Good news for project managers who have earned their PMP®! It’s also an incentive for project managers who are considering becoming certified. The Wall Street Journal recently published an article indicating that increasing value is being placed upon having earned a certification such as the PMP. The article quotes the Project Management Institute (PMI) as stating that there has been a 30% increase in registration for their certification exams. More and more, employers are not merely preferring to hire project managers with a PMP—they are requiring that job applicants have a PMP. Here at TAPUniversity, we have seen the trend of a more serious attitude towards earning certifications. Whereas a few years ago it was often a development goal and something nice to have, there are now more people approaching the PMP as something they must have in order to get hired or because their current employer is insisting upon it. Whatever the reason for desiring a certification, we at TAPUniversity enjoy helping people achieve their goals.
Higher Value Placed on Certifications
Posted on May 12, 2010 by tapuniversity
Helal Elsaadi, PMP, PSP
November 26, 2010
I totally agree.
In the construction and indusrial sectors, AACE provides more scalable and higher threshold certifications.
PMI should improve its entry qualifications to address maturity attained through expeirence and Professional training/development.
For instance, there are no requirements for proven courses other than the high-level 35 hours. Most of the terms and defintions covered in the PMBOK are totally foreign to most applicants, and the majority have not come close to know its implications, especially for non western/american educated applicants.
Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo
May 13, 2010
Having been in the project management related training business for going on 20 years now, we are seeing the early adopters moving away from the PMP and moving towards more technically focused credentials such as those offered by AACE or INCOSE and also moving towards COMPETENCY based credentials.
When you set aside the marketing hype and “buzz”, exactly how much credibility should anyone put in a credential that requires 4500 hours of UNVERIFIED experience, 35 hours of “advanced” training that can be fulfilled by studying books of questions or listening to a podcast, then involves passing a 200 question, multiple choice exam, of which only 175 questions actually count, and passing with a score of >62%?
To put the absurdity of the PMP in perspective, would you get on the next commercial jet if you knew the pilot had never taken off or landed a plane successfully and that she got her pilots license after listening to a podcast for 35 hour, then passing a 175 question, multiple choice exam with a score of 62%?
No, I didn’t think so!!!
Unfortunately, PMI has, IMPO caused as much damage to the practice of project management than they have good. How? By allowing or encouraging the PMP to go from an entry level credential (which is EXACTLY what it was designed to be) into some people believing that by holding it, they are in fact, professional project managers, which is a lie.
Step back from the hype and think about exactly what PMI really represents- a 501(c)(3) not for profit professional organization, with over 100 million dollars in liquid assets? Sorry, but what I see is a 20 million dollar a year marketing powerhouse, selling snake oil promises to desperate corporations trying to be competitive and even more desperate individuals trying to eke out the slightest competitive advantage over the thousands of other job applicants.
BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta