It’s too easy to thing of PMI certification as a one-trick pony: PMP. And even for those who are aware of the PMP’s close cousins: PMP-ACP and CAPM, the range of PMI certificate options can often be a surprise.
So, in this guide, we’ll take a look at all of the PMI’s current certification offerings. PMI gives you a choice of eight qualifications. Is one of them right for you?
We will focus on PMI’s current (summer 2020) program of 8 certifications. And I will divide them into three logical categories.
But I will top and tail this assessment with a look at PMI’s role as a qualification provider, and its expectation of its certification holders after qualifying.
Before we get into this, I don’t want to assume you know who and what the Project Management Institute is. The box below has you covered.
The PMI’s website is at PMI.org.
Note: All of the information in this article (and much of that in those below) is taken from their website and published materials. All copyright is theirs. All interpretations and errors are my own.
My assessment is that PMI seeks to meet two broad objectives. I believe it seeks to be a:
It is also the developer of the approved American national standard for Project Management, ANSI/PMI 99-001-2017. Alongside this, it publishes its own foundational standards and practice standards.
Come to think of it, the PMI is something of a publishing house too. It also has 8 practice guides.
So, it could be tempting – if a little jaded – to suspect that the PMI certifications are a way to drive sales for its books. However, let’s return to what I think of as PMI’s primary objectives…
Most membership organizations are hierarchical. They offer their members different levels of membership based on experience, knowledge, and achievement. The PMI, however, offers a single membership tier*, but distinguishes its members by the certifications they hold.
In particular, it sees the PMP qualification as the mark of an experienced professional Project Manager.
* PMI does offer Retiree and Student Memberships, with reduced subscription rates, but no lesser benefits.
Once again, there is a more cynical view that the PMI uses its certifications as a membership funnel… So, if you want the qualification, you need to join the PMI. And, once in the PMI, you are likely to stay and pay your annual subscription fee. But who could think that PMI has a commercial intent?
I think this is at the core of the PMI certification program. It creates a series of attested quality standards for professionals against what it considers to be rigorous standards.
The eight PMI qualifications create a set of benchmarks that global employers can use in assessing job and role candidates. Therefore, this reinforces PMI’s brand. And, in protecting that brand, PMI has a powerful incentive to manage the quality of its certifications.
PMI has three qualifications that I consider to be its core Project Management certifications:
PMI designs the PMP certification to demonstrate your competence to fulfill the role of a project manager. If you meet the pre-requisites and can pass the exam, it should equip you to lead and direct all aspects of a project.
But the reality is that there are both:
Of course, the PMP qualification is not perfect, by a long way. But I do believe the changes that are coming in January 2021 will make the exam a better one.
We have yet to see the impact of the changes to the primary curriculum resource, the Project Management Body of Knowledge (the PMBOK Guide). This is currently under review, with a team working on the 7th Edition, as I write.
Head over to the PMI website for its formal description of the PMP and the application process.
Our primary resource is our roadmap and guide to resources:
I Want to Study for Project Management Professional (PMP).
But we have plenty of other resources (some of which the guide links to):
The PMP Exam…
Comparisons…
If you are not yet ready for the PMP certification, but want to build a career in Project management, the CAPM qualification may be the right one for you. We have compared the two certifications in an earlier article.
Preparing for the CAPM involves studying and understanding the PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (the PMBOK Guide). This means that, in passing the exam, you will demonstrate a strong understanding of the fundamentals of Project Management (in the way the PMI sees it).
This will equip you for entry-level project roles – including managing small projects. You’ll demonstrate a good knowledge of the jargon, processes, methods, and practices that many Project Managers use every day.
Head over to the PMI website for its formal description of the CAPM and the application process.
If your role needs you to apply agile principles in your projects – or go all-in on agile methodologies, the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner certification is PMI’s formal response.
To achieve this PMI certification, you’ll need:
The certification is methodology-agnostic, and covers a range of agile approaches, such as:
Head over to the PMI website for its formal description of the PMI-ACP and the application process.
