The great certification debate

Brian Keen says:

The debate about certifications will always exists...What says more about the person, the experience or the certification? To me, taking the PMP was more about showing that I know the concepts of project management and serious about not only transitioning into project management but also committing to it as a profession. I am an odd case...I am educated in business but have always worked in IT - as a developer up through technical lead. This work has gotten me great experience in all phases of the project. I feel that, as a contractor, it is a way to show my clients (or potential clients) that I am more than a technical person and will commit to their methodologies.

Thursday, August 21, 2008 3:38:18 PM EDT

Anonymous says:

I took the PMP (and passed it) on 08/21 because as a self-taught PMO, I felt I had to get a motivation to learn about the theory of what I was practicing, and also to get more expert power in my dealings with the PM community at work. I purposefully (and also for cost savings reasons) did not go for a training course, but did all out of reading and free stuff on the web. So apart from registration and buying the PM BOK and a cram book used on amazon, no costs.

I spent about a year on and off on this, especially during vacations where I would not read anything else than the press and the prep material.

I am very happy to have the 3 letters, but even more to have learnt so much about the PM theory and all the bits that we think we are practicing but are not (I work in financial services IT). The certification journey really helped me develop. I am using many more technical terms and practices appropriately, and hope that by doing so I will encourage fellow project managers to really have a hard look at their own practices.

Friday, August 22, 2008 5:52:13 PM EDT

Aaron Porter (MBA PMP CSM) says:

I'll be pragmatic and state that the main reason for pursuing the PMP exam, in my opinion, is that either your current job or future job requires it. Who wants to go through all that effort preparing for the exam (which I am doing now) and then all of the effort afterward to maintain the credential, every three years, as a personal objective?

I think the fact that PMPs are required to maintain their credential speaks to the fact that experience is important. Just being approved to take the exam says that an individual has SOME experience managing projects. If you want to feel good about having to get a certain amount of PDUs, just associate it with being a professor with the requirement to "publish or perish." In order to maintain your credential, you have to demonstrate that you are making the effort to stay current; it is not a one time thing. Obtaining and maintaining the credential means that you will continue to garner experience in the profession.

Alternatively, I have known PMPs who had a piece of paper and little else. They pursued PDUs to keep their credential current, but they added little value to the projects they "managed," so to speak. But I get it, there are bad apples in every bunch.

On a more personal note, I am pursuing my credential because my future job will require it. I will get limited mileage out of it in my current position. Afterward, however, will be a different matter. I will pursue PDUs to increase and share my knowledge. I have a lot to share, and even more to learn.

One last thought - a lesson that I hope I have learned by watching others - PDUs are really only difficult if you wait until the last minute to complete them, or if you don't use the project management skills you supposedly have and plan for them. I don't have my credential, yet, so I could be wrong, and will gladly admit it if that turns out to be the case.

BTW, good article, Andy. I did refer and link to it on my blog here on Gantthead. I doubt it has generated any traffic for you, but it is definitely worth referring others to.

Friday, August 22, 2008 6:37:36 PM EDT

Anonymous says:

Having been through the PMP process, I find myself slightly disillusioned with PMI and their approach. I had been managing spftware development projects for over 5 years (with many years spent as a technical lead previously) when I took a company provided PMP course and then went on to pass my PMP exam on the first try.

The course was a multi-week class and not just a cram course, yet I felt disappointed that so little new knowledge or information was provided. The vast majority of the material covered things I had already been doing. Likewise, I am disappointed with the PDU approach. Acquiring 60 PDUs seems to be more of a requirement to get people to attend lunch-time and differ-time club meetings than to provide new information or learning opportunities.

My suggestions to improve the situation would be:

1) Drop the experience requirement. This would clearly identify the PMP as a certificate indicating one had learned the basics of project management and is ready to take on one''s first project.

2) Reducing the quantity of PDUs required for recertification and make them more restrictive to obtain. Requiring the equivalent of one Masters-level course every 2-3 years would help make recertification meaningful.

3) Establish a tiered approach where recertification is noted in the PMP designation. A PMP Level 1 could indicate someone who has just passed his PMP certification, while a PMP Level 5 could indicate someone who has passed his certification and been recertified for 5 years. This would take the PMP designation beyond a yes/no flag and recognize people who are committed to their careers.

The PMP certification exam is largely about the basics of project management. We should be encouraging people to take the exam and get this knowledge before we turn them loose running projects, not several years afterward. We also need to make the recertification process meaningful and highlight people who are advancing their knowledge, not merely treading water.

