedule. If SPI is less than 1 then you are behind schedule because the amount you have actually worked (EV) is less than what you had planned (PV)

Now if you want to know how much ahead or behind schedule you are, subtract PV from EV.

Schedule Variance (SV) = EV-PV. This means if the variance is positive that means it is ahead of schedule. Besides, it tells you exactly how many dollars you are ahead. If variance is negative that means it is behind schedule. Also, it tells you how many dollars you are behind.

If you want to know whether you are over or under budget then

Cost Performance Index (CPI) =EV/AC. This means we are getting $ worth of work out of every $1 spent. Here ratio greater than 1 is good and less than 1 is bad.

If you want to know how much under or over the budget you are then

Cost Variance (CV) =EV-AC. This means the difference between what you planned on spending and what you actually spent. Here if the variance is negative, that means that it is over budget. If the variance is positive, that means it is under budget.

Remember that you are within your budget if CPI is greater than or equal to 1 and CV is positive. This means that your actual costs are less than the earned value which means the project is delivering more value than it costs.

And you have blown your budget if CPI is less than 1 and CV is negative. This means that your actual costs are more than the earned value.

In other words, your sponsor is not getting his money worth of value from the project.

Forecasting

The idea behind forecasting is that you can use earned value to come up with a pretty accurate prediction of what your project will look at completion.

Here you need your CPI to predict what your project will actually cost when it is complete.

• Estimate at completion (EAC)

It means as of now, how much do we expect the total project to cost

There are different formulas based on various situations:

Case 1: They use this formula when the original estimate was fundamentally flawed

EAC= AC+bottom up ETC where AC is actual cost and ETC is revised estimate for all the remaining work.

Case 2: They use this formula if no variances from BAC have occurred or you will continue at the same rate of spending

EAC= BAC/CPI where CPI refers to cumulative CPI

Case 3: They use this formula when current variances are thought to be atypical of the future

EAC= AC+ (BAC-EV)

Case 4: They use this formula when current variances are thought to be typical of the future and when project schedule constraints will influence the completion of the remaining effort.

EAC= AC+ (BAC-EV)/ (CPI *SPI)

• Estimate to Complete (ETC)

It refers to, how much more will the project cost? Or how much money the rest of the project will end up costing.

ETC = EAC-AC

• Variance at Completion (VAC)

It refers to, how much over or under budget will be at the end of the project?

VAC= BAC-EAC. Here, VAC will be negative if you end up spending more than your budget. And it will be positive if you spend less than your budget.

Points to remember for Earned value PMP questions

• EV comes first in each of the formulas
• If it is a variance then formula is EV minus AC or PV
• And, if it is an index then formula is EV divided by AC or PV
• If formula relates to cost, use AC
• If formula relates to schedule, use PV
• For interpretation of variances, a negative value is bad and a positive value is good.
• For interpretation of indexes of CPI and SPI, greater than 1 is good and less than 1 is bad
• And for TCPI, greater than 1 is bad and less than 1 is good.

Communications Management

To Calculate no of communication channels, we use the formula n*(n-1)/2 where n is the number of stakeholders

Procurement Management

Point of Total assumption (PTA): This only relates to fixed-price incentive fee contracts. And this refers to the amount above which the seller bears all the loss of a cost overrun.

The formula for PTA = (Ceiling price –Target price)/Buyer’s share ratio + Target cost

Where the ceiling price is the highest price the buyer will pay. Buyer setting the ceiling price is a way to encourage the seller to control costs. The ceiling price is a condition of the contract that both parties must agree to before signing.

How Should I Study for the PMP Exam?

There is not a single way to prepare for the PMP certification exam. Generally PMP certification training providers, internet blogs give assurance that you will pass the exam in the first try if you follow their study plan. But the success depends on many factors such as background, domain knowledge, experience in project management and institute from where you have attended training, etc. The first and foremost step in PMP Preparation is to have a robust PMP Certification Study Plan. It will guide you to prepare for the PMP exam.

Based on my experience, I am listing a study plan which can be helpful to aspirants preparing for the PMP certification exam

7-Step PMP Certification Study Plan:

1. Check the PMP certification requirement whether you are eligible to appear for the PMP certification exam. Check your project management experience and you must have attended 35 hours of project management education to get 35 contact hours from a training institute.
2. Set the target date to appear for the PMP certification exam. If you are a working professional, then you can plan for 3-4 months. If you can put 3-4 hours each day for studying else you can increase duration based on the time you can devote to study or prepare for the exam.
3. Read the PMBOK Guide along with one reference book i.e. Rita Mulcahy or Headfirst or any other good book.
4. The next step is while going through the material, start noting down the notes which will help you in the last weeks of preparation when you will have less time to go through the entire material again.
5. Further, once you have understood the subject and content, then practice is the key to pass the exam. Practice as much as you can. Try to choose questions bank from different sources or practice multiple PMP certification simulators to get the feel of the real exam.
6. After you have practiced questions, don’t forget to go over the incorrect answers. Figure out where you went wrong and go through the knowledge areas pertaining to those answers to understand the concept. And then practice again those questions to see whether this time they turn out to be correct or not. This way it will strengthen your weak areas and reduce the risk of selecting the wrong answer in the actual PMP certification exam.
7. Once you start scoring 80% and above in 4-5 PMP simulation exams that mean you are ready to appear for the PMP certification exam.

Should I Use PMP Question Bank?

PMP aspirants or professionals have different ways to prepare for the PMP certification exam depending upon the time, budget, and other work responsibilities. Generally, training providers and test-takers recommend practicing a lot of questions. Now either you can make use of question banks or PMP exam simulator. PMP question banks are books or PDFs which contain a large number of question database but in a plain simple format. Whereas a PMP exam simulator is a test engine program that allows an individual to practice tests that are similar in content, style as the actual exam.

Benefits of studying with a PMP exam simulator are:

1. They familiarize you with an environment similar to the actual PMP certification exam.
2. A simulator will accustom you to how exam features and functions will let you focus more on questions. Thus it will make you more comfortable with the user interface of the PMP certification exam.
3. It helps you to keep track of your time management for the PMP certification exam
4. It gives the aspirant the complete feel of the PMP certification exam
5. Besides, users get instant feedback of answers they attempt correctly or not
6. Moreover, it highlights the areas of weakness you need to put additional efforts on and areas of strength in which you excel.
7. Major aspect is that you will get to know how to pace yourself to answer 200 questions in 4 hours. Hence, it will increase the probability of passing the exam.
8. Last but not least, it will improve your confidence level with each sample exam you practice.

How Can I Earn PMP PDUs?

PDUS is a term for the Professional Development Unit. Generally, people confuse PDUS and contact hours.

If you are an individual who is preparing for PMP certification then you need to attend 35 hours of training from a recognized training institute. Afterward, they give you the certificate of 35 hours of training as 35 Contact hours. This is one of prerequisite to apply for PMP certification

Now suppose you are already a PMP certified professional then as part of the PMP renewal process, you need to earn 60 PDUS every 3 years to retain your PMP certification. After December 2015 CCR changes, it has become easy and flexible to earn PDUS.

You can choose them as per your interests and professional needs. PMI CCR process says that you need to earn at least 35 PDUS under Education Category. Here PDUS earned under the education category is mapped with three dimensions of the Talent Triangle.

Actually they are referring to the skills important to be successful in project management. For instance:

• If learning activities for the PDUS belong to process, tools and techniques in aligning the project with strategic goals then you to map them in the “Strategic” category
• If learning activities for the PDUS belong to Team Development which will help in achieving the project goal then you need to map them in the “Leadership” category
• And if learning activities for PDUS belong to PMP content outline tasks, and then you need to map them in the “Technical” category.

Point to remember here is that you can earn 1 PDU for each hour you spend in learnings related to PDUS earning.

There are several easy and popular ways to earn PDUS in 2 categories (Education and Giving Back) as mentioned below.

Sources for earning PDUS for Education Category are:

1. Courses or Training: This is one of the traditional methods of attending any training related to project management from a recognized training institute.

• Registered education providers (REPs) regularly organizes different programs or trainings to earn PDUS.
• Face-to-face instructor-led courses from the PMI seminars world.
• PMI local chapter conducts 2-3 days of Seminars and Conferences. They are chargeable.

2. Reading Books: Another way is to read books. If you have a passion for reading, you need to make a reading list in the area of project management, leadership, and strategic business management. In fact, you can earn a large number of PDUS in the ‘Read’ Category. This is the favorite category for book lovers who love to enhance the skills by reading books.

3. Organization Meetings: This is another source to attend meetings, activities and local events related to the profession which gives the opportunity to network and earn PDUS. Here, you can earn 1-2 PDUs in sessions related to the talent triangle component.

4. Informal Learning: Engage yourself in structured professional discussions with a team or different projects. For example Mentoring sessions, Brainstorming sessions or lunch and learn sessions.

Sources for earning PDUS for Giving Back Category are:

1. Working as a practitioner: If you are working as a professional in project management, and actively working on a project. Then you are contributing to this profession by applying your knowledge and skills. As a result, you can earn a maximum of 8 PDUs.

2. Creating Content: Do you have a passion for writing and have an interest in writing blogs and articles? If yes then you can write on project management or create content on project management and can earn PDUS.

3. Giving Presentation: Are you a good speaker and present some topics at seminars or conferences? If yes, then you can give a presentation on project management topics or best practices or emerging trends and can earn PDUs.

4. Sharing Knowledge: You can earn PDUS by attending knowledge sharing sessions with your team or peers.

5. Volunteering: Do you like contributing to social good as a volunteer? If yes, then the PMI chapter presents such opportunities from time to time. And based on your experience and number of hours you can devote, they screen your profile. Once they shortlist you then you can contribute and earn PDUS

6. Watching videos: There are many videos online or different forms of digital media for self-learning

7. Listening to Podcasts: Moreover, you can listen to podcasts where each PDU represents 60 minutes of learning. Hence for podcasts that are under an hour, just listen to a couple on the same topic and consolidate them.

8. Attending Webinars: PMI also conducts webinars that you can avail of if you are a PMI member. Trainers and training providers also conduct free webinars where you can earn 1-2 PDUS

When should I start earning PDUS?

You can start as soon as you attain your PMP certificate.

Can we transfer PDUS to the next cycle?

Yes, of course. If you have earned more than 60 PDUS then you can claim them in your next 3-year cycle. But PDUS, earned during the first 2 years of the 3-year cycle cannot be applied to the next cycle.

When is the Next PMP Certification Exam Date?

As such, there is no fixed schedule for the PMP certification exam. For the current version of the PMP certification exam, the last day for candidates to take is 30 June 2020. Hence the key is whenever you are ready for the exam, you can schedule your exam and sit for the exam.

What is the PMP Certification Exam Passing Score?

In the past, PMI published 61% as the passing score for the PMP certification exam (which means PMP aspirants need to correctly answer 106 or more out of 175 real questions). But now, PMI does not state any official score. They have adopted a more scientific approach by giving proficiency level (Proficient, Moderately Proficient and Below Proficient) or Target level (Above Target, Target, Below Target). PMI doesn’t state any information about the PMP certification exam passing score. They determine the score through sound psychometric analysis.

What Are the Benefits of PMP Certification?

There are different benefits of becoming PMP certified, not merely from your career point of view. But also for personality development; it boosts both your ability and confidence as well.

1. Career Growth

Many well-established organizations look for PMP certified professionals. Hence, clearing the PMP Certification exam will surely offer better career prospects. Becoming PMP certified improves your professional network. The more extensive your network in the PM field, the better for your career growth.

2. Boost your salary

PMP Certification provides an excellent advantage when it comes to earning potential. So being a PMP certified professional gives you an immediate edge over your counterparts when it comes to salary levels.

3. Industry Independent

PMP certified managers are not limited to one industry. Industries across various sectors seek competent professionals to ensure that projects are implemented productively.

4. Greater Responsibilities

PMP Credentials increase your knowledge, competency, and skills. As a certified PMP, you will have to manage large projects and satisfy multiple stakeholders. Handling such responsibilities will benefit you vastly. Because the experience you gain will help you identify early on any problems of a project from initiation to completion

5. Improved Career Opportunities

Being a certified PMP paves the way for better career opportunities as there is a massive demand for skilled project managers in various sectors. Thus certified PMPs get preference over non-certified project managers in the job market

6. Upgrades your leadership skills

It is the core responsibility of the project manager to bring all members of a team together as a single entity. They are accountable for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the team to accomplish the project. Furthermore, they provide you an opportunity to acquire various leadership skills that vary based on project requirements.

7. Enhances Risk Management Skills

PMP Certification gives you knowledge of advanced risk management skills to identify and assess the probable risks and ways to mitigate the same. Having this skill is an added advantage as it safeguards organizational interests. This, in turn, increases product quality to a top-notch level which is beneficial for you as a PM, the team and organization too.

8.Enhances Problem Solving skills

Attaining PMP certification is proof of your proficiency in the domain. People will approach you for expert advice. They will trust you with your problem-solving skills, imaginative solutions and innovative approaches that ensure project success

9. Enhances People Orientation and Team Work

The primary responsibility of the project manager is to manage the team competently and lead it to attain all business objectives. Teamwork is a significant factor that determines the success or failure of the project. Hence, being a PMP certified project manager, you will be considered the main force behind successful project completion

10. Challenging projects

PMP Certification comes not only with more responsibilities but challenges too. When you are a certified PMP, projects that require greater effort and commitment to achieve business goals will fall into your lap.

11. Common Language

PMP certification makes everyone speak a common language within the project management field which makes communication more effective among peers

How can I Renew PMP Certification?

PMP certified individual needs to earn 60 PDUS in a 3-year cycle to renew the PMP certification.

Steps to renew the PMP certification are:

1. The first step is to earn 60 PDUs to meet the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) for your certification.
2. Afterward, you should enter PDUS in the online CCR system by entering the Provider name, Activity name, Activity Dates and number of PDUS claimed under 3 components of the Talent triangle. And click on the ‘Submit’ button. Thereafter you will receive an update on the number of PDUS accepted or rejected.
3. Then you have to fill the online renewal application by mentioning contact information along with payment details before submission
4. Next step is to agree to the code of ethics by PMI
5. Then the next step is to pay the renewal fee. Here if you are a PMI member, then you need to pay a discounted fee of 60USD. But if you are not a PMI member then you need to pay 150 USD for PMP certification renewal.

The Final Step

Once you have earned 60 PDUS then there is no need to wait for 3 years to complete. You can pay the fees and renew your certification. Nonetheless, PMI will renew the PMP certification date from the date of expiry only not from the date of payment of fees.

