PMP Certification: Is It Worth It?
PMP Certification: Is It Worth It?
By Pam Stanton
As I speak to audiences about the importance of soft skills and emotional intelligence in project management, inevitably I’m asked my opinion on the value of a certification from the PMI (Project Management Institute) such as the PMP (Project Management Professional.) This topic is very polarizing in our professional community. The camps generally divide into : 1) Those who sought the PMP on their own and found it to be an excellent training opportunity; 2) Those who were required by their employer or felt pressured by the job market to obtain it; and, 3) Those who are active resisters or were just never required to get one.
First off, let me state clearly that I do not have a PMI certification. Heresy, you say? Well, the reality is that the PMP certification gained prominence at a time when I was already firmly established in my career. My employers, knowing my skills and track record, never pushed for me to obtain it.
So is there a value in having the PMI certification? My strong answer is… it depends. Let’s look at the requirements and costs, and then I’ll tell you what I really think.
What’s the PMP?
The PMP certification is the most popular among the five different certifications now offered by the PMI (Project Management Institute) which are:
- PgMP: Program Management Professional
- PMP: Project Management Professional
- CAPM: Certified Associate Project Manager
- PMI-SP: PMI Scheduling Professional
- PMI-RMP: PMI Risk Management Professional
According the PMI website, to apply for the PMP, you need to have either:
- A four-year degree (bachelor’s or the global equivalent) and at least three years of project management experience, with 4,500 hours leading and directing projects and 35 hours of project management education.
OR:
- A secondary diploma (high school or the global equivalent) with at least five years of project management experience, with 7,500 hours leading and directing projects and 35 hours of project management education.
The Costs
The PMP is an expensive exam, costing $405 for PMI members and $555 for non-members. Many people feel intimidated by what they have heard about the 200-question test and thus take exam prep courses that average between $1,500 and $2,000.
In order to maintain a PMP certification, one must accrue 60 “PDUs” (Professional Development Units) every three years. There are a few different ways to gain these PDUs, either by taking classes, attending PMI conferences, or self-directed study. Generally, one hour of instruction or participation = 1 PDU. There are many commercial providers who offer training, podcasts, webinars, etc., where it can cost from $25 to $100’s per PDU. I estimate that the 60 PDUs over three years costs about $3,000.
So, let’s add it up:
- PMP exam prep: $2,000
- PMP exam cost: $500
- Maintaining PDUs over a 40 year career: $40,000
Total Career Cost of PMP Certification: $42,500.
Being able to List PMP on Your Resume: Priceless?
I’m going to come right out and say it. In my 25 year career, I have not found an absolute correlation between someone having a PMP certification and their ability to manage a project successfully. There, I’ve said it, so let the firestorm begin. I credit the PMI with good intentions to establish project management as a viable discipline, and brilliant marketing which has made most hiring managers aware of the certification. Unfortunately, I find that too many recruiters and employers put misplaced faith in the meaning of a certification, and go so far as to miss out on really great project managers because they require certification as a baseline for employment.
As far as I’m concerned, a PMP certification proves that you’re “book smart.” It’s like someone who has just graduated from medical school. Sure, they may have worked on cadavers and maybe even participated in some patient care, but I’m not interested in having them treat me until they’ve gotten real world experience. And yes, the PMP does require some real world experience, but it’s only three years—just barely a start in a career.
I also have a bias against the strong emphasis on tools and methodology over the emotional intelligence required to navigate the treacherous waters of politics, matrixed organizations, and human behavior. I’m pleased that the latest version of the PMBOK (the Project Management Body of Knowledge—the PMI’s “bible”) has added a section on “soft skills” to its 42 process areas. It’s only about 5 pages out of ~450, but it’s a start, and an acknowledgement that these skills are also important.
My Verdict
In summary, here’s how I see it. Getting a PMP certification won’t hurt you, and it may expose you to some useful tools and ways to organize projects. It won’t, however, make you a great project manager—that you’ll have to earn through blood, sweat, and tears, and hopefully some laughter.
What does hurt all of us as a profession is the misconception that a PMP certification is an assurance of competence, and that’s where I’m passionately opposed. I seek to drive balance and visibility to the real skills that make or break a project manager, which is the emotional intelligence to know which tool to use at the right time, including a deep respect and appreciation for human behavior and group dynamics. As I repeat in my book and speeches: Human behavior is not a work breakdown structure, and methodology alone will not get you there.
Having opened myself up for criticism… I welcome your comments, feedback, and debate.
Pam Stanton is the owner of Heart, Brains, & Courage, LLC, the parent entity for “Pam Stanton, The Project Whisperer” and “Perspectives Gallery.” She has 25 years experience leading business initiatives of all types, focusing in corporate I/T.