Saturday, August 30, 2008 4:16:52 PM EDT

Anonymous says:

Having waited until I absolutely had to have the certification before I sat for the exam, I too was pretty disillusioned. It was one of the easier exams to pass (other than short-term memorization of terminology). And having worked with lots and lots of theoritical PiMPs, it can be quite annoying as they are either lost or preaching 'the way'.
However, given that the PMI was designed to provide a 'universally' recognized certification to distinguish experienced and professional PMs and help provide businesses with a means of 'ranking' the dedication of their PiMPs, it does a good job. Why else would you attend lunch and dinner time club meetings with a bunch of people to eat hotel food and hear mediocre speakers?
However, it does encourage volunteering and that is a beneift to the society as many people begin with the club volunteering and find themselves involved with other events within their community as part of that effort. It widens the perspective of how and when to use what type of Project Management and that is the most important aspect of the discipline.
PMI has expanded into a tiered approach with the CAPM, PgMP and various 'speciality' PMPs. This took a while just as all evolution does. We shall see if the enthusiasm continues....

Thursday, September 18, 2008 11:08:25 AM EDT

Kenneth Katz says:

I think that PMP certification is valuable for several reasons.

1. Being PMP ceritfied is an indication that the person is serious about project management. Given that the certification requirements are rather easy (in spite of all the fear-mongering by vendors of study courses and materials), if somebody claims to be a project manager and is not certified, the first question is "why not?".

2. If nothing else, a PMP is very familiar with the PMBOK. The benefit of this is that PMP certificate holders have a common conceptual framework and a common vocabulary. So words like "scope" and "risk" have standardized meanings, which is a very good thing.

PMP certification is no panacea -- there are no panaceas in the real world -- but it is worthwhile.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008 4:23:46 PM EDT

STEVE ROLLINS says:

Today we are in the middle of the greatest revolution of all time…the economic globalization revolution that has every business battling for economic gain just like an Army battles for victory. We see these Armies today in battle against each other everywhere in the world. The result is often the same, one Army wins and the other loses. What happens to the soldiers of the losing Army? They lose too! Why are they losing becomes the question. That answer has to do with intelligence involving how to fight, and how to compete. That intelligence is knowledge. Knowledge is like ammunition. The better the quality and accessibility of knowledge the better chances of victory for the Army and its soldiers.

We are now entering a new global business era unlike any other that has come before us. We first started with the Industrial Revolution, then came the Information Age, followed by the Dot.Com era and now the Dot.Media era is upon us all.

Past wars have demonstrated successfully the value proposition of knowledge through their smart tactics with the resulting pinpoint accuracy when they compete. These smart tactics are applying knowledge to win. Are you fighting with inadequate knowledge today? Certifications can advance your capability and tip the scales in your favor.

Because others are learning to apply the knowledge we bring to help them win value, you will soon be at a disadvantage if you don’t do likewise. In 1941, Pearl Harbor bookmarked the beginning of the WWII between the USA and Japan. During that time, many ships and people were lost. Now history has repeated itself and Pearl Harbor is reoccurring all over the world and instead of ships and people, it is businesses and their employees that are destroyed by the lack of knowledge. Aren’t you tired of working so hard and losing?

Thus for those of us who are certified (or is it certifiable?) what should we do? The answer is obvious. Teach our Army how to teach and help other soldiers become certified so together the Army can compete better and win more often. The choice is yours. Grow competency and capability or sit idle to become a constant loser.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008 9:23:59 AM EDT

Geoffrey Kelly says:

First of all Happy holidays to all wherever you may be and whatever you may be doing

The subject of certification brings out a wide range of views which all in all are quite interesting and in some cases where references to history are used which make no sense such as the one from Steve which talks about "Pearl Harbor bookmarked the beginning of the WWII between the USA and Japan."

Well yes but no the attack on Pearl harbour by Japan did bring the USA into WW2 but that war had been going on for three years already and the attack on Pearl Harbour could have been prevented.

If there had been a dialogue between all of those involved instead of the fact that each country took it own stance and declared themselves to be better than everybody else. So the small guy feels that he needs to be as good if not better that the bully.

Where I am going with this is the fact that if there is no adequate global communication and education about the standards and codes of practices that people work to then certification does not mean a thing and the paper it is written on is worthless.

Monday, December 29, 2008 6:41:29 AM EST

Vince Chew says:

I met with a quite a few project managers who are not PMP certified. Some of them are pretty good with managing projects. But they will freak out at the idea of taking tests and exams because they are not academic in nature. They prefer to use their own experience to manage projects.

I also encounter another type of managers who never trust the certificate, claiming that anyone can easily pass the test as long as they memorize and study hard. I tried to convince them that it is not the case which led to a debate on the merits of being a PMP.

I took up PMP to highlight myself as a qualified project manager. It will make a difference because no matter how hard to try to sell yourself to your prospective clients or employers, you can never convince them that you are indeed proficient in your field. They will be more confident if you show them the certificate plus a short description what you have done.

I am a hirer myself and I view PMP as a recognized certificate compared to a paper like MCSE (for example).