The final step is to receive the confirmation from PMI. And you will receive a certificate indicating a new CCR cycle. Next to your profile, your status is “Active” and “PMP in good standing”. In other words, once you have completed a single cycle, then a new 3-year cycle begins.

Let’s suppose that you are not able to complete your renewal within the completion of the CCR Cycle because you do not earn the specified amount of PDUs by the end of the third year of PMP certification. Then, you will be under the “Suspended” status up to 1 year after the CCR cycle. And further, it will no longer be valid.

What Changes in the PMP Certification Exam and When?

Every 3-5 years, PMI is conducting research on changing trends, the progress of profession, implications, etc. Hence it results in a new PMP exam content online.

Further, SME’s across the globe work with PMI to come up with a new PMP examination content outline on June 19. Thereafter 1 year later, this new outline will lead to an updated PMP exam.

Hence the last date to take the current version of the PMP exam is 30 June 2020.

A new PMP examination content outline was published on 30th June 19. This document defines the content of the PMP certification exam.

Changes in new content are:

The current PMP certification exam is based on 5 performance domains. But exams starting from 1st July 2020 will be based on 3 domains. PMP Exam Content Outline defines these domains in detail.

New PMP exam will require candidates to have experience in and answer questions from 3 domains:

• People (42%)
• Process (50%)
• Business Environment (8%)

PMI also clearly declares that about half of the exam will contain predictive project management approaches whereas the other half will contain agile or hybrid approaches.

Now the questions arise whether PMBOK Guide is going to change?

The answer is No. Currently, the PMP certification exam uses the PMBOK Guide 6^th edition as a reference book. We do not expect a new version i.e. 7th edition until 2023. Hence, the PMBOK Guide is not changing. And, we will use the PMBOK 6^th edition as an exam reference till 2023. As a result, no matter if you are planning to appear for the PMP certification exam before or after 1^st July 2020, you have to use PMBOK Guide 6^th edition as your reference.

Conclusion

PMP Certification is the most renowned and recognized certification across the globe in project management. PMBOK along with one supporting book is sufficient to prepare for the exam. The exam content keeps on changing every 3-5 years. PMP Certification exam is going to change after 1^st July 2020.

As for the benefits, a PMP certified individual garner a 20% higher salary than a non-certified individual. One can attend different modes of training depending upon the suitability. But the most preferred one is online training due to numerous benefits of cost-effectiveness, the flexibility of learning at own pace and location. Moreover, it is beneficial to become a PMI member and then appear for the PMP certification exam as it saves money and gives the additional benefit of networking, access to numerous resources, etc. To earn PDUS, choose an effective, reliable, high-quality content training provider who gives a 100% refund guarantee and high pass percentage rate.

The post PMP Certification – Must Know Things About PMP® Certification appeared first on Project Hipo.

Are you interested to be well informed on the critical aspects of the PMP exam? Do you want to know about the recent changes in the PMBok? Or are you keen to explore the PMP Exam requirements? Do you want to have answers to many more PMP related questions? Then you are definitely reading the right article! As in this article, we will provide you information on interesting Top 10+ questions about the PMP exam which will be helpful for project management aspirants to initiate their journey towards project management.

PMP demands a serious focused effort by the aspirants to obtain the PMP credentials. Therefore it is important to get the idea of the PMP Exam so that you can plan to mark the success as certified. Let me take you through these questions one by one. As I understand that the PMP credentials will help you showcase your abilities, experience, in addition to your efforts and consistency you have put in to achieve your target, I surely believe that this little effort of mine may act as a game-changer for you.

PMP Brings Advantages

There are many advantages that PMP certification brings to the PMP certification holders. These advantages surely act as a motivator for the aspirants to initiate and complete their PMP journey. According to independent researches, certified project managers in the United States make an average of $111,000 per year and PMPs make 22% more than non-PMPs. The annual salary ranges from $85,000 to $135,000 depending on the years of experience. So the PMP benefits include high market value, increased credibility and in many cases, higher pay.

• The organizations are looking to recruit best project managers with globally endorsed skills, PMP certification is a must-have requirement of hiring organizations. Even if PMP is not specifically mentioned, one gets preference in the hiring criteria.
• The organizations also get the edge on their PMP certified professionals as they make the profile richer.
• The PMP certification holders earn recognition and value within their current organization. The challenging tasks are generally given to more qualified project managers, so it makes PMP project managers better options. The success in the projects earns them rewards and recognition.
• Companies love to promote and fill in the vacancies with their existing resources if they are certified.
• According to an independent survey, people with PMP certification are earning 20 percent more salary as compared to their non-certified peers. This is a great return on investment of what you spend on the PMP certification.
• PMP does not bound you to a specific industry. Even though the degrees lay the foundation within a specific industry. The PMP certification lays a foundation of the project management knowledge and skills set on top of that technical skills. It paves the path towards the management ladder with a strong foundation and strong recognition.

What Are the PMP Exam Requirements?

PMI defines quite an extensive criteria requirement to sit in the PMP exam. This criterion is very well thought; it ensures that the project management aspirants meet a certain education level, relevant work experience. In addition to this, the criteria also set a requirement for relevant training. The aspirants fulfilling these criteria are eligible to appear in the PMP exam. These three dimensions play an important role to select the right candidates.

Education and Experience

You can see that the project management experience requirement is subject to the degree of the candidate. If the candidate is a graduate then they need to showcase the 3 years of experience which means 4500 hours of project-related activities. Whereas if the candidate is a non-graduate, then the project management experience requirement goes to 5 years. Hence the non-graduate candidate has to showcase 5 years of experience that can be converted to 7500 hours.

Contact hours – Training

In addition to education and experience, the above-mentioned criteria also emphasize the training hours fulfilment. So in order to qualify for the PMP exam criteria, candidates need to acquire 35 hours of PMP training.

Considering this important factor for 35 hours of professional engagement, you must acquire professional training. And it is very clear from this fact that the training plays a crucial role in obtaining the PMP certification. So other than your education and working experience, you must obtain these 35 hours.

What is the PMP Exam Like?

The PMP exam is composed of 180 questions. There are 230 minutes to complete the exam. The PMP Exam Questions will be a combination of multiple-choice, multiple responses, matching, hotspot, and limited fill-in-the-blank types of questions.

These questions are distributed within different project management domains. In other words, we can say that these questions are distributed within process groups that include, Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling and Closing.

The duration of the PMP Exam is 4 hours. So a candidate has around 1 hour for 25 questions on average. Means around 2 minutes for each question. Some of the questions will be relatively easy and may take less time of yours as compared to the average time, whereas some are long or complex which may take more time of yours as compared to the average time.

Domain wise PMP Exam questions distribution

The breakup of PMP Exam with respect to questions within different project management domains is as follows;

Three Main Domains & Weight for PMP Exam:

1- People (42%)

2- Process (50%)

3- Business Environment (8%)

About half of the PMP exam will represent predictive project management approaches and the other half will represent agile or hybrid approaches.

It is important to mention here that each question of the PMP Exam is a multiple-choice question with 4 options. Out of these options, you have to select the right one from these given options. Hence you should try your best to practice the different domains and different types of questions, and you should also practice how to pick the right choice among several others.

Types of PMP Exam Questions

This means that the duration of ~4 hours and 180 questions from various domains within the project management framework, will be good enough to assess your understanding, knowledge, and experience along with your ability to interpret, focus and sustain. For this sake, there will be different types of questions. Many others have also categorized these questions to make the aspirants understand the overall structure of the PMP Exam. But there is no breakup of question types like the one you see for project management domains of process groups. Following are the most common and general categorization of these questions;

• ITTO-based questions
• Definition-based questions
• Situation-based questions
• Formula-based questions
• Interpretational questions
• Professional and social responsibility Questions

ITTO-based questions

Within the project management framework, all the processes are equipped with Inputs, Tools and Techniques and Outputs which is abbreviated as ITTO. The good part of such questions is that these are well defined within the PMBoK so one can practice and remember. But it also brings the tough dimension as one has to remember the ITTOs for each of the processes.

There are certain logical ways to remember and answer such type of PMP exam questions. You need to practice in the real scenarios by putting yourself in the situation where you learn each process in terms of what is the output and what tools and techniques you must apply to obtain this specific output. Also, to apply the tools and techniques you must have certain inputs.

You can make this learning easier if you do your homework with respect to certain domains and process group areas. That includes Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring and Control, and Closing. This makes it easier to recall for the same stage of each knowledge area with some knowledge area-specific alterations.

For example “What is the output of Project Charter Process?”

Definition-based questions

There are also some questions that can check your understanding of specific terms and definitions. These questions are based on the definition given in the PMBOK guide. Such types of questions are easier to recall and hence easier to answer.

The tip of fool proofing this type of question preparation is to go through the close terms, make a list of these terms and make a comparison of these close terms. Different training provers also prepare flashcards to remember and reinforce such types of questions.

The good part of these questions is that once you prepare the question, you are likely to recall easily. These are also straightforward questions as their definitions do not change. The main point you should remember is to cover the broader aspect of terms and their definitions. For example, you should know the difference between types of Risks or the difference between Leads and Lags.

Such as:

Q: “What is meant by Finish to Start relationship?”

A: “A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start until a predecessor activity has finished.”

Situation-based questions

PMP exam comprises of situation-based types of questions as well. In such types of questions, you are given a situation and based on the situation you are asked to find the correct answer. These questions test your ability to apply theoretical know-how to real-life project management situations. These situation based questions are tricky ones. So you have to be very mindful when you evaluate the situations to get to the most relevant answer.

Comes with long phrasing – a distinguishing factor

These scenarios based questions usually come with long phrasing. So you can develop your baseline of the situation layout in front of you. However, it is important to note that sometimes you may get additional information so you have to extract the right information and build the scenario applicability. The idea behind this is that in real life you will be given both relevant and irrelevant information. This is your test to identify what’s relevant and what is to ignore to build up your practical scenario understanding.

In addition to this, the wording of the questions plays a vital distinguishing factor where you will be asked what will be the BEST, NEXT, LAST, NOT, or EXCEPT option. So you have to give extra care to such tricky words. Especially the keywords like LAST, NOT or EXCEPT actually turn the situation into the reversals. These are the complex questions as there seems to be more than one option within the multiple choices you are given.

Most of the PMP exam questions fall in this type. So you should have a very systematic approach to handle such questions. First of all, you need to filter relevant and irrelevant information, to capture the real and relevant problem set. Once you are done with the extraction of the right information. you must try to read the answers and check whether the provided answer could be a possible option or not. This act will help you to eliminate the obvious wrong options. As a matter of fact, by ruling out the irrelevant you are shortlisting the possible correct answers. Then again you need to try to apply each possible correct answer and check whether it fulfils all the conditions given in the question or not.

Example

For example, you are working as a project manager to implement a project ABC. Your project requirements are in the execution stage. During your progress meeting on the overall status of the project, one of your project stakeholders asks you to implement a requirement. You also recognize that this requirement will add value to the project. What will be your best response to the stakeholder?

Such questions not only check your understanding of the concepts but also the applicability of these concepts as well as your experience in the domain of project management. So you need to focus on answering the question with the given information and your project management knowledge.

Formula-based questions

One very interesting type of question in the PMP exam is formula-based questions. There are almost fifty PMP formulas that you will need to know and understand prior to taking the PMP exam. The number of formulae is associated with different knowledge areas and domain areas. There are formulae associated with activity scheduling and costing, communications, indicators to assess project progress and value of the project.

An important thing to remember is that you will also need to know and understand all of the associated acronyms. You need to understand the applicability of these formulae. Also, you need to understand the acronyms used within each formula. On first look, you may find this variety of formula a bit harder or overwhelming, But as a matter of fact, once you understand the concepts these are like a breeze and you can easily learn them. After all your graduation degree has already taken you to a certain level where you may already have learned tot many during your education.

Just keep in mind that practicing the formula is the only way to remember. You must practice these formulae both sides i.e. forwards and backward so you can apply these formulae based on the given values in the question statement. In addition to this, a good grasp of the formulas may help you to more easily eliminate PMP exam question choices.

Example

For example, the Cost performance index can be calculated by using the formula CPI= EV/AC, provided we can find Earned value (EV) and Actual Cost(AC) from the given statement. Likewise, we can find EV = CPI * AC, or we can find situations where AC = EV/ CPI  is required using the same formula.

Be mindful that even if you know the formula, there is a room of silly mistakes if you are not doing step by step calculations or you take some preconceived notions. Sometimes it looks like you can do the calculations easily but rather than multiplying you just did a division. Try to avoid any such small mistakes. Even the answer options may be based on such mistakes so one can easily fall into the trap if not mindful.

The best advantage that is associated with the formula based questions is that once you identify the formula and apply it correctly within a given situation then there is only one correct answer. Also, it is important to bring your attention that sometimes you will have to solve the problem by not only using a single straight forward formula. You may need to apply multiple formulas to solve the problem. so you need to practice complex scenarios within your study plan.

Interpretational PMP Exam Questions

Another interesting dimension comes with the interpretational questions. These questions aim to test your ability to deduce a condition from the problem statement.

These require you to identify the meaning of the situation based on your understanding of the facts provided and will require you to apply the correct awareness for the correct answer. In other words, these questions require you to go a step further than knowledge-based questions. For instance, you are given some data in the form of a graph, performance indicator. So you can interpret the past, present, and future of the project. These questions will require your good understanding of the concepts as well as formula.

To answer these questions you must be able to decode a situation or condition from the given information in the form of status or problem. Therefore in order to prepare for such a question, you can run different scenarios while preparing for your PMP exam. For example, what is meant by a positive CPI and a negative SPI at the same time for a specific project? Does this situation mean a call for any corrective action or it is the best situation of the project?

You should also be able to understand the graphs like standard deviation. There are also other graphs in the form of quality management tools associated with the Quality Management knowledge area. What is the graph representation of negative correlation or what is the graph representation of positive correlation?

Technique-based PMP Exam Questions

In these types of questions, you will likely be tested for your understanding of specific techniques during a PMP exam question. A technique is “a defined systematic procedure employed by a human resource to perform an activity to produce a product or result or deliver a service, and that may employ one or more tools”.

These types of questions may require you to demonstrate your knowledge of a certain technique and its application. For example, you may be given a certain network diagram and asked to calculate the critical path.  Or you may be asked to calculate the floats on each node within the network diagram. In addition, you may be asked to do a forward pass or backward pass and calculate the critical path, even you may be given a sample data and asked to identify the critical path. In this case, you may have to draw the network diagram first to calculate the desired values and find the best result.

Example

In addition to this, you may be given a decision tree to find out the best option for return on investment. Or you are given a situation where you need to estimate based on PERT. So it may be knowledge-based where you can demonstrate your understanding of what a technique is used for. However, the PMP exam question can also test your understanding of how a technique is applied.

