A Project Manager is like any other professional. If you take your profession, your career, and yourself seriously, you’ll undertake Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
Most professional bodies require CPD. If you have a certification or qualification, they expect you to maintain a régime of professional development to keep it up to date.
But, even if you don’t have a certification to protect, you do have a long-term career to defend and enhance. Staying current with changes, broadening your knowledge, and mastering new skills will certainly maintain your competitive edge and, ideally, sharpen it.
Our Agenda
In this article, we’ll look at:
- What Counts as CPD?
- Good Practice in Accumulating PDUs
- CPD and the PMI
(Which offers advice for everyone, whether PMI members or not) - CPD and the APM
- There’s So Much You Can Do
What Counts as CPD?
In principle, anything that contributes to your professional development will count. If you are not interested in formally submitting your CPD to an accrediting or other professional body, it’s up to you to decide.
However, each professional body and accreditation organization will have its own detailed rules for what counts as CPD and also for how much CPD you need to do to meet their requirements.
Typically, they have a standard unit, most commonly called a CPD point. PMI calls their CPD points Professional Development Units, or PDUs. Like many organizations, you will earn one unit (a PDU) for engaging in one hour of professional development.
The PMI’s Approach is Representative
I will focus on the PMI in this article for three reasons:
- Their PDU process, requirements, and scoring are similar to many and more robust than some. The guidance is broadly applicable outside of the PMI context.
- They offer excellent advice on the range of activities they will count for PDUs. Even if your own organization does not allow some of these routes to formal CPD, they remain valuable ways for you to gain your own personal professional development.
- PMI represents, by far, the largest single grouping of working project professionals. If you are reading this, I’d estimate that there is around a 50% chance that you hold or aspire to one or more PMI certifications.
Good Practice in Accumulating PDUs
Before we look at where to get them, I want to highlight good practice for a professional. The core idea behind CPD and PDUs is Continuing Professional Development: Not ‘last-minute cram in the points’ professional development!
Build a plan at the start of the year to develop yourself professionally. And aim to meet the minimum requirements for maintaining whatever certification you have. But also take opportunities as they arise:
- Attend events
- Read articles
- Pick up on emerging ideas and research them
As with everything in project management, you need a balance of planned and reactive learning.
I’m also a great believer in balance across the different topics and categories. The exception is when you have a deliberate strategy to learn a new skill set. In this case, your CPD is likely to follow that direction.
But remember, over a renewal period (three years for PMI), the balance does need to meet your professional body’s minimum requirements in each area. If you hold a PMI certification, you can download the PMI’s policy document here.
CPD and the PMI
If you hold a qualification from the Project Management Institute (PMI) like CAPM® (Certified Associate in Project Management), PMP® (Project Management Professional), or PMI-ACP® (PMI Agile Certified Professional), CPD is mandatory. Without it, your certification will expire.
The PMI measures CPD in Professional Development Units, or PDUs. A PDU is a one-hour block of time that you spend developing your professional expertise. The principle ways to do this are by learning, teaching others, or volunteering.
PMI’s PDU Requirements
Some PMI certifications require you to earn a minimum number of PDUs over a 3-year cycle. For example:
- Project Management Professional (PMP®) requires 60 PDUs; 20 per year.
- Agile Certified Professional (PMI-ACP®) and Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP®) require 30 PDUs; 10 per year.
- Certified Associate in Project Management Professional (CAPM®) requires 15 PDUs; 5 per year.
In addition, PMI requires you to align your PDUs to the PMI Talent Triangle®. This means as well as specifying a total number of PDUs, PMI specifies how they split across three knowledge (or talent) areas:
- Ways of working
Primary project or program management skill sets - Power Skills
Interpersonal, human-centers skills - Business Acumen
Understanding of management and strategy in your industry, organization, and function
You can find the precise rules on the PMI website.
Two Types of PMI PDUs
The PMI recognizes two types of PDU:
- Education PDUs
You gain these by learning about Project Management topics - Giving Back PDUs
You gain these by contributing to the profession
At the heart of this article, we’ll look at each of these in turn. We’ll see the rules PMI applies to them, and the different ways to earn those PDUs.
PDUs in Receiver Mode: Education PDUs
Education PDUs need to be balanced across the three sides of the PMI Talent Triangle®:
- Technical (Ways of Working)
- Interpersonal (Power Skills)
- Management and Strategy (Business Acumen)
You’ll need a minimum of 8 PDUs in each, and a total minimum of:
- 35 Education PDUs over 3 years, to maintain PMP, PgMP, PfMP, PMI-PBA qualifications
- 18 Education PDUs over 3 years, to maintain PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, PMI-SP qualifications
- 9 Education PDUs over 3 years, to maintain a CAPM qualification
Where to Get Your Education PDUs
Pretty much any training course will give you PDUs, although if you get it from the PMI or from a PMI Registered Education Provider (REP), your PDUs will be pre-approved. Otherwise, you’ll need to self-certify. These are then subject to potential audit by PMI. This includes, by the way, my own online training.
PMI also suggests a wealth of other sources, including:
- PMI professional meetings
- Online Digital Sources
- Reading
- Informal learning, like mentoring or ‘lunch and learn’ type events.
Five Ways to Get Education PDUs
1. Blog Articles
Plus one for this article and others here at OnlinePMCourses.com. Yes, reading blog articles can get you PDUs. You’ll need to keep a record and make an honest estimate of your reading time. I recommend you start a CPD or PDU log: a spreadsheet is ideal.
