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Most project managers learned their trade through on-the-job-training from their managers and peers. This is self-limiting as the body of knowledge, the best practices of project management may not be followed, much less even known. Project management has thousands of years of history, including significant improvements during the past 100 years.
Today, several national and international organizations help capture and define best practices, standards, and guidelines to improve the quality, efficiency, and predicability of project management. Among these are the Project Management Institute (PMI), the International Standards Organization (ISO), the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the Software Engineering Institute (SEI).
The practice of project management comes from both the organization and the individual. The organization sets policies, practices, processes, and procedures they require or suggest; individuals learn a professional trade, a toolkit of best practices. The Project Management Institute has proven wildly successful in defining project management best practices in their Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) (The PMBOK 4th Edition is also recognized as IEEE Guide 1490-2011).
The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is acheived by experienced project managers who are or should be expert in understanding the best practices presented in the PMBOK. As of November 30, 2011, PMI reports 469,051 project managers worldwide currently hold PMP certificates and it is a very common entry criteria for serious project management roles in companies and organizations. Additionally, 16,159 hold CAPM, 654 hold PgMP, 562 hold PMI-SP, and 1,119 hold PMI-RMP certifications. (Source: PMI Credential Passport newsletter, December 2011)
The PMP certification is not an entry-level certification. It requires that you have 4,500 to 7,500 hours of project management-related work experience over the past 8 years, that you have completed at least 35 contact hours of training (our PM101 course), and complete the certification application. The certification exam is based on the PMBOK and sets context with real world experience. The exam is 200 questions and lasts up to four hours.
PMI offers a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) that relies on the same PMBOK content as the PMP, same course and exam, with much lower requirements (high school diploma and at least 1,500 hours of project management-related experience) or 23 hours of project management education (our PM101 course). While the PMP exam is 200 questions, the CAPM exam is only 150 questions.
To take either the PMP or CAPM exams, you must take a course of 35 or 23 hours, respectively, then complete the certification application at PMI.org, preferably online for quicker response, and, once you get your test center code, schedule your test at a convenient Prometric test center.
And beyond PMI's PMBOK and the PMP certification?
The PMBOK is too high-level to be much direct help in the workplace--gives outline but no details. That's where the other industry standards come in. A couple examples:
- IEEE 730-2002 IEEE Standard for Software Quality Assurance Plans
- IEEE 828-2005 IEEE Standard for Software Configuration Management Plans
- IEEE 830-1998 IEEE Recommended Practice for Software Requirements Specifications
- ISO-9001:2008 Quality management systems - requirements
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207-2008 Systems and software engineering - Software life cycle processes
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288-2008 Systems and software engineering - System life cycle processes
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289:2011 Systems and software engineering - Content of life-cycle information products (documentation)
- ISO/IEC/IEEE 16326:2009 Systems and software engineering - Project Management
- SEI CMMI, v1.3
Our PM201 course Project Management Practical Skills is a great compliment before or after acquiring the PMP certification to understand the detailed how-to of project management. This course weaves together a wide selection of industry best practices, standards, and guidelines balanced against 'just get it done' constraints to help project managers actually apply project management best practices.
Earn PDUs
Our PM101 course fulfills the 35 contact hours of training required for the PMP or the 23 hours required for the CAPM certification while our PM201 course qualifies for 35 PDUs of Continuing Education (Category B) at PMI for PMI-ACP, PMP, PgMP, PMI-SP, and PMI-RMP certificate holders.