So this is a crucial part of your preparation where you not only know the techniques but you should have the knowledge to apply these techniques. You should go through the Tools and Techniques section of PMBoK, understand the purpose of each technique and the application. There are a variety of techniques mentioned in the PMBoK. Some are relatively easier to grasp whereas some require more practice. During your preparation for the PMP exam, you need to identify the gaps and keep on practicing unless you master these techniques to the extent of their applicability.

However, there are certain scenarios where you do not have to go into the fullest depth. As per my understanding, one must not necessarily apply the steps within Monte-Carlo analysis, but one should be able to interpret the result generated through this simulation.

Professional and social responsibility questions

There are a few questions that can come under this question type. Each professional body brings professional and social responsibility aspects to ensure the positive role of an individual. So these types of questions will test your understanding of the Project Management Institute Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. This may be tested through different techniques where it is reinforced and assessed that you have a good understanding of your professional and social responsibility.

PMI has identified four core values across the global project management community that are most important to project managers. These are:

• Responsibility
• Respect
• Fairness
• Honesty

In order to test these values, you may encounter several questions within your PMP Exam. There may be questions like one of your client offers you a free lunch what will be your best approach? Or one of your clients offers you a gift what will be your approach? Likewise, your integrity for sharing the actual status can be tested.

What is the PMP Exam Passing Score?

PMI has played around with the passing score several times. It is a common belief that 61% is the passing score for the PMP Exam. However, this is not an official pass rate so no hard carded passing score is available. Also, the passing score is subject to PMI discretion. The 61% passing rate was the reason for setting a benchmark based on the complexity of the PMP examination and success ratio with respect to the total exams.

The most important point to consider is what should be the percentage of practice tests. That can give you the idea of whether you are ready for the actual PMP Exam. I can safely recommend that PMP aspirants must score at least 70% in their practice PMP exams to guarantee their PMP success. The better the practice score, the better the chance to succeed.

What is the PMP Exam Pass Rate?

The PMP Exam rate means how many of the PMP exam candidates sit and pass the PMP exam. Like the PMP passing score, there is not an official score or percentage declared by the PMI for this either. So if any websites mention the rates or percentage, they are not the official ratings or scores of PMI.

As I mentioned earlier that the PMP Exam is not a simple exam, therefore there is more likely that the candidates have a higher tendency to fail the PMP Exam in their first try. That is the reason many training providers mention their money-back guarantees. In addition to this, some of the training provers also mention their full backing to the applicants. On top of this, they mention their success rates based on their trainees who sit in the exam and qualify.

If you properly plan your PMP Exam preparation through formal training and practicing, there is more chance of success. If you have practiced well the pass rate will not have much impact. The reason being a mere fact that you do not know how many candidates appear after proper preparation.

How Can I Apply for the PMP Exam?

There are two ways to apply for the PMP Exam based on the delivery type. The examination delivery type is either Computer-Based Testing (CBT) or Paper-Based Testing (PBT). These tests are based on demographic locations. As in some countries, computer-based testing is available whereas in others only paper-based testing is available. The preferred approach is Computer-Based Testing (CBT). In some areas, the Paper-Based Test (PBT) is the only way to take the exam unless you travel far from your location. It is recommended to apply online since the process is easier and faster.

The PMP Exam application comprises of the following steps;

Create a PMI Account at PMI.org

You can create your account at PMI.org through the registration link. Once you initiate the registration you will follow the instructions for creating the account. On completion, you will get confirmation from PMI.

Submit the online application

Once your PMI account is active, you can proceed to fill your PMP application on the PMI website. When you choose Project Management Professional (PMP) certification option in the certification navigation, you are required to follow the application wizard. Once you cover all the steps of application filling, you are able to submit the application.

Review of Application by PMI

Once you have submitted your application for PMP certification, it is reviewed by PMI. There is a chance that your application is selected for the audit. And there is also a chance that your application is confirmed without any audit requirement.

In case your application is not selected for audit, you are ready to go for payment submission. In case, your application is selected for audit, you are required to comply with the audit process so that your application is approved by PMI to further proceed.

Submit Payment

Once you have submitted your application for PMP certification, it is reviewed and approved by PMI. It completes your compliance for PMP certification eligibility criteria in terms of your education, training and relevant experience. You can now register for the PMP exam by paying the PMI examination fees.

Take the Exam

Once you submit the payment and it is acknowledged by PMI you can schedule and reserve your slot for the PMP exam within your nearest authorized center.

How can I pass the PMP Exam Application Audit?

Once you submit your PMP exam application to PMI, your PMP application will be approved by PMI. But another probability is that your application might be selected for the Audit process.

The PMP Audit process has a process of a random selection of PMP applications. In other words, The PMP may select an application at any point in time and ask the applicant to comply with the Audit process.  There is a small percentage of applicants have the chance of being randomly selected for an audit.

On first look, being selected for Audit may seem stressful, however, the audit is generally a simple process. All you have to do is provide evidence of what you declared within the application. So if you fill your application carefully, there should be no problem in providing the evidence.

In order to ensure your application compliance with the Audit process, you must send the following to PMI;

Proof of education

You will need to provide a photocopy of your degree certificate for the highest level of education completed. This is the criteria in which you specified your degree. As you already have the degree with you so not a big deal to get a copy and add it to your Audit response bundle.

Proof of 35 hours of project management education

Another criterion to sit in the PMP Exam is the 35 hours of project management education. Once you get training from a training provider, they must award you with a certificate of completion with 35 contact hours. All you have to do is get a copy of this certificate and add it to your Audit response bundle which you will send to PMI in response to the Audit selection.

Details of your project management experience

The third criteria to sit in the PMP Exam is your experience based on your degree of Education. This may take a bit of additional work but still pretty much straightforward. All you have to do is to get the Print out of the PDF documents from your audit package organized by PMI and mail your documents to your supervisors. They will have to verify and sign off on each form you have sent to them. After the signing off they have to send the forms back to you. After you receive all the forms form your supervisors you will also include them in your Audit response bundle.

Please note that you may have worked on multiple projects which may require sign off from relevant supervisors. So each of the specified supervisors needs to verify their relevant project. Also, the supervisors do not have to send the verified forms directly to PMI.

Once you acquire all these above items and include them in your response bundle, you will send the entire package to the PMI on the address provided by PMI. It generally takes PMI a week’s time to receive the package, and process the audit. Once the audit of your application gets clearance, you can schedule your PMP exam.

How Much Does the PMP Exam Cost?

There are three main costs of PMP exam:

• Training fee
• The fee of the PMP Exam
• PMP exam preparation time

PMP Exam Training Cost

The training is a mandatory requirement of the PMP Exam. Therefore you will first have to complete the PMP training of 35 hours. There are many training providers from which you can acquire the PMP training. Also, several training providers give training in various formats. Some choose a classroom or instructor-led setting, while others take online courses. These formats and training options bring a variety of prices as well. In-person PMP training options start from $500 and go up to $3,500 while PMP exam online training options start at relatively low cost.

You can read our Top 10 PMP Training post to see all PMP training options and ratings.

I think the provider with the ideal cost-performance ratio is Master of Project Academy. Master of Project Academy PMP Training is reasonably priced, additionally, they have several enrolment options which start from $87/month. Finally, Master of Project Academy PMP Training has a 99.6% first-attempt pass rate with a very good refund policy.

Exam Fee

Once you have completed the requirements pertaining to education, experience and 35 contact hours of training, you have to take the PMP exam in a Pearson VUE test center. Based on the acceptance of your application by PMI, you can schedule your exam date at your nearest Pearson VUE test center.

The PMP Exam has an associated cost. This cost varies depending on whether the applicant is a PMI member or not. The following table shows the PMP Exam fees distribution for PMI and non-PMI members. The table also displays the cost of re-attempt examination fees. These fees also vary whether the candidate is a PMI member or not.

The following table shows the PMP exam fees distribution for PMI members, non-PMI members and for re-attempt.

The PMP exam fee is 555 USD for the people who are not a member of PMI whereas the fee is 404 USD for the PMI members.  One important point I would like to mention; If you choose to become a PMI member at the time of your application, you will just have to pay 555 USD for the PMP exam fee and the PMI membership fee combined. If you do not opt to become a PMI-member, you will pay the same PMP exam fee as well. Therefore, I recommend you to opt for the PMI membership prior to initiating your PMP Exam application.

PMI Membership

PMI is a yearly membership. You will have to renew the membership after one year. The year start is effective from the date when your registration for membership is approved. PMI membership comes with its own cost. There’s a membership fee of $129 and a joining fee of $10. This cost is less then what you can save at the time of the PMP exam application as becoming a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) can drop your exam fee from $555 to $405. Re-examination attempt fees are also drops from $375 to $275.

To avail the benefit of PMI membership in the PMP exam you must be an active member at the time of registration for the examination. If you have applied for the PMI membership, you would require ensuring that your PMI membership is approved and activate. You will not avail of the benefit if your PMI membership is either not approved or expired.

What I have just mentioned above, is one benefit of becoming a PMI member. There are also some other benefits of being a PMI member. The PMI membership offers the following benefits to the members:

• You gain free access for downloading standards, guides and other valuable material relevant to Project management. This also includes the Project Management Body of Knowledge(PMBok). All the material is available on the PMI site pmi.org
• Variety of templates that help project managers
• Access to webinars and events
• Discounted price in the examination fees and re-examination fees
• Discounts price in the CCR renewal fees

PMP Exam Preparation Time

Once you complete the PMP Exam training and earn 35 contact hours to fulfil the PMP Exam criteria you are in the phase of self-study. You can opt to study the material prior to the PMP Exam training to get the basic concepts in line with your experience. This PMP exam preparation time is the intangible cost that you need to invest in terms of time and effort.

The training providers may also suggest the PMP Exam Preparation roadmap one can follow after their training. However, this duration is dependent on how much time you can spend on the PMP Exam training. This time may vary from 4 to 6 months based on your daily and weekly effort in terms of hours. You must be considerate especially when you are buying the online course as you can fully boost your roadmap once you purchase the online PMP course because the pace of the course study will depend on you.

How Can I Study for the PMP Exam?

There are a variety of training programs being offered for the project management aspirants. If you are also looking to achieve this milestone, you can look for training options in this regard. Many training providers offer a variety of mechanisms to provide the training. You can look for the following training formats as per your priorities. These formats include:

• In-person PMP Classroom Training
• Virtual PMP Training
• Online Training

These trainings are great events that prepare you for the certifications.

1. In-Person PMP Classroom Training

There are instructor-led classroom training offered by PMP training providers. These trainings generally have a duration of 4 days. Since these trainings are offered in specific locations depending on the premises arranged by the training providers if you want to avail of the trainings in this format, you need to check the availability of the courses at your nearest premises. Also, you need to adjust your schedule according to the training provider program offerings. This format of PMP training has certain advantages and disadvantages:

Pros

• You can directly interact with the experts
• You can interact with other enrolled students
• The training environment is well set for the learning
• You get a chance to work in groups, these group interactions enhance learning. Candidates learn not only from the trainer but also from the others.
• These classes will make you follow the schedule for learning.
• The classroom environment provides human touch rather than only technology

Cons

• It gets difficult to leave for the training out of your busy schedule
• You have to travel to the premises where the classroom training is offered which may cost you extra time
• These are one time trainings so once you miss the topic it may not be possible to grasp the topic in the same classroom fashion
• You can not repeat the lectures
• You may compromise on other critical activities to attend the classes

2- Instructor-Led Virtual PMP Training

Another option of getting the PMP exam training is through instructor-led virtual PMP training. These trainings generally are offered for a duration of 4 days. Such formats are offered on weekdays, and over the weekends. These trainings also award you 35 contact hours. Generally, weekday sessions start every Monday and end on Thursday. Weekend sessions start biweekly on Saturdays and end in two weekends (Saturday & Sunday). However such trainings are also scheduled by the training providers. So if you are interested in the Virtual PMP exam training you can see the schedule of the training provider.

Pros

• Long-distance learning
• Enhances collaboration and communication
• Real-time teaching and learning
• Effective and efficient time management
• Gives students and teacher a worldwide exposure
• Accessed to everyone equally from anywhere and at anytime
• Introduces students and educators to education technology
• Encourages digital and smart classrooms

Cons

• No control over the students or classroom
• No control over the learning atmosphere or environment
• You would need a computer and internet access, which might not be at hand every time
• Students lack real-time teaching experience

3-Self Paced PMP Training

Another alternative is self-paced learning which is 100% online. This training will also get you to earn 35 contact hours that are required to sit for the PMP exam.

These are the online lectures and learning material which are 24/7 available to the enrolled students. Generally, you get online access to the training material for a specific time of period depending on the package you avail from the training providers. You do not have to follow the schedule as is for in-person classroom trainings or virtual classroom trainings. So you do not need to wait or look for the scheduled offerings by the training providers to avail of this type of training.

Pros

• This is a very effective way of delivering courses.
• It is convenient and flexible, so the resources are reachable from everywhere, every time.
• If you are a part-time student or are working full time, you can benefit from this kind of web-based learning.
• Web-based learning promotes active and independent learning.
• No need to travel to attend any sessions
• You will have access to the course content 24/7, so you will be able to study anytime and anywhere.
• If you like, you can study on a day to day basis, but also on weekends or whenever you have available time. There is no fixed schedule.
• You have the option to listen to particular topics as many times as you want if you need it. This means your preparation will be quite effective. For instance, when you do a practice exam, then based on the results you might need to cover some specific gaps. This approach is highly effective to mark success in your PMP training.
• The courses are accompanied by learning activities and tasks.

Cons

• The online assessments are mostly limited to questions.
• The online learning programs might have a problem in terms of the extent of security.
• This type of learning also requires computers and internet access, which might not be at hand to everyone
• There is a lack of group-based learning
• It contains less human interactions and more technologic interactions

You can read our Top 10 PMP Training post to see all PMP training options and ratings.

Many training providers provider PMP exam trainings in different formats, also several provide all these options and you choose the most suitable for your needs. You can choose any of these formats depending on which format suits you or you are interested in. There are many service providers who offer the PMP Exam trainings in all these formats. But to cut it short here, I would recommend you go for a self-paced learning format. It provides you the flexibility and saves you from the hassle of time and location binding which is a great advantage in itself.

Choose a Comprehensive PMP Exam Training

PMP exam training programs play a vital role in the aspirant’s success in the PMP Exam. Therefore you must be careful when you choose from the available options. These training programs help you prepare a clear road map to follow. So you get a direction that you can follow to prepare for the PMP exam.