Pam, Delighted to hear your conclusion. And an interesting evaluation of the case for PMP. As an holder of a PM postgrad with an emphasis on management (leadership, negotiation, teams, conflict resolution) and with varied experience on IT, business-process change and governance, I have debated whether the certification merited the effort/cost. PMP to me is another process in a process-saturated environment. As luck would have it, I have always worked in public sector and such certification has not been sought by my management.
Certainly, there has been and always will be debate on the value of professional certifications like the PMI PMP. I fall into Category 1. I am a project manager and my employer has never asked me to become certified. Nonetheless, I use what I learned on a daily basis. I think that it’s like learning a different language. Now that I’ve learned the language, I’m able to communicate more effectively. I would argue that overall, there is less misunderstanding, less rework and better communication when I work with other PMP certified managers. There is a common underlying framework that guides the project without having the thousands of collaboration meetings to “get on the same page”. I would also disagree that the PMP certification is simply an indication of book smarts. I think your discounting the documented professional experience that’s required to even be considered for this certification. Let’s face it – managers need every tool in the toolbox to be successful. The knowledge gained in the process of becoming PMP certified is another tool. How the tools are used – different story.
Great article, Pam! I strongly agree with your conclusion: “What does hurt all of us as a profession is the misconception that a PMP certification is an assurance of competence, and that’s where I’m passionately opposed. I seek to drive balance and visibility to the real skills that make or break a project manager, which is the emotional intelligence to know which tool to use at the right time, including a deep respect and appreciation for human behavior and group dynamics.” And you do so, I might add, with your tight little book, The Project Whisperer! (Go, Pam!)
I’m also concerned that formal PMP certification may be a force working against a local organization taking responsibility for identifying and measuring its own PM skill requirements. Simply put: It’s often easier for an HR department to defer to a generic stamp of approval from an external PM certifying body than it is to carefully target and measure “just enough” PM skills for the local organization.
The benefits of identifying and measuring locally-necessary PM skills (and ignoring PMI’s massive collection of skills and certifications) are as follows:
* Local PM training can be brief, focusing on only those skills needed in-house.
* PM training can be more relevant to immediate learner needs and enriched with industry-specific case studies, real-world practice exercises, etc.
* Your people won’t be trained, at your expense (and down time), to acquire a generic certification that might help them switch jobs more easily.
* Project managers can develop and pursue their own career enrichment strategies, instead of scrambling to hook up with inbred, PMI-endorsed courses from the PMP-spawned cottage industry of PMP trainers who’ve paid handsomely (and thus must recoup costs) for the privilege of teaching PMPs.
* If you choose, there can be an end point to your PM training and certification. You will not be locked in PMI-dependency, endlessly seeking (and paying for in time and money), courses and approval from people outside your organization.
If you’d like to see more on this topic, including very specific instructions on how you might embark on your own, local PM certification program, check out my free white paper: “Do-It-Yourself PM Certification: How to Document Your Skills & Get the Credibility You’ve Earned without Jumping Through Someone Else’s Hoops” http://michaelgreer.biz/?p=1450
Pam, thanks for taking a stand and for shedding light on this important discussion!
– Mike Greer, author, The Project Management Minimalist
http://michaelgreer.biz
I was a little surprised to see your slight dismissal of “book smarts.” World-wide, about $12 trillion will be spent on projects this year. An investment that large merits management by well-prepared, professional managers following recognized best practices, and using a common vocabulary. There are literally thousands of books on various aspects of project management, and even more blogs, including PM Hut. There are a number of doctoral programs on project management, and many more Master’s degrees, from hundreds of well-established schools throughout the world. Book smarts are absolutely necessary, and project managers of all experience levels and professional capacities benefit from maintaining their knowledge base, just as doctors and lawyers and other professionals are required to do.
Credentials only matter to those recruiting new talent, and those seeking to be recruited. If you’re well-established in your organization, and expect to retire in your current chair, I’m happy for you. But don’t neglect your continuing education; the world is moving on, and whether you’re earning PDU’s or not, you owe it to your employer, your sponsors, your project teams, and yourself to keep your skills current.
Interesting commentary, Pam. It would be enlightening to see some statistics on project successes/failures and whether the project managers involved had PMI certification. I don’t trust PMI to do the survey; they admit that only a percentage of applications are audited, and I can verify through my own observation that many people exaggerate or outright lie on their applications about experience. I’m also suspicious of PMI’s non-profit status; their constant updating of the exam with requisite changes in exam prep materials translates into loads of cash for them. They strike me as similar to the University of Phoenix and other pseudo-educational organizations, whose real motive is money.
I’ve observed that post-certification, poorly skilled individuals still struggle with project management. Achieving the PMP does not overcome the lack of experience necessary for competent project management. It’s unfortunate that a lot of management, themselves lacking in understanding the range of skills and knowledge necessary, jump on the certification bandwagon. There really is no subtitute for experience in project management.
