Project Management Professional

Project Management Professional is properly expressed as the credential PMP. The credentialing agency is the Project Management Institute ( [http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/Obtaining-Credential.aspx] PMI). This credential is obtained by gaining a certification in project management through the completion of PMI certified training and examination. PMP training and examination material comes from the PMBOK Project Management Body of Knowledge published most recently in 2007. Most exam questions reference PMI's project quality standards documented in the PMBOK. The PMP credential undergoes rigorous validation by [http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=50003 ISO] , and the PMBOK methodology is widely regarded as the industry standard for Project Management and has been adopted as the single standard for project management by agencies such as [http://pmchallenge.gsfc.nasa.gov/ NASA] .

PMP (Project Management Professional) is one of four concentrations offered by PMI in the study of Project Management:
1. CAPM Certified Associate in Project Management: This certification is obtained after passing the CAPM Exam
2. PMP Project Management Professional: This certification is obtained after passing the PMP Exam
3. PgMP Program Management Professional: This certification is obtained after passing the PgMP Exam
4. PMI RMP PMI Risk Management Professional: This certification is obtained after passing the PMI-RMP Exam

PMP Application

1. Application Submission has a window of 90 days for completion once an application is opened
2. Application Completeness Review take 5 business days when submitted online to PMI
3. Audit Process if application is selected for audit which can last 5 business days
4. Multiple-Choice Examination which designates the PMP certification for 1 year from the date of the application approval
5. Certification Cycle 3 years from the date the exam is passed to obtain and report PDUs toward credential maintenance
6. Applicant Payment Process cannot schedule exam until you submit payment of credential fees

[http://www.pmi.org/careerdevelopment/pages/obtaining-credential.aspx PMP Eligibility Requirements]

1. High school diploma
2. Associate’s degree or global equivalent
3. Minimum five years/60 months unique nonoverlapping professional project management experience during which at least 7,500 hours were spent leading and directing project tasks
4. 35 contact hours of formal PMI certified PMP Training
OR
1. Bachelor’s degree or global equivalent
2. Minimum three years/36 months unique non-overlapping professional project management experience during which at least 4,500 hours were spent leading and directing project tasks
3. 35 contact hours of formal PMI certified PMP Training

PMP Training

Educational requirements can be satisfied by demonstrating the successful completion of courses work from a PMI Registered Education Providers or

1. PMI certified Component organizations
2. PMI certified Employer or company-sponsored programs
3. University/college academic and continuing education programs

NOTE: One hour of classroom instruction equals one contact hour. If you have completed auniversity or college course on project management that met for three hours per week for 15weeks, you would document 45 contact hours. If only a portion of a course dealt with projectmanagement, only the hours spent on project management can be applied toward the total.

PMP Exam

The PMP examination is a 4 hour computer based training exam comprised of 200 multiple-choice questions. Of the 200 questions, 25 are considered pretest questions.

The test questions break down by percentage in these policy areas:
1. Initiation 11%
2. Planning 23%
3. Executing 27%
4. Monitoring and Controlling 21%
5. Closing 9%
5. Professional and Social Responsibility 9%

Verification

Certification claims can be verified through the PMI's web site at [1]

Continuing Education to Maintain Certification

After certification, a Project Management Professional must also meet specific continuing education requirements referred to as a PDU or Professional Development Unit. Additionally, a PMP must adhere to a code of professional conduct to maintain their PMP credentials

PMP credential holders are assigned new PMP certification expiration dates that correspond with the anniversary date of the bestowal of their credential.

External Links:

[http://www.pmi.org] : Project Management Institute