In addition to this PMP training helps you cover all the required topics to prepare for the PMP exam. You cover the project management framework, basic concepts of knowledge areas and processes with respect to the PMBOK published by PMI. When you cover all these concepts, you can be ready to improve your foundation.

It means that the right choice of PMP Exam Training is mandatory to achieve the PMP certification. Below are some questions that one can consider to choose the training provider:

• Does it provide me 35 contact hours?
• Which training formats are offered?
• Does it offer the flexibility of location and time?
• Does the curriculum cover the topics of the PMP Exam?
• Do they offer me training material to prepare more for the PMP Exam?
• What will be the duration of online access if I choose the e-learning format,?
• Will I get a certificate of completion to apply for the PMP exam?
• Will the PMP exam training help me assess my readiness with the help of exercises, quizzes, practice tests, mock sessions, etc.?
• What is the course fee? Is it cost-effective?
• If I fail in the PMP exam in my first attempt how will the institute support me?

You may refer to the article PMP Training – Top 10 PMP Training Program Review to get extensive details on the PMP Exam training options.

Should I Use PMBOK During My PMP Exam Preparation?

PMI has developed a standard PM Body of Knowledge (PMBok). That includes the foundation framework of all the processes required to manage the project. These processes are clumped together in the form of Process Groups and Knowledge Areas. In addition to this, the PMBok encompasses all the Tools and Techniques for each process within the overall framework. In other words, we can say that PMBok is the bible of project management as well as the PMP exam.

Hence, it is important to go through PMBok. It is not easy to read the PMBok, as there is high-level coverage of concepts, which makes it much theoretical. Most of the PMP exam materials are prepared inspired form the PMBok and more emphasis is given to the elaboration of these concepts. But how you would know that the PMP exam topics are well covered in the course material?

Even though it is not mandatory to follow the PMBok you need to consult PMBok to get the foundation of project management concepts. This way you can also be sure that the material is sufficient enough to cover the PMP exam as well as help you understand the concepts.

The PMP exam books and material helps you understand the theoretical concepts and practice these concepts in given real situations. If you wish to follow a PMP Book, you can follow a PMP exam prep book that focuses more on how to get ready for the PMP exam and pass in the first attempt. For reference, you can find a PMP exam preparation book published by Master of Project Academy.

Best Way to Get Ready for the PMP Exam

There are several ways you can opt to get ready for the PMP exam. Considering the variety of requirements, different training institutes provide trainings in more than one way. As we mentioned before they offer training in these formats:

1. Classroom instructor-led training
2. Virtual online training
3. E-learning

Each of these formats has its own pros and cons. One can way out these pros and cons and identify which suits them.

In my opinion, the online training format is the best training. My point is backed by different factors:

• The PMP aspirants generally have busy routines
• No one likes to pay too much for a course
• Why select an expensive option when you have the option of lesser cost.
• You can repeat the lecture any time so it is in your control on how many times you want to listen to a specific topic
• You can access the contents anywhere and at any time. No constraints or bounds of time and location.
• You do not have to travel to the course location and this saves you time and travel cost.
• You can run the course as per your time schedule so planning gets easier.

When is the Next PMP Exam Date?

The beauty of the PMP Exam is that its timing is not bound to a specific month or date. As mentioned earlier, the applicants once submit their application. It is either selected for the audit by PMI otherwise the application is approved. In case of an audit, the applicant has to submit the audit response package to PMI which may take a week’s time.

Any aspirant can submit their online application at any point in time. All the activities of the PMP Exam audit and eligibility of the PMP application are subject to the application submission. Therefore the aspirants can easily plan for the timing of their PMP Exam on the basis of their availability and preparation.

PMP Exam Schedule

Once your application is approved you will have a year’s time period in which you can schedule your PMP Exam. For this sake, you need to choose a Pearson VUE Test center and select your date & time slot if it is available within the test center. It is important to note that these test centers are not dedicated to the PMP Exam. These test centers also offer several other certification and language tests. Therefore, I recommend scheduling your PMP exam at least one month before your planned date to avoid the busy dates of the testing centers. After your successful allocation of the time slot in the VUE test center, the schedule of your PMP Exam is fixed. In short, your PMP exam date is based on your choice of schedule.

What Are the Knowledge Areas of the PMP Exam?

There are 10 PMP Exam Knowledge Areas:

• Integration Management – the processes that are required to ensure that the various elements of the project are properly coordinated.
• Scope Management – the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully.
• Time Management – the processes required to ensure the timely completion of the project.
• Cost Management – the processes required to ensure the project is completed within the approved budget.
• Quality Management – the processes required to ensure the project will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken.
• Human Resource Management – the processes required to make the most effective use of people involved with the project.
• Communications Management – the processes required to ensure the timely and appropriate generation, collection, dissemination, storage, and ultimate disposition of project knowledge.
• Risk Management – the processes concerned with identifying, analyzing, and responding to project risk.
• Procurement Management – the processes required to acquire the goods and services from outside the performing organization.
• Stakeholder Management – the processes that identify and develops relationships with those people and organization which are impacted by the project and which influence or determine how the team works.

Sample PMP Exam Questions

To give you an idea of the PMP Exam questions, I have mentioned some questions below. These questions do not give you the idea of all the PMP Exam Question types but they can help you grasp the idea of questions how they look like so you can make your mind to read, extract relevant information, and apply the best suitable option in the PMP Exam.

Below are a couple of examples of PMP questions:

Question – 1:

A dashboard viewable by all project stakeholders displays various statuses using the industry standard of red, yellow, and green colors. Throughout project execution, to meet the needs of the project and some of the project stakeholders, the project manager has been adding more colors to reflect additional statuses. This situation has created confusion among some of the stakeholders over the status naming conventions and meanings. What should the project manager do?

• a) Add a simpler status for the stakeholders who are confused
• b) Remove statuses from the dashboard to avoid confusion
• c) Explain the meaning of the new statuses to the stakeholders
• d) Revert the status to an industry standard of red, yellow, green

Explanation: Project managers manage multiple stakeholders. Therefore it is important for the project managers to reflect the accurate information, with the required details, in the status reports. So the stakeholders get the latest on the project. If the project manager has added more colors and statuses based on the detailed reflection of progress, it requires the project manager to elaborate and clarify the purpose of these statuses to the stakeholders. Project managers do not need to delete any information for the sake of complexity. Also, project managers are not bound to follow the industry standards only, the purpose is that all the stakeholders should be on the same page when they read the status report.

Question – 2:

Bob is the project manager for a large construction project. He has just completed a Monte Carlo analysis simulation when he learns from a team member that some of the cost estimates used in the simulation were incorrect. Bob is highly risk-averse and concerned about this issue, so he meets with his team to discuss options for how to move forward. Based on this information, which choice below best describes what the team would likely do with the results from the Monte Carlo analysis?

a) Reject the results and use the triangular distribution technique instead

b) Use the results; the simulation data can still be of value because incorrect estimates are accounted for in the algorithm

c) Correct; Reject the results; the Monte Carlo results would be inaccurate and should not be used

d) Use the results but set aside additional contingency reserves to address the project risks

Explanation: Accurate cost estimates are the most important part of a Monte Carlo analysis. If the project estimates are too broad, or too narrow, the analysis may misstate the overall risk. In turn, this could create serious problems for project planning. Since inaccuracies in the cost estimates can significantly change the results, it is best for the project team to reject the Monte Carlo analysis results and re-run the simulation once they have a better estimate

Question -3:

Your Program Manager asks you to provide an Estimate at Completion for a small project you are working on. The budget at the start of the project was $30,000, and to date, you have spent $20,000. However, in this consumed amount, the worth of work done is only $10,000. On assessment, you ensure that the project team will be able to complete the project work at the planned rate. What is the value you will share as an Estimate at Completion?

a) $30,000

b) $60,000

c) $10,000

d) $40,000

Explanation; You have spent $20,000 out of which you have earned the value of $10,000 only. In other words, the project cost is overrun by $10,000 which actually did not contribute to the project worth. However, you are sure that the project team will complete the remaining work within the initially planned rate and the rest of the work will complete within, i.e the rest of the work will complete in $20,000 amount. Therefore, the overall budget at completion at the current stage will be $20,000 (for consumed)+ $20,000 (for remaining) = $40,000

Question – 4:

During a bidder conference, a supplier asks why a section is missing from the request for quotation (RFQ). The project manager, realizing that an aspect of the project is indeed missing, becomes confused about the mistake. When you receive the seller responses, all but three fail to address the missing section. What is the best course of action?

a) Send a revised RFQ to all prospective suppliers and allow them the opportunity to resubmit their proposals

b) Hold the bidder conference again, and explain the importance of the point that was initially missed

c) Extend the deadline and allow all of the vendors to resubmit their proposals

d) Select from the three vendors that submitted complete proposals

Explanation: In this scenario, it will be fair to send the new RFQ to all suppliers, then clarify the critical point that was previously missing, and subsequently receive the updated responses to the RFQ. It may not be practical or cost-effective to conduct another bidder conference, especially as other aspects of the project have already been covered in the prior bidding conference. Apart from fairness, re-issuing the RFQ ensures that requirements are understood. Another benefit of sending out a revised RFQ would be receiving more viable bids from other vendors. Therefore, of the available options, the best course of action for the project manager is to send a revised RFQ containing the new information to all prospective suppliers and allow them the opportunity to resubmit their proposals.

Question -5:

A construction company has just hired you. The construction company is about to start a large construction management program in an under-developed country. The project will be on a build-operate-transfer basis and have a duration of 2 years. At the close of the project, the local authorities will run the program. World Bank has sponsored the project. The project is awarded to an international consortium. Your company is one of the subcontractor companies. Other than you there are 2 more contractor companies. After the project scope finalization, you developed a cost estimate of USD $11 million. The sponsor reviews your detailed costing sheets and shows his concerns about the total cost figure. He tells you that the maximum allowable budget he can allocate for this project is USD $10 million. What should you do?

a) Begin the project with the intention of requesting a budget increase at a later point in time.

b) Advise the sponsor that the project can only complete within the available budget.

c) Ask for a reduction in scope.

d) Evaluate ways that can result in cost savings and re-estimate the project.

Explanation: There is no question about beginning the project with the intention to request a change at a later stage. Any change will have a rationale for induction and approval so nothing can be added without a justifiable reason. The scope of work is already agreed on based on the project objectives. Multiple companies are going to address these objectives as currently, you are at the negotiations stage. Therefore at this stage you need to first evaluate the ways that can save the cost.

How Can I Earn Free PMP Exam PDUs?

PDUs and contact hours are different terms but they might seem interchangeable on first look. So you must know the difference between these two. The contact hours refer to the PMP training of 35 hours which is a must for the PMP Exam. Whereas the PDUs stands for Professional Development Units. These PDUs refer to post-PMP professional development activities.

Even though you may find free PMP Exam training materials, these will not fulfil the 35 contact hours requirements. Obtaining the PMP contact hours is a pre-requisite of the PMP Exam, therefore it is mandatory for the applicants to obtain comprehensive PMP training.

Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR)

Once you have obtained PMP credentials, it is not the last milestone. PMP certification requires renewal every three years. The purpose of this is PMI’s Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program aiming to support the ongoing educational and professional development of the certification holders. So the professionals keep themselves prepared to meet the demands of a dynamic and complex business environment. Hence, you should look for PDUs if you already have PMP and trying to renew your PMP certification.

What Changes in the PMP Exam?

PMI conducts research to assess the progression of the project management field, the impact of emerging trends and changes in the responsibilities of project managers. Based on this research they publish new versions of either PMBok or PMP Exam Contents or both. But PMP exam changes do not mean that PMBOK will change as well.

This is a continuous activity that PMI performs. PMI conducted the last research in 2015. As an outcome of this research PMI defined the currently active PMP Exam Content Outline. In the same regard, PMI publishes a document on an updated outline of PMP Exam Content. Likewise, PMI announces the new PMP exam changes. However, these changes will not come into effect as of now. The new PMP Exam Content Outline provides the framework of what you can expect on the PMP Exam after 30 June 2020. The last day for candidates to take the current version of the PMP exam is now 30 June 2020.

The breakup of PMP Exam Questions

The following table depicts the changes in the domains and the proportion of questions from each domain that will appear on the examination. The table depicts the domains and their percentages within the PMP Exam Contents of 2015 and 2019.

New PMP Exam Focus

The new PMP exam focus on three new domains:

• PEOPLE – emphasizing the skills and activities associated with effectively leading a project team
• PROCESS – reinforcing the technical aspects of managing a project
• BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT – highlighting the connection between projects and organization strategy

It is highly important to note that the content spans over different approaches within these three domains; including predictive, agile and hybrid approaches.

These percentages determine the number of questions related to each domain and task that should appear on the multiple-choice format examination. Each domain contains tasks and PMP certification measures these tasks. In addition, the domain contains knowledge and skills. One requires this knowledge and skills to competently perform these tasks.

Updated Structure of the PMP Exam

The latest document published by the PMI specifies the updated structure for the PMP Exam Content Outline. Which is relatively easier to understand and interpret. In this outline, you will find the domains, tasks, and enablers.

• Domain: Defined as the high-level knowledge area that is essential to the practice of project management.
• Tasks: The underlying responsibilities of the project manager within each domain area.
• Enablers: Illustrative examples of the work associated with the task. Please note that enablers offer a few examples to help demonstrate what the task encompasses.

Example of People Domain

The following table is an example of the People domain which has 42% of contribution towards the total questions of PMP examination. The table depicts the Tasks and Enablers of People domain.

The effective date of new PMP Exam content

Even though the new PMP exam content outline is available, it is important to note the date of validity of the current version of the PMP exam and the effective date of the new version of the PMP exam.

Summary

In this article, I have provided information on various aspects that a PMP aspirant requires to understand in the process of PMP certification. We walked you through many interesting questions that any PMP aspirant is looking for. These questions are helpful for project management aspirants to initiate their journey towards project management certifications.

The high recognition and value of PMP certification make many people want to know more about the PMP credentials. In this article, we started with the advantages PMP brings to the certification holders, then we’ve talked about the PMP Exam requirements so one can assess their positioning on when they can get ready to apply for the PMP Exam.

We also discussed what is the PMP Exam looks like. On top of it, we have shared the idea about the PMP Exam passing score and Pass rate. Furthermore, we talked about the PMP Exam application. In addition to this, the article gives information on PMP Exam cost for PMI members and non-PMI members.

Afterwards, I also discussed how can you study for PMP Exam and also briefed on the PMP Exam registration and dates. Furthermore, the article also gives you a brief overview of PMP Exam Knowledge Areas and the PMP Exam questions.