Along the same discussion, I have written an article on whether MBA can give you a competitive edge in the market. You can find this article here: http://www.vincechew.com/?p=51

Monday, April 13, 2009 10:29:03 AM EDT

sampath kumar says:

I do agree and most of the people in this forum should agree with conscience that the PMP certification is taken only for the career benefits. I don't think that the knowledge to manage a project cannot be acquired just through reading the books. May be this could be one of the driving reason for PMI to insist on 4500 hours of project management experience. The real experience combined with the PMP certification definitely gives a leverage and provides a different approach in managing the projects. Let's just forget about the people who don't follow anything , and for those who follows certain proven process would definitely get rich dividends. Once again it's upto the individuals to decide whether to travel in a good road or to travel in thorny way.

Friday, May 22, 2009 10:40:07 AM EDT

Anonymous says:

I used to be one of those who procrastinated to be PMP certified despite years of experiences in managing various large projects. After going through it, I think PMP is useful to put all knowledge gained practically into proper perspective. What I like about PMP is that the approach can be adopted across most industries. In the PMP course which I attended, attendees came from different background, but there is a common ground where project management is concerned.

A person with a desire to excel in a project management career will apply the knowledge gained into practise. Likewise, one who is just trying to get by, will ignore it.

Monday, August 16, 2010 10:56:14 PM EDT

David Hudson, MAIPM, MPD says:

The missing element in this discussion seems to be a reflection that, while globally recognised, PMP is not a competency certification, and the world is increasingly demanding of actual competency proof. I will spare y'all the beat up on the Australian system, except to point out that it is a competency based system.
But as the Chairman of Standards in my national organisation, I fully understand why PMI initially took a knowledge based approach to the PMP. Firstly, it was well enough regarded at the time PMP was launched, and secondly it is doubtful that quality could have been preserved using any other system on a global scale at that time as well. Equally I can understand how hard it would be for PMI to change the system at this point in time. The inertia of the legacy system is too compelling, and the scale of operation is still daunting to institute a competency based approach. I have tried to find competency based assessors in various regions of the world for a leading resources company. It is a difficult proposition, especially in countries that are not inherently imbued with a competency based culture.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 9:34:57 PM EDT

Sylvie Edwards says:

Well those are fully loaded questions!

Personally I took the PMP for both personal and professional reasons. I wanted to have it to prove to myself that I had attained as certain level of knowledge (and that I could still study for an exam) and I also wanted to have it as part of my resume.

The PDUs are part and parcel of the process. First and foremost, I don''t want to have to redo this exam again in the near future so maintaining is the easy route for that one. I also look at updating my PDU transcript as a means to ensure that I have documentation on my training, knowledge development and growth efforts. In consulting, you don''t exactly have an annual performance appraisal process where you can request for opportunities for growth and modify your career path so... I use the PDU transcript to tie into my own personal career development plan.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010 3:41:55 PM EDT

Bradley Norton says:

How about that! It looks like the best way to rattle the hornet''''s nest is to express a position on certification. While I utilize certification as a baseline, it is only a baseline. For me, it is like receiving a college degree. Did the candidate take the time, effort and dedication to fully document what they do as a profession, or are they interested in a paycheck?

I have been disappointed with candidates that I have interviewed, met or have been asked to lunch with who want to break into project management because they heard project management pays well and doesn''''t require technical expertise in the area of the project. Like others, I have worked with PMs who do not have formal training, certification or any credentials who have an eye for detail, timing and budget that made exceptional project managers.

I don't think that the PMP is being watered down, any more than I think having an undergraduate degree is being watered down by online schools. At the end of the day, and at the point of hiring, you still need to bring your portfolio and skills to the interview and sell me.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 12:14:43 PM EST

@CalculusConsult says:

I'm not a PMP myself, and have never believed that those with a certification are necessarily "better" than those without. Indeed, I know many good project managers who have no certification at all and have simply become great through experience and having had the right examples of good project management in the real world to follow.

Now having said this, I have just done the UK's leading certification, Prince 2, but I've done this for purely pragmatic reasons. It's a simple fact that having Prince 2 on your CV/resume means you're more likely to get noticed in the initial screening process. It also, rightly or wrongly, says something to a recruiter about your ability to work in a structured project environment and so you seem superficially "better", thereby meaning I can potentially charge a bit more for my services.

But something unexpected also happened as I prepared for the exam, I started to actually like the method, and to see where it would have helped on past projects, and I'm sure this is going to help me in my future projects. So maybe certification does make you better ?

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 6:06:45 AM EDT

Bradley Norton says:

Andy, it looks like you stirred the pot again!

I took the PMP in 2008 when my company was being acquired. At the time, the new company valued certified project managers. I had the skills, experience and knowledge. So, I took the test. I treat the PMP like my college degree. It's a ticket to the dance. Once I'm in the door, I show what I am capable of doing.

As far as PDUs go, I always end up with too many! This field changes rapidly, and meetings are one of the best ways to exchange ideas AND acquire the needed PDUs. I understand what the PMI is trying to do with requiring PDUs. As with most requirements, those out there who really need to learn and adapt are the ones least likely to do so. The rest of us would do it regardless of requirements.

Friday, September 16, 2011 12:25:55 PM EDT

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The great certification debate

The people side of project management