What is PMI

With more than 240,000 members in over 160 countries,PMI is the leading membership association for the project management profession. PMI is actively engaged in advocacy for the profession,setting professional standards,conducting research and providing access to a wealth of information and resources. PMI also promotes career and professional development and offers certification, networking and community involvement opportunities.
History
PMI was founded in 1969 by five forward-thinking individuals who understood the value of networking, sharing process information and discussing common project problems. After their first official meeting in October of that year at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, the group officially incorporated the association in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA.
Since then, the Institute has grown to become the global advocate for the project management profession with more than 240,000 members in over 160 countries. And with nearly 242,000 credential holders worldwide, PMI’s Project Management Professional (PMP^®) certification is the most widely recognized in the profession.
Regional Service Centres
PMI operates two Regional Service Centres outside the United States for the convenience of its members around the world. To help members in the EMEA region, PMI has an office in Brussels, Belgium, while its Singapore office assists members in the Asia Pacific region.
Representative Offices
PMI offices in Beijing, China, and Washington, D.C., USA, allow the Institute to extend the scope and impact of its outreach and education.

Getting Certified With PMI

Obtaining a Credential
The preparation process for each of PMI’s credentials differs but always includes intensive study and examination.

Program Management Professional (PgMP)

Project Management Professional (PMP®)

Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®)

Program Management Professional (PgMP)
PMI's Program Management Professional (PgMP) credentialing service offers PMI's first credential designed to demonstrate project and program management skills. To be eligible for the PgMP credential, you must meet specific guidelines that objectively measure experience, education and professional knowledge, and undergo a rigorous application process as well as three assessments. You also must agree to adhere to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. The CAPM or PMP credential are not prerequisites for the PgMP credential.
Eligibility
• With a Bachelor’s Degree (or a global equivalent): Over the last 15 consecutive years, applicants must have at least four years of project management experience and four years of program management experience.
• Without a Bachelor’s Degree (or a global equivalent): Over the last 15 consecutive years, applicants must have at least four years of project management experience and seven years of program management experience.

The Project Management Professional (PMP®)
Credential Individuals who hold PMI’s PMP credential demonstrate a proficient level of project management leadership skills, and as a result are able to command salaries that exceed those of their non-credentialed counterparts.
To be eligible for a PMP credential, you must meet specific guidelines that objectively measure experience, education and professional knowledge. You also must agree to adhere to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and pass a rigorous multiple-choice examination that assesses your abilities in project management.
Eligibility
• Applicants must have 35 hours of specific project management education.
• With a Bachelor’s Degree (or the global equivalent): Applicants must have a minimum three years’ professional project management experience, during which 4,500 hours are spent leading and directing project tasks, up to eight years from the time of application.
• Without a Bachelor’s Degree (or the global equivalent): Applicants must have a minimum five years’ professional project management experience, during which at least 7,500 hours are spent leading and directing project tasks, up to eight years from the time of application.

The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®)
Credential Designed specifically for project team members, the CAPM credential is aimed at improving overall project success by helping to ensure project management knowledge. To become a CAPM credential holder, you must meet specific guidelines designed to objectively measure experience, education and professional knowledge. You must pass an examination that assesses your knowledge of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), and you must agree to adhere to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
Eligibility
Applicants must have:
• Minimum of a high school diploma or the global equivalent
• 1,500 hours of work on a project team or 23 contact hours of project management education

What are PDUs

Professional Development Units OR (PDUs) are the measuring units used to quantify approved learning and professional service activities. Typically, one PDU is earned for every one hour spent in a planned, structured learning experience or activity. Fractions of PDUs may be reported in quarter (0.25) increments following one full hour. For conversion purposes, one Continuing Education Unit (CEU) equals 10 PDUs. The CCR Program organizes PDUs into five categories which are described within this handbook.

Credential Registry Verification

Certification claims can be verified through the PMI's Web site .PMI's Online Credential Registry allows verification of PMI's credential holders. To look up a credential holder in the registry, please enter the individual's last name. You may also filter your search using first name, credential and country. Please note that not all certified individuals choose to appear in the registry. You can chek at www.pmi.org/CertApp/Registry.aspx.