As the new version of the PMP Exam is also due by the mid of the coming year the article also highlights the PMP Exam changes. So it is a good window of opportunity to go for PMP certification if you have initiated for the PMP Exam and you have pre-requisites including Education, PMP training and Experience.

I hope you found the relevant information in this article. I wish you the best of luck with your PMP Exam!

The post PMP Exam – Top 10+ Questions & Answers About PMP® Exam appeared first on Project Hipo.

All the project managers look for project management education. Not only the project management professionals but also the project management aspirants as well as those who want to explore project management as a field to pursue their careers. The project management education is a must-have for all such individuals whether they are PMPs or not.

Why Project Management Education?

There could be several reasons one can explore and opt for project management education. Some of the main reasons can be as follows;

• In case you are a PMP, you must be exploring ways to enhance your project management knowledge on the latest trends. But you must also be looking for various options to acquire your PMP PDUs so that you can comply with PMP renewal criteria set by PMI.
• You are an undergraduate and want to pursue your career in the field of project management, you must be interested in project management courses and bundle offerings.
• Or you are pursuing your PMP certification or exploring further project management trainings to set and expand the horizon of your PM skills.

In this article, we will share the 10 best project management education options with you without any emphasis on PMP exam related education. These project management education programs include project management courses, leadership, and management training packages. Also, other courses that are related to Agile, Scrum, technology, infrastructure which you can opt to lay a strong foundation of project management knowledge and experience.

Market Dynamics and Project Management Education

In the current era, the dynamic market trends result in organizational challenges. And organizations need to meet the challenges and pressure to grow their business and sustain on top of the market. This makes the organizational culture dynamic and agile. Many organizations, irrespective of their domain, strive to introduce new products and enhanced services to the customers. So their market share increase by engaging the new customers meanwhile retaining their old customers by providing better services.

In other words, we can say that the organizations are competing with each other for their survival. As the survival of the fittest theory applies, so is the case with the organizations. And in order to compete in the market, organizations launch many programs within their portfolio to bring the best products and services. Each of these programs may comprise of one or multiple projects. Hence the projects play a key role to meet the organization’s sustainability in the dynamic environment. Moreover, organizations need experienced project managers and project teams to successfully deliver the projects.

Equip Yourself with Project Management Education

Sounds high-level overview? You obviously need to prepare yourself to handle the practical aspects of all these dynamics management. Surely, it means that you need to equip yourself with the right knowledge and skillset to initiate and advance your journey on this track. In the field of project management, there is no end to knowledge. Project management education is one of the basic ingredients to succeed in this area. Project management education covers a broader spectrum. It gives knowledge about cost, schedule, resource, procurement, schedule, integration, leadership, innovation, technology, stakeholder, communication, risk management, change management, soft skills and many more.

In order to learn all these aspects, you can not confine yourself to the specific individual course. So you may look for the courses that best fit your current or new future needs. Covering the roadmap step by step will enable you to be a seasoned project manager.

Trends in Project Management

It is quite interesting if we look back in the earlier civilizations where many inventions were made and even wonders of the world were created. Some of them include Pyramids of Egypt, Great Wall of China and many more.

Even in recent centuries many management related theories and principles were introduced and practiced with very good results. Though the project management in the modern sense can be claimed to gain its roots in the mid of 19^th century, when different tools and techniques like Gantt Chart, Critical Path Method (CPM), Program Evaluation Rating Technique (PERT), Work breakdown structure (WBS) and many more were introduced.

Project Management International (PMI) body played a vital role in the area of project management. PMI,  since its inception in 1987, focuses primarily on the standardization of the project management discipline. Since 1996, PMI has released six versions of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) which has become an international standard for project management. PMI offers various project management certifications. So far the number of project management professionals has outgrown 740,000 PMPs globally and the number is increasing with the passage of time.

Evolution of Project Management Education Programs

In the current era, globalization poses a lot of pressure on organizations. They are under pressure to respond rapidly to change, meet customer needs and maximize resources. The project managers are on the front to face these challenges. They need to establish consistent, repeatable methodologies that reduce risk, cut waste and provide a competitive advantage to the organizations.

Project Management Methodologies

There was a time when the waterfall was the only main project methodology to consider for large projects. But with the passage of time, it has been realized that it takes a long time to achieve top business objectives. Eventually, the business value can not be obtained in case of dynamic projects especially when the project requirements can not remain fixed.

The project’s nature became more demanding due to factors like technical requirements and technical complexities. For such projects, the iterative and incremental ways were opted to get the project along with these factors. Eventually, the project’s nature demanded the transformation from stringent rules to flexible agile management. But in the end, there is no single golden key methodology. Now the project managers have to adapt the project methodologies with respect to the project nature. Scrum is one of the most commonly used frameworks which enables project managers to deliver the most value to the customer at the earliest and helps to maintain the fast pace of delivery.

Now project management education is also transformed towards these methodologies such as Agile and Scrum Methodology, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Agile Product Owner Certification, Agile Scrum Master Certification. and many more.

Project Management Technical Skills and Methodologies

The technology trends are also growing dynamically due to the need for innovation and sustainability.

Now the project managers need to align their skillset with these methodologies so that they can assess and evaluate the right fit based on the project’s nature. Project managers may not only require to choose the project methodologies. But they also may be required to customize the methodologies according to their needs. In other words, they can even use hybrid methodologies.

Cross-Cultural and Virtual Environments

Likewise, there are many other aspects of project management that have outgrown due to the latest trends in the global market. The projects are no more confined to the colocated teams. Current project managers have to interact with many people across different locations and cultures which is only possible through web applications and infrastructure provision. Project managers need to have their skill bags full of different tools and technologies. For instance, they need to be proficient in handling conference meeting tools to conduct virtual meetings. Project managers need to use Scheduling Softwares to prepare online project plans and schedules and then publish them to broadcast to the stakeholders.

In the same context, cross-cultural aspects, soft skills, and emotional intelligence are the areas where project managers have to develop and enhance their skills. Furthermore, you have options for team management, conflict management, decision making and many more.

Information Technology

Similarly, information technology has been a vital part of the projects. Knowledge management is managed through deployed applications in this regard, project managers may need to integrate several applications to develop a complete solution. There is a need for deployment experts who can fully manage the builds and releases on remote servers. It means that the technical requirements are advancing day by day. The trends like technology usage, cloud computing, infrastructure platforms are also on the top of the list for technical project managers.

Leadership and Strategies

The innovation and leadership dimension is also another main area. These developments require project managers to have a good grip in these areas. They need to learn how they can outsource and manage the overall complex projects. Because many large companies have to perform projects through outsourcing and many companies are working as joint ventures to implement complex projects based on their niche and expertise.

Furthermore, project management professionals are keen to enhance their skillsets. They may look for training related to program managers, and business strategists, etc.

Analytics and Business Intelligence

Along with other soft and technical skills, project managers need to enhance their analytical skills. There are many project management education options available for these skills. These skills may require you to choose technology and learn specific toolset. These trainings include but not limited to big data analysis, business strategy.

What are the important points you must be careful about when choosing a Project Management Education?

There may be certain important points you will be careful about while choosing a project management education. Out of these points, your considerations may vary as per your subjective priorities. However, when you are generally looking for the points, you may consider the following;

• What are the available training formats for the chosen training?
• Do I get a certificate in the training?
• What is the quality of the training?
• Is the training provider well known?
• Are the trainers well experienced?
• What is the course outline?
• What material will I get during the training?
• Does the training program offer the flexibility of time and/or location?
• What do I get as training material in the training?
• What is the feasibility of the training?

Top 10 Project Management Education Programs

There are many project management education programs from several training providers. We will list here the top 10 project management education providers and their PM education programs to give you a brief overview of what kind of courses these training providers are offering. Since each project management education training provider has its own unique aspects to offer, a variety of courses and bundles related to the different aspects of project management, we will not necessarily compare these training providers on a single yardstick.

#1 Project Management Education Program – Master of Project Academy PrM Training Bundle

Master of Project Academy is in the project management education business for years and they have several types of project management education programs. They have waterfall and Agile project management courses such as PMP training and Agile Scrum training. Master of Project Academy PM education bundle covers waterfall and Agile approaches as well as MS Project Training in its training bundle. So, you make sure that you will learn conventional and trending PM techniques during your project management education program. Besides, you will learn how to use MS Project step-by-step.

#2 PM Education Program – Lynda.com

Another project management education option where you can look at a variety of courses is Lynda.com. Lynda.com is now LinkedIn Learning because 100% of Lynda.com’s courses have moved to LinkedIn Learning.

Lynda offers courses in the main categories like:

• Business Management
• Design
• Software Development

Website Development

Within these categories, you can find many short courses. The duration of many courses is around 1 hour especially if you look for the Business Management Categories. However, an interesting thing is that there are a lot of areas covered in these courses that can help you pick multiple courses based on your choice so you can build your custom path learning by selecting the courses from these categories.

Business Management Courses

In case you are a technical project manager, the business management category can be very helpful for you to opt for business and interpersonal aspects that will help you cover and groom your skill gaps. For example, you can find courses like:

• Developing a Competitive Strategy
• Building High-Performance Teams
• Managing Virtual Teams

It is not possible to list all the lynda.com courses here. Here we mention some of these project management education courses just to give you the glimpse that to enhance your project management experience and knowledge, you will require to set the foundation in your required areas. These courses can be your best shot.

With each of these courses, you will find the topics, duration, skill level. Moreover, you can get exercises and files provided you are a premium member of Lynda.com. The provider offers monthly as well as yearly membership with a one-month free trial option. These memberships provide you with the following:

• Access 15,000+ expert-led Lynda courses. These courses are available in English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish.
• Certificate on completion of course
• You can watch anytime as per your pace and flexibility
• Practice with exercise files and quizzes
• Access LinkedIn’s Premium Career features

Project Management Learning Path

Lynda also offers various learning paths. These learning paths comprise the course collection that contributes towards its relevant skill development. Lynda offers a project management education learning path for the project management aspirants. This is 26 hours of expert-created video tutorials which include 17 topics within the path. The mainstream module in this path is Microsoft Project 2019. The duration of this module is more than 5 hours which extensively covers the topic to set the foundation.

#3 Project Management Education Program – AZTech

AZTech Training is a leading international project management education provider. They also offer quite a wide range of training courses in various categories. To name a few that may be closely related to project management education field includes:

• Management & Leadership
• Strategy
• Audit and Quality Assurance
• Finance & Accounting
• Human Resource Management
• Project Management
• Contracts Management
• Procurement & Materials Management
• Instrumentation & Process Control
• Information Technology

This list gives the idea of the course coverage by AZTech. Within each of these categories, you can find several course offerings. These courses are not focused on PMP trainings, however, such courses focus on the development and enhancement of the skills required by the project managers especially for their career advancements.

The upcoming trainings are displayed on their website but you will have to look out for the courses offered on your desired premises. In addition to this, these courses are being offered in limited locations within different countries. For example, you can find trainings in Houston if you are looking for the trainings offered by AZTech in the USA.

Furthermore, trainings are quite expensive. For example the course Leadership, Innovation & Enterprise Skills is a 5-day course. The course objectives, way of delivery, course outlines are clearly defined and course material includes interactive practical exercises, video material and case studies, a very impactive visual presentation, group, and class teamwork sessions.

But the course may not be available at the required venue option. So if anyone is looking for such a project management education option, they may have to wait for their venue option to choose the course.

Mini MBA Series

AZTech also offers the Mini MBA Series. In this series, they offer different modules so that the aspirants can attend these training events. For instance, Mini MBA: Quality Performance Leadership.

The training course offered as a mini MBA bundle. This course consists of two modules which can be booked as a 10-Day Training event, or as individual, 5-Day training courses. The course modules of this course include:

• Module 1 – The Leadership Journey
• Module 2 – The Leadership Challenge

You may assess the feasibility of these courses for you considering the factors like cost, location, time availability, and course available within your closest premises. Besides, you may have to travel a long way to attend such project management education courses.

The ratings are also mentioned along with specific courses. So one can get the idea of the course quality they are looking for.

#4 Project Management Education Program – Coursera

Coursera is another option for project management education. Coursera was founded in 2012 by two Stanford computer science professors with a vision to provide a world-class education to anyone which they can access from anywhere. The founders, Professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng put their courses online.

On Coursera you can find online courses, specialization, certificates and degrees from 190+ world-class universities and companies, including Yale, University of Pennsylvania, Google, IBM, and more.

Project Management Education Course

This course is offered by Coursera in partnership with the University of California Irvine. This program aims to educate the candidates on how to lead complex projects to successful completion and tap into new career opportunities.

The course is offered in instructor-led virtual sessions. This is a 6 months professional certificate. On completion of this course, you will receive a Professional Certificate issued by the University of California, Irvine and 12 units of continuing education academic credit.

There is no deadline or start date for this course due to its training format. This is a part-time course with an average part-time duration for 1/2 year. With this project management education course you will get:

• Pre-recorded videos
• Online readings
• Practice exercises
• Peer-reviewed projects
• Comprehensive final project portfolio
• Real-world project management simulation (with 100% virtual group projects

Specialization – Introduction to Project Management Principles and Practices

A Coursera Specialisation is a series of courses that help you master a specific skill. You can enroll in the Specialisation directly, or review its courses and choose the one you’d like to start with. When you subscribe to a specific course that is part of Specialization, you are considered as a subscriber of full specialization. However, you can just choose to complete one course or you can proceed further with the remaining courses within the specialization track.

This project management specialization program offers multiple courses:

• Initiating and Planning Projects
• Budgeting and Scheduling Projects
• Managing Project Risks and Changes
• Project Management Project

Similarly, there are several other project management education options within Coursera. UCI Project Management Professional Certificate is another good option. UC Irvine is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Coursera has bagged many good reviews. Below is just one glimpse of these reviews.

#5 Project Management Education Program –ASPE Training

American Society of Professional Education (ASPE) is another project management education option. Since inception, ASPE has trained Fortune 100, thousands of professionals across the globe.

Even though their main footprint is IT professional development company, however, they also specialize in building customized, enterprise solutions. They offer a wide range of training options that include:

• Courses
• Course Bundles
• Masterclass Series Special Offers
• Certifications

ASPE offers short courses related to Project Delivery, IT Ops & Management, Business Performance. These dimensions are very much pertinent to the project management and project team growth. Especially when the dynamic nature of project demands from project managers to understand different methodologies and how these methodologies pose demands on the project team members.

In addition to this, business performance related courses can be your best choice for project management education. These will help you in developing and enhancing your product management skills. If you are looking for such project management education courses, you can opt for ASPE’s short courses by selecting the ones you are interested in.