This article, like most of the ones on this site, is around 2,500 words. It will take an average reader 8 to 10 minutes to read. So, one article a week, and that’s 6 or more PDUs in the bag at the end of the year.
2. Videos
Do you like to watch? (Yes, fellow fans, ‘Being There’ is a favorite film of mine too). Then there are a few excellent YouTube Channels, of which my favorite is obviously my own: OnlinePMCourses. This offers a new video every week, with an archive of nearly 700 learning videos, as I write this. However, there are plenty more channels, include the ten I recommend in My Top 10 Project Management YouTube Channel Recommendations for 2024.
If you watch a ten-minute video every week, that’s 8 PDUs right there!
3. Podcasts
On the same theme, for listening, there are numerous podcasts – most of which are absolutely free. There’s a collation of ‘The Most Comprehensive list of [22] Project Management Podcasts You’ll Find’ that will start you off. Many of these allow you to hear interviews with advice and experience from top PMs.
It’s worth mentioning that Cornelius Fichtner hosts a pre-recorded set of podcasts called the PDU Podcast, which has been designed to give you all the education PDUs you need, to maintain your PMI certification.
- The PDU Podcast CAPM Package
- The PDU Podcast 60 PDU Bundle
- The PM PrepCast for 30 PDUs
- The Agile PrepCast for 30 PDUs
- The PDU Podcast Ways of Working
- The PDU Podcast Power Skills Package
- The PDU Podcast Skillful Acumen
- The PM PrepCast Leadership Academy Interviews
4. Workplace Learning
Most workplaces offer training or informal learning opportunities. Make the best possible use of any of it. Record it on your PDU spreadsheet and allocate portions to the three Talent Triangle subject areas. Be honest – conservative even. If it’s a 6-hour course on presentation skills, ask yourself how much of it really contributes to your project management expertise. And certainly do not count breaks!
5. Organized Learning Opportunities
If you are a member of the PMI, you have access to lots of free opportunities. My top recommendations are:
- Join the ProjectManagement.com community. Read the articles, attend the webinars, and engage in discussions
- Make use of your local PMI chapter. Attend their events and even see if your employer will fund trips to PMI events and conferences.
But whatever membership organization you are affiliated with (or none at all), seminars, conferences, and workshops are a perfect source of professional development. Most events run by the big organizations are open to anyone – members or not (although some offer discounts for members).
Many employers will have a budget to allow professional employees to attend relevant conferences and events. Even if they don’t pay, they may allow you to attend during work time. It’s always worth asking.
PDUs in Active Mode: Giving Back PDUs
Contributing to the development of your profession is a magnificent way to earn PDUs. You will not only give, but also receive, in the form of developing your own knowledge and skills. The PMI rules allow:
- A maximum of 25 PDUs over 3 years from Giving back, to maintain PMP, PgMP, PfMP, PMI-PBA qualifications
- A maximum of 12 PDUs over 3 years from Giving back, to maintain PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, and PMI-SP qualifications
- A maximum of 6 PDUs over 3 years from Giving back, to maintain a CAPM qualification
And the best thing is this:
Working as a Professional
You can earn PDUs for doing your job as a project manager. As long as your role is relevant to your certification, turning up at work will earn you PDUs.
PMI offers four more routes to gaining Giving Back PDUs:
- Creating Content – articles, webinars, videos
- Giving a presentation – at work, at a PMI chapter, or for a community group
- Sharing Knowledge – passing on the benefit of your experience
- Volunteering – at PMI
Four More Easy Ways to Get Giving Back PDUs
1. Write a Blog article
For most people, starting your own blog is too big a commitment. But many blogs accept articles, and the best one to start with is one we’ve mentioned already, the PMI’s ProjectManagement.com community.
2. Give a Podcast Interview
There’s no rule that says the content you create must be written, nor that the presentation you give must be live. But again, offering live webinars or starting a YouTube Channel may be too much for you. But there are plenty of podcasts out there that are always looking for working project managers with a good story to tell. Listen to a few and approach ones that you think have an audience that would enjoy your project management story or point of view.
3. Volunteering Starts near Home
Your local PMI chapter is probably the easiest place to start volunteering for the PMI. And it has the added bonus of hooking you into a network of professionals in your area. You’ll be able to learn from them, and they may be able to help you advance your career. Plus, when you attend the meetings, that’s even more points (see 5, above).
4. Help out more Junior Colleagues
You have your qualifications. Others may not. Mentoring more junior colleagues in your workplace (or through your local PMI Chapter) is a brilliant way to pay your professional dues forward. Plus, it will doubtless reward you emotionally and challenge you intellectually. And that latter point is clearly one of the reasons it will earn you PDUs.
CPD and the APM
Association for Project Management is the UK-based professional body for project professionals. It requires CPD evidence, to progress to its Chartered (highest professional status. It publishes all the details of its CPD requirements on its website.
Like PMI, APM offers:
- Conferences and events
- Regional networks with their own events
- Interest Networks for focusing on particular areas of the professional skillset
- Blogging opportunities on its website
- Training and qualifications
- A very active publishing schedule of books, research, and thought leadership
There’s So Much You Can Do
There are so many options that don’t take you far out of your way nor do they cost you any significant sums of money. So, what should you do next? Well, you’re a project manager, so the answer is obvious… Go and make a plan.
Do let me know what you do to keep up to date and enhance your career
I look forward to reading and responding to your comments, below.