Not to digress negatively here, but I’m compelled to share my experiences..
I would add that certification doesn’t overcome a lack of common sense, or personal organization.
Over the years, I’ve worked with some very good PMP’s. The effectiveness of these folks actually inspired me to get certified.
But I have also worked with exceedingly poor-performing PMP’s – to such an extent, that it led me to believe the PMP certification is meaningless as a predictive measure of a project managers’ success. It left me wondering how such poor performing folks could have ever met the application requirements. In view of this, and how rigorous the application process is, the process would seem to have some major weaknesses in qualifying candidates.
I know the article is not about cost of PMP. But as there is a whole section on it, I would like to extend “Maintaining PDUs over a 40 year career: $40,000” to range “$3,000 – $40,000”. $3K for 40 years maintenance results in $5.5K total for 40 years + time you spend on activities.
Here are my calculations, if to assume that PMP handbook is not hiding major difficulties of claiming PDUs:
1. You can claim 15 PDUs per cycle (3yrs) based on your projects confirmed by employer (category F as of now)
2. If you’re somehow active on creating new PM knowledge, there is a chance you earn 30 more PDUs per cycle that requires:
a. 15 hrs per 3 yrs of “articles” work
b. 15 hrs per 3 yrs training that you lead
Both falls under (category D)
3. Remaining 15 can be spend on Self-Directed learning (category C) that probably will cost you about $15/PDU that is $225 per 3 years. My assumption is that there are valuable courses on net:)
I like your far and balanced opinion. I thought you would expound on the advantages of gettng one- now I a convinced i don’t need one. I still personally have a lot to learn about project management- after many years of experience and truly they are soft skills. Is there a training for soft skills, emotional intelligence, or decisiveness? i have the passion to learn but it seems to me that as of now, I can only learn these things from experience. I wish though there’s a better way to learn them!
I have many years of project management experience and finally decided obtaining a PMP was worth the effort within the last year or so. I can say with 100% assurance – I am a much better project manager for having expereinced this process.
I would, however, agree that a PMP by itself does not assure that someone is a good PM. Some people obtain a PMP just for the sake of the credential and make little effort to apply what they’ve learned in practice. Other PMPs may have barely met the requirements (you only need a 61% to pass the test) so they got into the “club” without a true understanding of how to successfully manage projects with PMBOK.
As a hiring manager (I manage a section that owns our PMO), I would not aboslutely require a PMP credential to be hired, but I would require achieving the PMP within 6-12 months as a condition of continued employement. This helps assure me they will – at least – speak the same language since our process assets are based on PMBOK. They will be better for it too.
Along the same lines – this is simlar to whether or not to obtain a college degree. Having a college degree does not guarantee me that you’ll be an expert in your field – but it does demonstrate that you can reach a difficult goal; that you’re organized enough to understand what’s required to earn the degree and apply it; etc. Earning a college degree or a PMP will make you better than without it.
This does not mean its worth the time, effort, and cost for everyone.
My personal opinion is that certifications represent a minimum bar of acceptance. For example, it’s nice to know that the plumber with 15-years experience has read the book describing local building codes. He may have a lifetime of experience, but if he doesn’t complete the job according to specs, then my new house will not get signed off on by the city inspector. Project Management methods can easily be applied in any career. I am currently in the process of changing professions and feel that studying for the PMP is helping me prepare for the type of job I am seeking.
Bravo Pam. Great article. I hope that people entering the world of project management find it useful. I was just telling someone the other day that the PMBOK can’t tell you how to deal with an angry client or a political environment. Only experience and mentoring can teach that. Project Management is a huge responsibility and putting ones fate so heavily will set you up for heart ache. Use PMBOK as a tool for project organization. But get ready for hard work, tears, mistakes and learned lessons.
Good, helpful article no doubt! I am myself debating if I should get certified. However, I bag to differ on the analogy of medical grad. A nurse in a hospital has 25 years of experience when I visit an ER. Will I be satisfied with her seeing me or I would like at least a new medical resident to examine me! A nurse is a nurse and a physician is a physician. My concern with PMI PMP is that it’s not an institute like that of Chartered Accountants. PMI PMP certification lacks underlying training and testing. It’s more like a course completion certificate rather than a qualification. And that can help someone change her/his career and get a junior position of a in PM but certainly not qualify anyone as a good PM.
Pam,
Thank you for your informative article. As a “newly minted” PMP, I would argue that it took more than just book smarts to pass the exam and get certified. First, I had to document the hours of experience. Secondly, negotiating the whole PMP “acquisition” process required competent organizational and project management skills. Applying, preparing and passing the exam was a project in itself. If I were a hiring manager, I’d connote PMP with someone with a good foundation.
Regards, Peter