ASPE offers various short courses that you can choose from the listing within the different tracks. For instance, the Agile Track offered by ASPE comprises of short courses further categorized as:

• Optimizing Agile
• Agile Coaching & Leadership
• Enterprise Agility
• Agile, DevOps, Tools, and Technologies
• Scrum

The categories enlist the short course accordingly. You can choose the project management education course and take it based on your requirements. If you are new to Agile, you can opt for the basic course and if you are experienced and want to scale up your knowledge, you may op for Enterprise Agility. Each course has a different duration and price. So you may like to opt for your best-required one.

Course Bundles

ASPE also offers course bundles. If you are looking to strengthen your core skills, Bundled Learning from ASPE provides a combination of courses to jumpstart your path to success. There are several course bundles that can appeal to you for further advancement. The project management education related bundle options are Agile jumpstart, PM Jumpstart, ICAgile Expert Fast Track, and Data Analysis Jumpstart.

Flexible Training Formats

ASPE also provides a flexible training format. These training formats include both Live and Self-Paced learning formats. Live Online Courses are instructor-led, but you join in virtually. With this format, you will get all the benefits of a classroom learning experience without the need to travel.

Whereas Self-Paced Online Courses are best for busy individuals who do not have much flexibility to travel. You can follow along with a carefully prepared lesson plan at your own pace and complete your project management education in your own time frame.

#6 Project Management Education Program – PS Consulting

Another option for project management education is PS Consulting Company which is an international training company specializing in project management education. PS Consulting was founded in 1997. In other words, they have more than 20 years of experience in project management education and consulting. PS Consulting has a large contribution to training. They have trained more tens of thousands of project managers worldwide.

Their headquarters are located in Haiterbach, Germany. Their customer base has a global reach and they provide in-house seminars in seven different European languages but their trainings are not limited to a European context. PS Consulting operates worldwide, in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Israel, Japan, Canada, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Singapore, USA, United Arab Emirates, etc. They offer in-house seminars in German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, and other European languages.

PS Consulting offers a long list of project management education course offerings. These course offerings are categorized as Project Management Methods, Communications, and Conflicts, Leadership, and Teams.

Project Management

For project management education they offer trainings relevant to:

• Project Management Fundamentals,
• Scrum in Projects,
• Agile Principles in Projects
• Claims Management
• Project Management for Executives and Managers

They also offer a variety of certification courses pertinent to PMI, IPMA, and Prince2.

Leadership and Teams

Likewise, for Leadership and Teams, they offer the following trainings;

• Leading and Consulting Customers
• Agile Leadership
• Situational Project Manager Advanced
• Developing Project Teams

Managing Stakeholders

Moreover, they offer the following under the head of Managing Stakeholders;

• Conflict Resolution and Negotiation
• Communication Power for  Project Leaders
• Communicating Successfully in Projects

These are quite specific areas identified for project management education. For instance, Conflict Resolution and Negotiation can be a good course for you irrespective of your experience and certifications. Because all the project managers need to deal in many situations that demand them to resolve the possible conflicts and come up with a decision that will work right for the situation.

PS Consulting offers this course as a 2 days intensive training program. And you can avail of 16 PDUs / certificate of further education for IPMA. The topics covered in this course include:

• Recognizing conflicts
• Resolving Relationship and Role Conflicts
• Negotiate Factual Conflicts
• Resolve Inner Conflicts
• Peer Consulting

The course provides 2 days of intensive training from a top-class trainer. Extensive documents and material are provided along with the course. They offer this course in the English language.

#7 Project Management Education Program – IIL

Another alternative to project management education is the International Institute of Learning (IIL) which a global leader in training, consulting, coaching and customized course development. Over the last 26 years, they have provided education to many top global companies. They have various core competencies that include Project, Program and Portfolio Management, Business Analysis, Microsoft® Project, Lean Six Sigma, PRINCE2®, ITIL®, Agile, DevOps, Leadership and Interpersonal Skills, Corporate Consciousness and Sustainability.

They offer trainings in all the formats which include on-demand, virtual, and classroom instructor-led formats. So you get the option to choose the project management education format based on your requirements and suitability.

PDU PowerPacks

IIL offers several PDU offering training programs called PowerPacks. These PowerPacks can help you to maintain your PMP certification and other credentials with PDUs. These PDUs are aligned with the PMI Talent Triangle. These PowerPacks are listed along with the number of videos and PDUs associated with them. You can choose your desired PDU PowerPack as per your focused target area. Some of the PowerPacks IIL is offering include:

• Project Management PDU PowerPack™
• Agile PDU PowerPack™
• Leadership PDU PowerPack™
• Technical PDU PowerPack™
• Strategic & Business PDU PowerPack™

For instance in Strategic & Business PDC PowerPack is a 10 PDU offering bundle. The bundle provides 10 videos. Once you register for this project management education course you get 10 hours of self-paced learning with 60 days access. Additionally, you get knowledge checks and quizzes along with these videos. Some of these videos include;

1. Managing Benefits in Your Projects: Powerful Principles to Bolster Project Success
2. Business Continuity Planning
3. Organizational Survival: Double Meaning of Sustainability
4. Lean Tools and Processes: How to Apply them in Your Business
5. Transforming the Organisation While Implementing its Strategy

Other Courses

IIL offers a long list of courses other than these PowerPacks as well. You can opt for these courses to broaden your project management education exposure. These are quite unique courses to consider that can help you cover 360-degree aspects of project management maturity:

• Change Management
• Management of Portfolios Manager
• Managing Benefits
• Managing Successful Programs
• Management of Risk
• APM Practitioner Qualification
• Project Management for non-Project Managers

#8 Project Management Education Program – Management Concepts

Management Concepts is another project management education option. Management Concepts collaborates with and supports Federal Government agencies and state and local governments. Since 1973, they are delivering transformative consulting solutions. They work to empower individuals, teams, and organizations through trainings. Management Concepts has developed a number of strategic partnerships and alliances that extend the services of Management Concepts.

Offer a wide range of training options. Which helps individuals to enhance their skillset. Management Concepts offers certification programs as well as professional certification programs. The trainings are provided in various formats. These formats include classroom, virtual, and self-paced formats.

Some of the areas in which Management Concepts provides training include Analytics, Acquisition & Contracting, Financial Management, Government Auditing, Leadership, Project and Program Management.

In the Project & Program Management category, you will find the following areas:

• Agile Courses – courses related to Agile methodology
• Business Analysis – courses for Business Analysts
• Core Project Management – courses related to core project management
• FAC-P/PM Courses – courses related to Federal project managers
• IT PM Mastery Suite – courses for IT project managers
• Program Management – a course for those who want to pursue their careers in program management

FAC-P/PM Courses

Federal project managers in the acquisition field have unique training needs. This project management education course range covers all levels including entry, mid, and senior-level courses. They offer virtual delivery options for these courses and have the shortest in-class time of all FAI-verified vendors.

In this project management education course set, you will find a long list of courses that can help project managers to develop their skillset. Some of the courses listed within FAC-P/PM courses include:

• Applied Leadership in Projects and Programs
• Progressive Leadership in Program Management
• Applications in Business, Cost, & Financial Management
• Progressive Contracting Strategies for Programs
• Applications in Project & Program Management
• Applications in Contracting

You can find the project management education course of your choice and see the training schedule and options to match your schedule requirements. For instance, Applied Leadership in Projects and Programs course focuses on effective project leadership in the Federal environment for successful implementation. In this regard, project managers must demonstrate creative and innovative leadership that helps to build and maintain high-performing teams to support organizational goals. This course helps you to explore key leadership skills, learn to manage conflict, practice making decisions, and develop the tools to advance team members’ competency.

#9 Project Management Education Program – Global Knowledge

Global Knowledge is another option for project management education.  Their contribution to the global technology community is more than just IT training. They train beyond the traditional IT topics and train more people than corporate IT. Their main aim is to address the total skills profile of technology professionals.

Global Knowledge offers a vast range of trainings to enhance skills for IT professionals. There is a complete variety of these courses you can opt to advance your technical project management knowledge. Business analysts can look for courses like Analytics and Data Management, Business Analysis, Agile and Scrum.

Courses

If you want to pursue your career as an IT infrastructure project manager Global Knowledge has many courses that you may opt for. These courses include data center, virtualization, IT Service Management, Networking, and Wireless. If you are working as an IT Team member you can look for Business Skills, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, Application Development, DevOps. In case you want to pursue your career as a project manager, you may opt for project management education courses like IT Policy and Governance, IT Service Management.

Global Knowledge covers a long list of brands in which they offer specific trainings. Some of these brands mainly include Adobe, Apple, AWS, CISO, IBM, Juniper Networks, Microsoft, Oracle, and Red Hat. You can choose your relevant trainings with respect to the brands as well depending on your training requirements.

Project Management

Global Training provides a comprehensive project management certification portfolio which includes many project management education course offerings. These include Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP), Six Sigma from Green Belt to Master Black Belt, ScrumMaster Certified Scrum Product Owner, Prince2 Agile Foundation and Certified Scaled Agilist: Leading SAFe.

#10 Project Management Education Program – Simplilearn

Simplilearn is another project management education provider. Simplilearn is one of the world’s leading certification training providers.

Who they are

They are based in San Francisco, California, and Bangalore, India. Simplilearn provides online training in disciplines such as Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, Project Management, Digital Marketing, and Data Science and several others.

They have helped over one million professionals and companies across the globe. They have more than 40 accreditations as an official provider of certification training. Their training courses are designed and updated by renowned industry experts. They offer a blended learning experience that combines online classes, instructor-led live virtual classrooms, project work, and 24/7 teaching assistance.

Learning Paths

Simplilearn offers various learning paths for individuals. You can also explore these learning paths. When you register in these learning paths, you get access to eLearning content for all the courses included in the learning paths. Furthermore, you get access to exclusive forums, moderated by expert faculty and industry thought leaders. In addition to this, you also get monthly mentoring sessions by faculty and industry experts.

Digital Project Manager Masters Program

You can enhance your skillset by opting in their Master’s programs. For instance, the Digital Project Manager program may be a good option to explore. In this program, you get access to the complete learning path of a digital project manager. This aims to build awareness about the latest digital technologies with courses covering Digital Transformation, Digital Marketing, Big Data, and Data Science.

This program helps you to learn core project management and extract the benefits of digital technologies to ensure the smooth functioning of Agile projects. You also learn the core principles of Lean Six Sigma. Additionally, you learn best practices for enhancing the quality of IT service management to reduce costs and increase productivity. The principles of continuous development, deployment and configuration management.

In addition to this, you learn core digital marketing concepts and the processing of large volumes of data. Also, you learn the basics of the Microsoft Project application.

This project management education program offers mandatory as well as optional courses. The courses within this learning path includes:

• PMP
• Agile Scrum Master
• Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
• Digital Transformation for Leaders
• DevOps Certification Training
• Digital skills in Data and AI
• Digital Marketing for Leaders

The optional courses within this program include;

• ITIL^® 4 Foundation
• Business Analytics with Excel
• Microsoft^® Project 2013

Summary of Project Management Education

This article highlights the various aspects of project management education. We shared with you various benefits that project managers and aspirants can reap through the project management education programs. Then the article highlights the high-level project management evolution overview and also discusses the transformation of the project management education aspects. Then we focused on the training requirements with respect to the latest trends in project management. Additionally, we also shared with you the possible criteria for the evaluation of the project management education training programs so that you can assess the project management education provider. Finally, we discussed the top 10 project management education programs.

Furthermore, each training provider has its own unique aspects to offer a variety of courses and bundles related to the different aspects of project management. So we did not necessarily compare these project management education providers on a single yardstick. It is also important to note here that these PMP education providers are not addressed based on their PMP course offerings. The aim to highlight these project management education providers is to help the project managers to get an overview of what kind of courses are being offered by various project management education providers. While reading you can pick the best suitable project management education courses as per your requirements. Also, in this article, we did not compare the prices of these courses.

The post Project Management Education – Top 10 PM Education Programs appeared first on Project Hipo.

Project management is the art of planning and organizing the company’s resources to achieve a specific mission, event or duty towards completion. The resources managed include personnel, finances, technology, and intellectual property. Project management is often associated with engineering and construction fields, but recently project management also entered healthcare and information technology (IT) fields. These fields usually have a complex set of components, which project managers complete and assemble to create a functioning product. Regardless of the industry, project managers prefer to work on defining project objectives as well as determining when to complete different project components in addition to determining who will perform these activities. They also work on creating quality control tests to ensure that the completed components comply with a specific standard. Thus, this makes us wonder what the project manager’s mission is, what are his responsibilities towards his work and towards his team?

Responsibilities of the Project Manager

The project manager’s responsibilities include Planning, Executing, and Closing Projects. In addition to that, there are other responsibilities such as defining the project scope, building its comprehensive work plan, and managing the budget. Managing teams, facilitating commitment and productivity, removing obstacles, and motivating team members are also a part of the project manager’s responsibilities.

These responsibilities not only require many skills, but they also need to develop these skills continually. Therefore, to become a professional project manager, you must develop your skills. You can do this by constantly obtaining relevant courses and project management certifications that enhance your expertise. You have to bear in mind that these courses and certifications need to be accredited from internationally recognized providers. This will allow you to have a great deal of confidence in your project management certification and boost your project management skills.

So, did you fail to achieve a goal because you did not plan for it well? Have you ever wondered why your project final look did not look as expected?

We must admit that one of the most important tools of success is to set the steps to achieve this success. Therefore, project management contains a number of groups of steps to achieve the project goal. These groups’ steps are Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitor and Control, and Close.

Initiation

This stage begins by asking two important questions, what is the project extensively? What is the benefit and return from its implementation?

In order to answer these questions, the project manager creates two important documents:
Business Case: All the reasons for needing this project are explained, which includes the analysis of the return on investment.
Feasibility Study: You need to evaluate what the project’s goals are, the timeline to completion and how much will it cost. You also need to know what resources will be required to fulfill the project and whether it makes sense or not financially and commercially.

Planning

If the upper management approves the project, the project manager starts planning for the project. Starting by how to manage the project so that it can achieve its goals within budget and on time. The project plan should include the necessary resources, funding, and materials. Also, the plan gives direction to your team and the following:

Scope: A written scoping statement that reiterates the need for the project.
Definition: Here you can divide large products into smaller ones.
Tasks: Identify the tasks necessary to produce the results, and see if any tasks depend on other tasks.
Timetable: Determine the duration of tasks and set dates to complete them.
Cost: Estimate the costs involved in the project and formulate a budget.
Quality: Ensure achieving the quality objectives throughout the project.
Organization: Observe how the project will be organized, and including reporting on progress.
Staff: Define the roles and responsibilities of the project team.
Communication: Decide how to publish the information, to whom and with what frequency.
Risk: Identify potential risks and how they will affect the project, and then plan how to solve them.
Procurement: Specify the work or materials to be contracted. Also, identify the contractors.
Management: Managing the secured contracts in the project.