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Project Management Professional (PMP) is a globally recognized certification in project management. It is managed by the Project Management Institute and is based on the PMP Examination Specification published by PMI in 2005. Most exam questions reference to PMIs ANSI standard A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, abbreviated to PMBOK Guide.
Overview
The PMI (Project management Institute) has three levels of certification, starting with the CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) which is the basic level and is intended as certification for project team members. The PMP (Project Management Professional) is the second, higher, level of project management and considered the standard of all PM certifications. Individuals who have passed the PMP certification test successfully and have met the PMI requirements for documenting their professional experience are entitled to use the abbreviation PMP with their names.

Eligibility criteria

First, a high school diploma is required to be certified. A Project Management Professional has also met specific education and experience requirements, has agreed to adhere to a code of professional conduct, and has passed an examination designed to objectively assess and measure project management knowledge. In addition, a PMP must satisfy continuing certification requirements (through professional development) or lose the certification.


Requirements include a candidate to have completed a high school degree or equivalent, performed 7,500 hours in a lead role directing tasks, performed tasks associated with being a Project Manager over a period of 60 months within the past 8 years, and completed

35 hours of education specific to Project Management and aligned with PMI methodologies. Persons possessing a bachelor's degree only require 4,500 hours leading and 36 months of experience.
The candidate is also required to pass a test to demonstrate his or her knowledge of Project Management. The test consists of 200 multiple-choice questions.

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Examination process

After a candidate's application is approved by PMI, he or she may schedule an examination at any of a large number of Prometric testing centers. A variety of times are available, including weekends and after "normal working hours." The examination is a multiple choice test, which can be taken either on a computer or in written form. Candidates have to answer 200 questions in 4 hours (though 25 are trial questions not counting toward the final score. Candidates will not know which ones are dummy when taking the exam - implies that candidate has to answer 200 questions to the best of their ability) and must have a success rate of at least 60.5% (106 out of 175 questions).

PMP Sample Questions

(KEY IS BOLDED)
Domain I
You are assigned a project that requires the manufacturing of medical equipment for one of your company’s current clients. Your company has executed similar projects successfully in the past. During which phase of the project would you consider referring to previous project documents for the similar projects?
A. Scope planning
B. Scope verification
C. Scope definition
D. Initiation

Domain II
What tools and techniques are typically used in the scope planning process?
A. Analysis of the product, cost/benefit analysis estimates, identification of alternative approaches, and expert judgment.
B. Work breakdown structure templates and decomposition of deliverables into smaller, more manageable components.
C. Review of historical information, creation of project constraints and assumptions, and cost/benefit analysis estimates
D. Project justification, work breakdown structure templates, and identification of alternative approaches.

Domain III
You are employing Earned Value Management on your project. You wish to avoid the subjective determination of performance as reported by the work package owners in your weekly status meetings. The following table describes three of your work packages:

Work Package Description of the Work Estimated Duration
2.2.1 Create RFP for subcomponent parts 4 weeks
2.2.3 Purchase subcomponent parts 2 weeks
2.2.5 Assemble subcomponent 3 weeks

Which of the following methods of measuring earned value works BEST for work package 2.2.1?
A. Fixed formula
B. Weighted milestones
C. Percent complete
D. Equivalent completed units

The ______________ evaluation method works BEST for work package 2.2.3.
A. Fixed formula
B. Weighted milestones
C. Percent complete
D. Equivalent completed units

Domain IV
Assurance that activities throughout time have conformed to the organization’s requirements can be accomplished through the use of:
A. Status reports.
B. Project stage gates.
C. Benchmarking.
D. Control charts.

Domain V
You are the project manager on a project that has met all deliverables on schedule and on budget. What MUST be done to ensure all work was completed correctly and satisfactorily?
A. Perform product verification.
B. Perform a procurement audit.
C. Obtain formal acceptance from the client.
D. Obtain formal approval from the contracts manager.