We offer PMI-ACP support from the Agile Project Management Academy and from PM PrepCast…
The Agile PrepCast Elite will fully equip you to succeed in your PMI-ACP exam. The Elite package combines both the full training with the necessary 21 pre-certified contact hours and the exam simulator. You can see all the options and full details on our site.
Let Agile expert Chuck Cobb show you how to develop a plan to achieve PMI-ACP certification. Go beyond simply passing the PMI-ACP exam and learn how to transform yourself into a high impact Agile Project Management role. See all the Agile Project Management Academy courses and high-value bundles on our site.
PMI offers three certifications that look at specific project skills:
These will mark you out as having specific expertise on which projects rely.
Business analysis is a critical part of many projects. And it seems that demand for business analysts (BAs) is on the rise. So, here’s a certification that may prove a valuable career asset if that’s the direction you want to take.
The BA role is pivotal in shaping a future project – and also preventing project failure. PMI asserts that inaccurate requirements gathering is one of the top three causes of project failure.
To achieve this certification, you’ll need:
Head over to the PMI website for its formal description of the PMI-PBA and the application process.
There’s a difference between the cursory risk management most projects practice, and the highly structured rigor that modern methods allow. PMI makes a strong argument for the payoff of this robust approach.
So, this certification could be of great career value if you want either to:
To achieve this certification, you’ll need:
Head over to the PMI website for its formal description of the PMI-RMP and the application process.
As projects get more complicated, you’ll increasingly need more access to formal tools and methods – as well as a bunch of knowledge. The standard Project Management training – and even PMP preparation – will only equip you with the basics.
Scheduling a big, complex project needs more, and this PMI certification will tell people you have that. So, like its risk management sibling, you can use this either to enhance your general skills or as a step towards specialization.
To achieve this certification, you’ll need:
Head over to the PMI website for its formal description of the PMI-SP and the application process.
Beyond project management, there are the related disciplines of Program Management and, at full enterprise-level, Portfolio Management. PMI offers certifications for each of these disciplines:
This PMI certification will demonstrate the ability to manage and coordinate multiple projects and initiatives. And you’ll learn how to focus on the benefits they need to deliver.
This is a senior-level qualification with high requirements to achieve certification.
To achieve this certification, you’ll need:
Head over to the PMI website for its formal description of the PgMP and the application process.
Portfolio Management is another step up the value chain. An organization’s portfolios of projects and programs deliver the strategic changes that support its vision.
This PMI certification signifies an advanced competency in leading, coordinating, and managing portfolios. Therefore, this is a very senior specialism – often just one step from the C-suite.
To achieve this certification, you’ll need:
Head over to the PMI website for its formal description of the PMI-PfP and the application process.
Gaining you PMI certification is just the first step. You also need to work to retain it. You can find the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCRs) for each certification, in the links I provided to the relavant PMI website pages.
In summary:
A PDU is a Professional Development Unit – one hour of approved study or contribution. We have an article about PMI PDUs: PMI Education Contact Hours and PDUs: Your Essential Guide.
It is also worth noting that PMI’s research suggests that employers require certain skills from project practitioners. And they have incorporated this research into their Talent Triangle.
The PMI also publishes a downloadable PDF CCR Handbook.
What PMI certification – or certifications – would suit you? Or do you hold any already? Please do share your experience with our community.
I am sure that this article will still leave you with questions, if you are truly interested in PMI certification. The PMI’s website is the right place to go. And I especially recommend the PMI Certification Frequently Asked Questions page.
Dr Mike Clayton is one of the most successful and in-demand project management trainers in the UK. He is author of 14 best-selling books, including four about project management. He is also a prolific blogger and contributor to ProjectManager.com and Project, the journal of the Association for Project Management. Between 1990 and 2002, Mike was a successful project manager, leading large project teams and delivering complex projects. In 2016, Mike launched OnlinePMCourses.
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Very Informative Article and a great resource to earn such quality knowledge! Thanks for sharing this valuable information. I have been following some of them and still got many to get great knowledge.
Thank you, Vijay