Implementation

After the completion of the planning, it is time to act and start the project. You must follow the plan you created, assign tasks to team members, manage and monitor their progress using project management tools, such as the project dashboard.

Monitor and control

To ensure that the project plan is in progress the project manager must monitor and adjust the plan as needed. To do this, they have to follow these operations:
Reporting: Get a benchmark to measure project progress and a tool to provide this information.
Scope: Monitor scope and control changes.
Quality: Measure the quality of the deliveries and ensure meeting the planned quality. If not, evaluate how to improve quality.
Schedule: Tracking delays or blocks that affect the project schedule and adapting to the correct course.
Cost: Monitor costs and control cost changes.
Risk: Note the changes in risk throughout the project and respond accordingly.

Close the project

Once the project achieves its goals and objectives, the last stage of the project is to close it. This stage includes the following set of activities:
Scope: Ensure that the project results are completed as planned.
Management: Closing all pending contracts and administrative matters, archiving and publishing papers to the appropriate parties.

Now let us discuss the top tier Project Management Certifications available across the globe. There are multiple reputable Project Management Certification programs. We will go through each of them in the following section.

#1 Project Management Certification Program – PMP Certification

What is PMP? Wherever you are in your career, the internationally recognized Project Management Certification (PMP) tells employers, peers and the world you know what to do with project management. Even if the Project Manager is not part of your job title, the PMP as a project management certification still applies to anyone who helps complete the project. Just as the CPA certificate validates the experience for accountants, PMP understands your ability to manage projects – and the hard work you have done so far. This makes us wonder how important is of PMP certification? What is its impact on my project manager’s career?

As a PMP certified you can work in almost any industry or location. While you need to complete a few steps to get it, it can be a powerful tool. Here are some reasons why PMP certification can help you build your career successfully.

Why PMP certification is important for your career?

Across all different project management certifications, PMP is one of the best. There are multiple reasons motivates you to acquire project management professional certification, those reasons are illustrated below:

It adds credibility to your skills

As a PMP certified, you are a professional in this field. When looking for a job, this is a clear demonstration of your abilities and skills. Your CV will not only look more credible but also become a trusted expert for potential employers and future employees. You can see PMP training options.

It can increase your employment opportunities

Like most of the project management certifications, PMP provides its holders with higher pay than their peers. According to the PMI report, by 2027, employers will need 87.7 million individuals working in project-oriented roles. However, there is a shortage of qualified talent.

The best way for you to increase your chances of finding a job is to get your PMP certification. It will help you stand out from the competition and get hired much faster.

It can help you achieve career growth

The PMP certification course can help you not only learn a lot of new skills related to your profession but also broaden the way you learn and grow. These form the perfect foundation for you to keep growing and working your way up.

It allows you to keep abreast of industry trends

Project Management Institute (PMI) is always up to date with changes in the rapidly changing industry. Course content is constantly updated and updated based on the current industry situation, which means you will be familiar with the latest project management trends.

Helps you establish effective relationships

There are 791,448 PMP holders currently. When you become a PMI Club member, you will get the chance to meet new people who can be of great help to know them in the future. Whether you need help finding a job to enjoy or need a recommendation, these colleagues can help you.

Helps you know new job opportunities

PMI often organizes meetings around the world for its members. As a PMP Certificate Holder, you will be able to attend these meetings where you can easily see all the important business opportunities from your fellow PMI members.

Helps you to improve your skills

To pass a PMP certification test, candidates need to undergo training and a large number of courses. This means that you will have to spend hours and hours reading material, research and practice to be able to handle any aspect of the exam.

Helps you rise to the occasion

The skills you learn through the course are many and can help you do your job better and justify employer confidence. No matter what type of project management task you advance, you will be able to show your new boss that you can adapt to any challenges you face, thanks to the knowledge you have gained.

It increases your marketing

PMP certification is internationally accredited and recognized by the entire global business community. One of its biggest advantages is that it can help you increase your marketing ability and legitimize your experience as a project manager. As a result, you will be able to search for work wherever there are project management jobs available.

Allows you to earn a higher salary

These are the main factors affecting salary increase after PMP certification:

When you choose a specific course to upgrade your qualifications, you are definitely looking at financial rewards. PMI conducts surveys in various countries regularly to analyze project managers’ salary increases once they obtain PMP certification. Documented reports confirm the value of obtaining a PMP certification. Besides PMP certification, the 6 most important factors affecting salary are position or role, the average project size, the average project budget, the average size of the project team, years of experience in project management, job location.

Accordingly, as soon as you get a chance to manage a large project with a large team after getting a PMP certification, your opportunities will grow significantly.

Impact of PMP certification on salary:

According to PMI’s ninth PM salary survey, a PMP certified project manager gets a 20% higher salary than an uncertified project manager. This survey covers a total of 26,000 project managers in 34 countries. The survey results show a significant variance between project managers with the PMP certification and PMs without it.

It makes you add value to any organization you work for

Certified project managers add significant benefit and value to any organization. Not only are they able to deal with problems and setbacks more easily, but they can also organize their teams better and achieve the necessary results with minimal effort and resources, making them a valuable asset for every company they work in. An individual with PMP certification can work in almost any industry or location. While you need to complete a few steps to get it, it can be a fairly powerful tool. You can read about PMP certification requirements and PMP certification cost.

#2 Project Management Certification Program – Agile Certifications

Starting from the early 2000s Agile project management certifications became more popular especially after 2010s. Especially the IT and Software industry has a high demand for agile certified professionals. There is a variety of agile project management certifications offered by a variety of institutions across the globe. These project management certifications usually are based on the same frameworks and methodologies. Accordingly, we have picked a number of top-tier agile project management certifications to review in this article.

PMI-ACP project management certification

This agile project management certification initially developed by the Project Management Institute. It aims to assist people who practice Agile’s on-the-job approach. To take the exam you must study various agile methodologies, such as Scrum, Lean, Kanban, and XP – to broaden your knowledge base. Thus, gaining a PMI ACP certificate testifies that your credentials when it comes to agile practices. You should learn most of the agile practices understanding differences, methods and ways to pass the test. This not only opens your mind but also makes you more skilled in agile practices that you already know.

Getting certified means that you have the features to implement agile methodologies, and it gives the employers confidence in you. The value of the certificate does not drop, due to the high standards set by the PMI globally. The certification requires not only hard work on your part but also requires that you have extensive project experience.

PMI-ACP project management certification requirements

This extensive experience requires a candidate to have at least 2000 hours of project experience. Therefore, you will never have to waste your time proving your credentials to anyone. PMI ACP has seen a rapid rise to the top of the best Agile Certifications on the market and hence there is a great demand for certified practitioners today. PMI ACP is used as an employer benchmark to measure your knowledge of Agile practices, especially for companies that use Agile.

Certified practitioners are always preferred compared to their unaccredited peers. Their high levels of knowledge of various Agile practices, such as Scrum, Kanban, Lean, XP and Crystal also help them reach the top of the group. There are more benefits to getting a PMI ACP Certification. The PMI also provides a certification maintenance program, which enables the practitioner to keep abreast of the many developments in Agile. This means that the degree never becomes irrelevant and contributes to your career growth significantly.

PMI-ACP project management salary

Your career opportunities are also enhanced because all companies want employees who are able to apply and understand internal business aspects. Being a reliable source of enterprise, employers tend to chase you to get your high qualifications in this field. The average salary of a certified practitioner is approximately 20% higher than their non-accredited colleagues – which clearly enhances the value of this certification. According to surveys, it was found that Agile certified professionals earn about $ 120,000 on average, while employees without certificates earn only about $ 95,000 at the same level. The certification not only increases your shares with employers but also significantly increases your profits. In conclusion, PMI ACP project management certification may be new to the market, but it is one of the most effective and comprehensive testimonials available on Agile’s practices.

All of Agile’s methodologies and frameworks are covered under this single certification, giving you a better view of each Agile practice and its differences with each other. This certification opens you up to massive career growth and a large number of new job opportunities. The exam can be expensive, but the benefits are huge – you always keep in touch with new developments, your inventory is constantly rising, and the money spent on training and exams can be recovered within two months, even. So what are you waiting for? Take an Agile course accredited by the Project Management Institute!

PMI-ACP project management certification evolution

With the growth of the Agile community and institutions beginning to apply the Agile methodology excessively to implement their projects in a dynamic environment, PMI-ACP has become a popular and rapidly growing certification. The PMI ACP certificate offers its holders a huge advantage over others through its formal recognition of their knowledge and experience of Agile principles as well as using Agile tools. PMI ACP certificate is a set of qualifications combining Agile Training, Agile project experience and Evaluation of Agile Principles and Practices. Organizations usually depend on project practitioners to apply various project management approaches. Thus PMI-ACP serves this purpose as one of the global certifications which elevate professionals’ ability to support that need.

PMI-ACP project management certification benefits

The benefits of acquiring PMI-ACP project management certification are the following:

High demand

Around the world, there is a great demand for competent project managers in industries. Regardless of the academic background, the correct certification will demonstrate your expertise in project management skills. With various that heavily utilize Agile related technologies, there is a demand gap of professionals who apply Agile methodologies and practices. Thus, for practitioners who have working experience within an Agile environment even as project managers and developers, ACP project management certification offers a reason to praise their achievement.

Wide range

PMI-ACP includes more than one method of Agile methodologies including Scrum, FDD, XP, Kanban, DSDM, Crystal, etc. The purpose of this certification developed by PMI is the ability to credit professionals who practice Agile approaches, tools, and techniques in their work. It shows to employers that a professional has practical experience working in an agile environment. It has become a more popular and desirable certification by PMI.

Professional growth

PMI ACP certificate provides a vital role for your professional growth opportunities. It demonstrates to employers the level of professionalism in Agile practices required in project management. It increases your professional skills in project management tools and techniques. PMI ACP also helps you learn about the different Agile methods and improves your ability to adapt to Agile technologies which ultimately enhances customer satisfaction and team productivity. This certificate also proves you have the required level of experience in Agile as well as the knowledge of Agile tools and techniques and that you have professional resources to undertake any project based on Agile methodology.

Make you marketable

PMI-ACP project management certification enhances your CV, earns appreciation in your organization as well as with other employers and provides you with better job opportunities for career advancement. Proven to be incredibly helpful for your career in Agile Project Management, it opens doors to many methodologies for project development, collaboration, and better job opportunities. This certificate makes you a salable employee. The increased demand for Agile professionals, agile certifications like PMI-ACP tempts employers to chase you, given your competence in project management.

Benefits the organization

Today more and more companies are adopting the Agile approach instead of the traditional waterfall model. PMI-ACP certification helps discover technologies to effectively manage project scope and learn Agile principles and practices that improve team performance and collaboration that ultimately ensures better delivery.

Scrum Project Management Certifications

The Scrum methodology is an incredibly powerful group of values, principles, and practices despite being lightweight.
Scrum methodology depends on teams that are cross-functional which deliver work in short time boxes. Thus enabling fast feedback, rapid adaptation to change, continuous improvement and accelerated delivery. Generally, Scrum works by breaking large work into smaller pieces to complete in a short time. Typically, Scrum teams test each group of completed components. Then, the teams learn from their previous work, feedback to adapt upcoming work, minimize risk and reduce waste. Accordingly, repeating the cycle until the full completion of work in a manner that meets the needs of the customer.  This happens due to the opportunities for adjustment at the end of each cycle.

Benefits of using Scrum

Scrum teams give the highest priority to the continuous creation of working functionality, the business benefits with the maximum possible investment returns. Thus, utilizing Scrum offers businesses benefits like faster innovation, quickly moving the idea to delivery, generating a higher level of customer satisfaction and increasing the level of employee morale.

a-) Scrum Alliance project management certifications

Scrum Alliance offers a wide range of agile project management certification types which ranges between various tracks. These tracks include Scrum Master track, product owner track, and developer track. To obtain the advanced level of any scrum project management certification tracks you will need to acquire the prior level first.

Scrum Master track

The Scrum Master track has three levels of project management certification. The first level is Certified Scrum Master, which is the intro level for this track which fills the role of scrum master or scrum team member. The second level of this track is the Advanced Certified Scrum Master project management certification. Finally, the top tier level of this track is Certified Scrum Professional – Scrum Master, which certifies that you are able to challenge scrum teams to enhance the application of Scrum and Agile principles. At the same time, this project management certification certifies your demonstrated scrum experience, received training, and knowledge.

Scrum Product Owner track

The Scrum Product Owner track contains three levels of project management certification as well. Certified Scrum Product Owner is the first level of this track. This project management certification recognizes the role of creating product vision, ordering Product Backlog as well as ensuring the best possible job to satisfy the customer. The second level of this project management certification is the Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner. This project management certification testifies the holder’s ability to maximize business value as well as optimize Product Backlog to reach the best way possible to increase key stakeholders’ satisfaction. The top tier level project management certification of this track is the Certified Scrum Professional Product Owner. As a Certified Scrum Professional, you are able to challenge your teams to enhance the application of Scrum and Agile principles. Also, this project management certification testifies that you demonstrate scrum experience, training, and knowledge.

Scrum Developer track

This track of project management certification Certified Scrum Developer includes two levels, the Certified Scrum Developer and the Certified Scrum Professional. Those two project management certifications certify development professionals who work within scrum teams.

b-) Scrum.org project management certifications

The Scrum.org offers a wide range of project management certification tracks, which all are based on scrum. The institution offers seven main project management certification tracks. Professional Scrum Master track is the first of these seven tracks. This project management certification track has 3 levels, to proceed for a higher level you must complete the prior level. The second track is the Professional Scrum Product Owner track and it has three levels with the same rules applied. The Professional Scrum Developer is the third track, which targets Scrum Development Team Members with 1 level only. Following there is the Scaled Professional Scrum track, which validates your ability to understate the key elements of agile scaling with 1 level only.

The Professional Scrum with Kanban track offers 1 level project management certification which verifies your ability to use Scrum and Kanban methodologies. The Professional Agile Leadership certificate validates that your leadership abilities and understanding Agile added value to the business. The final track Scrum.org offers is the Professional Scrum with User Experience. This track validates your understanding of how Scrum Teams integrates Scrum with User Experience to improve the creation of value.

#3 Project Management Certification Program – Prince2 Certification

The Prince2 project management certification offered through the Axelos institution. It is more popular in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India and in some EU countries despite the fact that PMP is much more popular all around the world.