Domain VI
A. Company A and Company B merge to create a new organization, Company ABC. Both companies operated strategic business units and employed full-time project managers. Although both companies were composite matrix management organizations, their corporate and project management cultures and organizational structures differed. Company A’s project management organizations tailored their processes and tools to their assigned strategic business units; Company B’s project management organizations centralized the development of processes and tools for corporate-wide adoption. The new organization, Company ABC, retained the strategic business units, composite matrix management organization, and full-time project managers. It has a single project organization that aligns project managers with strategic units.
What kind of project management behavior culture would MOST likely have developed at Company A?
A. Isolated
B. Fragmented
C. Non-cooperative
D. Competitive

Company ABC has separate headquarters in the United States and the United Kingdom to oversee its North American and European regions respectively. Which cultural characteristics are MOST likely to be evident at the North American headquarters?
A. Communicate formally and respect tradition.
B. Focus on task accomplishments and reward individualism.
C. Value history, hierarchy, individualism and loyalty.
D. Communicate indirectly and emphasis hard work and success.

CCR cycle

The PMP status is granted for a period of three years (CCR Cycle, beginning January 1 after the exam). During this time, PMPs have to collect 60 PDUs (Professional Development Units) to verify their professional development.

Program Management Professional(PgMP)

PMI’s newest credential, PgMP(sm), is specifically developed to acknowledge the qualifications of the professional who leads the coordinated management of multiple projects and ensures the success of an overall program, instead of just a specific project. Candidates who earn this credential will be internationally recognized as professionals with the knowledge and experience to make and implement the important decisions and accomplish the strategic objectives that enhance business results.

Eligibility

• With a Bachelor’s Degree (or a global equivalent): Over the last 15 consecutive years, applicants must have at least four years of project management experience and four years of program management experience.
• Without a Bachelor’s Degree (or a global equivalent): Over the last 15 consecutive years, applicants must have at least four years of project management experience and seven years of program management experience.

The PgMP Assessments

• A comprehensive application process that includes a review of education by PMI staff and a review of professional work experience by a panel of program managers.
• A four-hour exam composed of 170 multiple-choice questions that measures your ability to apply knowledge, skills and techniques used in program management. The exam is developed by groups of individuals from around the globe who are program managers and is routinely reviewed and revised to ensure the best consistently objective assessment.
• A Multi-rater Assessment (MRA) in which you select a team of colleagues and peers to evaluate your performance as a program manager via a web-based survey.

Individuals who attain a credential from PMI will be added to PMI’s Online Credential Registry and may immediately use the credential designation after their name.

The PgMP Examination

The multiple-choice examination — developed by program managers from around the world —includes mostly scenario-based questions that test your understanding of the knowledge, skills and techniques used in program management. The examination is made up of 170 multiple-choice questions and will take approximately four hours to complete. It will be administered via computer-based testing globally. In areas of the world where computer-based testing does not exist, paper-based testing will be made available.

Sample Questions

Company A and Company B merge to create a new organization, Company ABC. Both companies operated strategic business units and employed full-time project managers. Although both companies were composite matrix management organizations, their corporate and project management cultures and organizational structures differed. Company A.s project management organizations tailored their processes and tools to their assigned strategic business units; Company B's project management organizations centralized the development of processes and tools for corporate-wide adoption. The new organization, Company ABC, retained the strategic business units, composite matrix management organization, and full-time project managers. It has a single project organization that aligns project managers with strategic units and has separate headquarters in the United States and the United Kingdom to oversee its North American and European regions, respectively. In so doing, cultural diversity is recognized and accepted

What kind of project management behavior culture would MOST likely have
developed at Company A?
A. Isolated
B. Fragmented
C. Non-cooperative
D. Competitive
Which cultural characteristics are MOST likely to be evident at the North American
headquarters?
A. Communicate formally and respect tradition.
B. Focus on task accomplishments and reward individualism.
C. Value history, hierarchy, individualism and loyalty.
D. Communicate indirectly and emphasis hard work and success.

CCR Cycle

It is critical that your PMP credential be linked to your PgMP credential to allow you to maintain your Continuing Certification Requirements for both credentials within the same 3 year/60 PDU cycle. Simply put, you can maintain both credentials for the same amount of PDUs as keeping only one credential current.
Without linking the two credentials, if you wish to maintain both credentials, you must obtain 60 PDUs for the PMP every 3 years and 60 PDUs for the PgMP every 3 years, for a total of 120 PDUs.