Benefits of having PRINCE2 Certification

Unlike PMP’s PMP, PRINCE2 is an effective project management methodology. The key difference between them is basically within the process as well as the body of knowledge. PMP is all about providing best practices for project management around the world in a standardized format. In fact, it turns away from recommending the processes to follow while managing projects, and here PRINCE2 project management certification comes into the picture, as it fills the void left by PMP.

The entire project is justified even before it starts

The PRINCE2 methodology requires full justification for actions at every level. The project should provide regular updates on business cases throughout the project life cycle to ensure delivery of the intended value to the project and its clients. Failure to do so will end the justification for continuing the project.

PRINCE2 tailoring according to any project in size and complexity

The best part about PRINCE2 is that you can tailor it according to project size and complexity. In PRINCE2 you can never remove an operation. Process activity must be completed, but you can customize the process to suit the right environment. Moreover, a lot of resources and time are saved because PRINCE2 is a built-in methodology, which means PRINCE2 will be applied to all aspects of the organization.

Improving salary opportunities with global opportunities

Professionals with PRINCE2 certification qualifications have more chances to land their dream job and pay well. Especially in countries like the UK, Europe, Australia, and Asia, your employer has all the rationale needed for your skills to give you an increase in salaries. According to Payscale.com, the highest average annual salary for PRINCE2 certified professionals ranges between approximately $ 60,000 and $ 123,000.

Employers all over the world have a great demand for project practitioners. Thre is more demand for PRINCE2 credential holders in the UK Australia, New Zealand, India and in some EU countries. While the demand for PMP certified professionals is more in the US and the rest of the world. At the end of the day, it all depends on the institution and the type of project you are dealing with to choose the right certification that best suits your career. The PMP certification is useful for obtaining a comprehensive view of project management, and PRINCE2 also mainly helps in understanding the processes and people in the project.

For project management practitioners to take their next level for their project management skills, they need to undergo accredited training in both PMP and PRINCE2. It will help you gain an in-depth understanding of project management approaches and apply project management techniques that are best suited for successful project completion.

Prince2 Certification levels

Axelos provided Prince2 Certification has two levels where you have to acquire the 1st level in order to acquire the second level.

Prince2 Foundation Certification

Foundation level certification of Prince2 requires you to have an in-depth understanding of how to work with Prince2 methodology effectively on projects as well as understanding the basics of Prince2 methodology and terminology.

Prince2 Practitioner Certification

It is the advanced level certification of Prince2. The requirement for this project management certification is to confirm your ability to customize Prince2 principles to fit project requirements. While as a Practitioner, you become fit to lead teams that use Prince2 Methodology.

#4 Project Management Certification Program – CAPM Project Management Certification

Are you in your early years of Project Management career? If yes, that means you do not have enough project management experience. Thus, you are not qualified for some project management certification such as PMP. CAPM project management certification is entry-level certification of PMI for project managers in their early years in their careers.

What are the different benefits of CAPM project management certification?

CAPM project management certification can be a starting point for your career as a project manager. It has many advantages.

1. It will give you global recognition

PMI is world-famous for its literature and project management certificates. CAPM is an entry-level project management certification. It is widely accepted all over the world by various organizations. By earning this accreditation, you will be recognized as a knowledgeable professional.

2. It will enhance your knowledge

By studying for the CAPM project management certification exam, you will learn about various project management tools and techniques. In addition, you will learn about project management practices that have proven to improve the project’s success rate. Some might say that knowledge can be acquired without preparing for the test. Right! But everyone knows that true knowledge comes only when seriously preparing for the exam.

3. It is a professional achievement

CAPM project management certification is a relatively difficult exam to pass. The credentials give you instant recognition and respect among your peers.

4. It will increase your confidence

The idea of passing a globally recognized certification exam level is a challenge. You will feel comfortable and feel good after passing the exam. It would give a huge boost to your confidence.

5. It has the potential to give you better job opportunities

Since CAPM project management certification is a well-recognized certification that enhances your knowledge, it may open doors for junior project management jobs. Even if you do not have commensurate professional experience or are not fully qualified for a job, companies may give you preference over more qualified candidates.

6. Organizations tend to give you greater responsibilities

After getting the CAPM certification, you will be recognized as more knowledgeable and skilled than your peers. Organizations tend to benefit from your additional knowledge in assuming project responsibilities. This can lead to more complex project management.

7. It can improve the project’s success

The credentials give you the knowledge to apply project management tools and techniques to project activities. This improves the overall efficiency of project management and will likely lead to more successful projects.

8. It can improve customer satisfaction

CAPM project management certification enhances a person’s basic knowledge about project management that appears in their commitment to action. It also increases the customer’s confidence in your abilities and skills.

9. It enhances the marketing of your organizations

CAPM project management certification comes with global recognition. Your organization can use it as a marketing tool to win more contracts from clients.

10. It can serve as a platform for PMP certification follow-up

The examination content for CAPM project management certification and PMP project management certification is almost the same. CAPM project management certification relies only on the PMBOK Guide while PMP project management certification mostly relies on it. After you get the CAPM project management certification, you are almost ready to pass the PMP project management certification exam. Once you are eligible for taking the PMP project management certification exam, you can apply for the PMP project management certification immediately.

#5 Other Project Management Certification Programs

I addition to the project management certification programs we mentioned, there are other top tier project management certification programs we will list and discuss below for your review.

Certified Project Director – CPD Project Management Certification

CPD is a project management certification at the orientation level as it is not only difficult to take the exam, but the accredited institute also has certain requirements to keep the CPD project management certification course active. As an approved project manager, this obligates you to “maintain” your degree by completing a pre-determined number of hours in the field service.
Likewise, the courses for subordinates are also an additional point. CPD contains two units; the official and unofficial CPD documents. You should not confuse them with each other because the official, certified project manager is considered a professional with structured online education, appropriate certification, and supporting documents.
Regardless, CPD is one of the most prestigious accredited project management courses. As much as CPD itself represents a daunting adventure, it rewards qualified employees with equal job opportunities and salaries.

Requirements for a certified project manager

Since CPD project management certification accredited with GAQM, they have been tasked with obtaining solid knowledge about project management principles and methodologies. Additionally, you need to demonstrate practical knowledge in project management as a manager to qualify for the exam.

Certified Project Manager – CPM-IAPM Project Management Certification

The Phytosanitary Measures Authority introduced more than a decade ago when the terrorist attacks shook the foundations of the US government on September 11, 2001. The main body at that time offered the course of the Certified Project Manager course due to the unexpected nature of the disaster at hand.

Along with buildings and other physical ruin, the attack sent tremors through IT infrastructure. Companies were not prepared to deal with such pressure and needed certified project managers to assess their skills through practical experience. Since then, this certification has been internationally recognized by project management training institutes.

Requirements for a certified project manager

CPM and CPM-IAPM tests are relatively easier. There are no prerequisites for taking the test, except for proof of attending a 3-day course.

Professional Project Management – PPM Project Management Certification

Although it is not difficult to obtain a certificate such as PPM project management certification, companies prefer to hire experienced professionals compared to those who have just completed their courses.

As a certified PPM professional, if you are looking to enter the job market, many companies will expect you to have knowledge/skill regarding resource allocation and QoS maintenance with minimal risk and effective communication and perseverance to bring about change in the company.

Just like CPM, the PRO line up in Project Management Certification with Risk and Crisis Management Training.
Professional in project management requirements:
• Unlike its peers, the PPM certification exam does not require that you obtain an official university degree
• Candidates need at least some experience in project management. If this is not a possibility, then you need to demonstrate your knowledge and familiarity with project management in one way or another

Master Project Manager (MPM)

Project management is growing at a rapid pace and is used in all industries, whether health, communications, chemicals, and energy, as well as in the social sector. The MPM project management certification is designed for professionals who want to increase productivity in the workplace.

MPM project management certification mainly focuses on professional project managers, but in addition, it also supports these professionals in technical and business management roles.

MPM project management certification is one of the certifications that help you earn additional points for IT professionals who are in the field of project management in their company. It provides a simple yet effective training environment for professionals with a technical background by identifying and linking management teachings to engineering.

Professional in Master Project Manager requirements
• Three years of training and project management experience makes applicants eligible for exemptions with a master’s degree with relevant job experience
• Graduates who have less than three project management years of experience are eligible to take this certification.

Associate in Project Management (APM) Project Management Certification

Associate in Project Management is one of the introductory project management certifications.

It is an internationally recognized important accreditation in the field of project management that demonstrates that the candidate has the required knowledge in this field that is limited to the level of project management initiation.

The exam consists of 50 questions to choose from which the candidate needs to obtain 70% (35 out of 50 correct) to pass the test and the total exam duration is one hour (60 minutes).

Professional in project management requirements
• No formal education or experience required

Certified Project Management Practitioner – Project Management Certification

Immediately after the establishment of the European Council in 2001, the government wanted to address some of the fundamental issues that resulted from the notorious terrorist attack. For this issue, the CPMP project management certification was created as a standard for those with a talent for managing disaster recovery operations.

It is expected that people with a certified project management practitioner certification will take a number of projects related to infrastructure development, administrative obstacles, and leadership obstacles. Although CPMP project management certification is not a high degree, it does serve as a solid foundation for anyone looking to enter a field that requires work experience.

As a result, value is added over time to management expertise, leadership characteristics, and technical skills.

CPMP project management certification requirements.

The CPMP project management certification requirements are rather simple. There are no prerequisites for this certificate. However, you have to submit a non-refundable fee of $ 200 for the exam. CPMP project management certification is taught in various training companies in two to three days. They charge exorbitant fees for these categories, so set aside a large portion of your budget in advance.

Six Sigma Black Belt Project Management Certification (CSSBB)

The next one on the list is CSSBB – also known as the Six Sigma Black Belt project management certification. Yes, it has a great name, and this name accompanies a good salary check with a host of challenges.

Another interesting thing about CSSBB project management certification is that it is not the only certificate in this category. If you are not up to the challenge or do not meet the prerequisite, you can sign up for the Six Sigma Green Belt certification. This is a lower-level certification and serves as a starting point for those looking to get a “Black Belt”.

CSSBB project management certification is internationally recognized and accredited through the ASQ Institute. ASQ Body of Knowledge has 18 other certificates. Three of these certifications are for project managers, while others elevate the PM level experience to a more professional level.

CSSBB project management certification is difficult to obtain. The path is strict due to the complex prerequisites and different fee structures. The good news is that once you’re done, you’ll enjoy the benefits of a decent wage schedule and many other perks offered by major corporations to professionals.

Six Sigma Black Belt Certification requirements (CSSBB)

In order to get the exam, or at least be eligible, you must prove that you have completed two different projects before. ASQ will require you to produce pre-written written project certificates plus 3 years of experience in this field.

Breaking the deal with this certificate is that it is only valid for three years. This is not a bad part. In order to retake the test, you need to retest all 18 certification exams that are part of the CSSBB structure! It looks cool, right?

Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Certificate

This certificate is part of another project management certification in the Six Sigma Black Belt certification group. There are a total of three certificates, and CSSGB project management certification is one of them. Three certificates are necessary for anyone looking to hone their skills as a project manager.

As usual, the ASQ Institute accredits CSSGB project management certification. Before the exam, candidates must have at least three years of experience in Six Sigma Projects. Additionally, the work experience must be full-time and paid for. Therefore, detainees or part-time workers are unable to pass the six accredited Green Belt exams.

The good news is that within the limits of the Green Belt Authority certification, you will be able to do one of the following with great ease and comfort.

• Dealing with related phase projects. The stages in Six Sigma can be customer voice, fundamentals of project management, project identification, planning, resource management, team dynamics, and vice versa. Each “stage” is a legacy of its own.
• You will also be able to perform operations analysis, measure the performance and capabilities of team members in a project and collect the data necessary for the current Six Sigma preparation.

Six Sigma Green Belt certification requirements (CSSGB)

CSSGB project management certification requirements are somewhat complicated. As mentioned earlier, you need to show written certificates or contracts for a minimum of 3 years of experience as a full-time worker in Six Sigma Projects.

ITIL Certification

ITIL is an IT service management certification that Axelos offers which has a lot of relevance to project management certifications. The ITIL set of certification systems offers a standard approach to the context of the ITIL framework. It consists of various levels of qualifications that concentrate on different pillars of ITIL service management best practices. This offering comes with varying levels of detail. The progressive nature of certification creates flexibility in terms of different areas and disciplines in addition to the ability to study only the areas of their main interest.

ITIL 4 Certification theme

Axelos offers four levels of certification within the ITIL 4 :

Foundation level

Designed as an introductory level to ITIL 4 to test exam taker’s understanding of IT service management within an end to end operating model. This is done through the creation, delivery and continual improvement of services and products. This level of the certificate does not require any perquisites, however, the certificate holder must pass the level exam.

ITIL 4 Managing Professional level

The ITIL 4 Managing Professional level offers practical and technical knowledge in terms of running successful IT services. It mainly targets IT service management practitioners who work within the technology context. This level requires you to certify the foundation level first before applying to any certification within this level. This level or stream contains four modules the candidate can take:

• First Module: ITIL 4 Specialist Create, Deliver and Support
• Second Module: ITIL 4 Specialist Drive Stakeholder Value
• Third Module: ITIL 4 Specialist High-Velocity IT
• Fourth Module: ITIL 4 Strategist Direct, Plan and Improve.

For Axelos to certify you with the ITIL 4 Managing Professional designation, you must complete all modules in the stream.

ITIL 4 Strategic Leader level

ITIL 4 Strategic Leader level recognizes the ITIL value, for all digitally enabled services not only for IT operations. To Become an ITIL 4 Strategic Leader, you must demonstrate a clear understanding of the influences of IT over business strategy. ITIL 4 Strategic Leader level stream consists of two modules. Those two modules are ITIL 4 Strategist Direct, Plan and Improve and ITIL 4 Leader Digital and IT Strategy. For Axelos to certify you with the ITIL 4 Strategic Leader designation, you must complete all modules in the stream.

Master level

The highest level of ITIL is the ITIL Master certification. To achieve this level, you must explain and justify your personal application of a range of principles, knowledge, techniques, and methods of ITIL in addition to, explaining management support techniques, to achieve the desired business outcomes in practical assignments.

Summary of Project Management Certification Programs

In this article, we went through different top tier project management certifications and discussed the details of each project management certification. We went through the major project management certifications like PMP, Agile project management certifications, Prince2, and others. In conclusion, selecting the best project management certification for you depends on your location, experience, and career plans. Also, selecting one project management certification is not the optimum choice as each project management certification has its own areas of strength. While all project management certification has its strengths, still project management professional certification (PMP) standout as the top of all of them. As explained earlier, PMP is the top recognized project management certification across the globe.

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