Ten Ways to Earn PDUs

Every year, there are hundreds of opportunities to earn Professional Development Units (PDUs) as a part of the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program. PMI uses PDUs to quantify approved learning and professional service activities for certified Project Management Professional (PMP^®) and Program Management Professional (PgMP^®) credential holders. And while taking courses and attending seminars are ideal ways to stay up-to-date with project management best practices, remember that many activities occurring in your daily professional life may count toward PDUs, too. Here are 10 ways to earn PDUs as 2007 winds down:

1. Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.) Courses: There are more than 900 PMI R.E.P.s worldwide, and the courses offered by them are pre-approved for PDUs that fulfill CCRs.

2. PMI Global Congresses: While you may have missed November’s PMI Global Congress 2007—Latin America in Cancun, Mexico, now is a great time to plan ahead and register for the PMI Global Congress 2008—Asia Pacific, held March 3–5 in Sydney, Australia. These events offer opportunities to network with colleagues and attend seminars that go toward receiving PDUs.

3. PMI Component Courses: PMI Components—chapters, specific interest group (SIGs) or colleges—can be found in all corners of the globe. PMI members are welcome to join these communities and take advantage of the events, meetings and educational programs they hold. And, all educational activities offered by PMI Components are pre-approved for PDUs.

4. SeminarsWorld^®: Held throughout the year, SeminarsWorld events provide educational activities for beginning, mid-level and experienced project professionals—PMI members and nonmembers alike. Seminar topics tend to cover one of five areas: core competencies, specific application areas, people and leadership skills, tools and techniques, and strategic applications.

5. eSeminarsWorld^SM: The life of a project manager has never been more hectic. And while face-to-face training has its obvious merits, online courses are some of the most convenient ways to earn PDUs. Each eSeminarsWorld web-based course includes discussion questions, individual and group assignments with classmates from all over the world, and timely feedback from qualified instructors.

6. Web-based Self-Study: All you need to complete the Project Management Methods & Mechanics course is an Internet connection and about 14 hours. Focused on A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide)—Third Edition, this course is a perfect way to receive 14 PDUs on your own time. Once registered, you will have 24-hour access to this online, 10-module course for one full year.

7. Professional Activities: Authoring an article about project management or speaking at a project management event can quickly earn you 10 to 30 PDUs. PMI has specified a number of professional activities—things you may already be doing—that can translate to varying amounts of PDUs.

8. Self-Directed Learning: Obtain PDUs by sharing project management knowledge with your colleagues. PMI will recognize activities that involve personally conducted research or study. This includes discussions or coaching sessions with colleagues or clients that put to use informational materials such as CD-ROMs, articles, books, videos or instructional manuals. It’s important to note that an individual can receive a maximum of 15 PDUs for self-directed learning activities during each CCR cycle.

9. Volunteer Service: Earn up to 20 PDUs per CCR cycle for providing your professional services to an organization outside of your employer. You could serve as an elected officer or volunteer committee member for a project management organization. Or you could provide a project/program management-related service to a community or charitable group.

10. Educational Programs by Outside Providers: If all else fails, PMI will recognize relevant educational activities or programs offered by organizations not registered with PMI. Use the following formula to calculate the number of PDUs earned: One (1) contact hour of learning relevant to project management within a structured activity or course equals one (1) PDU

How To Report PDUs

When you have earned any PDU according to the above mentioned standards for earning PDUs
you can report your PDU by doing the following steps:





1. Go to www.pmi.org
2.Click on Career Development
3.Then goto CCR Reporting Forms
4.Download the form
5.Click on claim/view My PDU
6.Enter PMI Membership Password
7.View Transcript
8.Goto PDUs earned and reported
9.View Info
10. Select any one category
11.There will be 2 options
(a)Search Full Course No.
(b)Search for the R.E.P.(Registered Education Provider) Or PMI component.
12. Activity Report is verified.