Since May 2011, I’ve had the honor of having an adjunct responsibility as the IT PMO PMI (Project Management Institute) Credential Mentor in Intel IT. To date I’ve advised over 80 PM’s on their best approach to obtaining a PMI credential (PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, PMI-SP, and PMI-ACP). I’ve also had dozens of enquires from PM’s that have their PMP as to obtaining PDU’s. The most typical scenario is that their PMP renewal is due this year and/or in a relatively short time and they are far short of having the documented minimal 60 PDU’s (Professional Development Units) required in a 3 year cycle to apply for renewal. As Intel I’ve noticed IT has close to 400 PMP’s, I thought it would be helpful to document what I advise for everyone’s benefit. I am now sharing it also in this community and hope more people can benefit from them.
The first task you should do after reading this article is to go to the PMI website, log in, got to Certifications – Maintain Your Credential - Report PDU’s , and check your renewal date and the number of PDU’s you currently have. Putting it in project terms then your simple scope is to, ‘Obtain at least XX PDU’s by XX date to be able to renew my PMP credential’.
The most typical situation I get is within a year left to three year deadline and needing 40 to 50 PDU’s. Most PM’s assume it is all education based and concerned they have to attend classes, will their manager approve it, they need to take time off from their project that has a deadline, etc. - I’ve heard all the concerns.
The second task is to be aware that there are six options for obtaining PDU’s as shown in the table below and consider your viable options.
Focus Area | PMI Category | Approach or Method | Options to Consider | PDU Limits (3 year) |
| A | (REP) Registered Educational Provider PMI Component Chapter PMI Annual Symposium | - Take a vendor class in a PM subject - Attend the local PMI chapter meeting - Attend the Annual PMI Symposium - Prep course for another credential | None |
Educational | B | Continuing Education | - Attend a PM college course - Attend a Webinar (on PM subject) - Attend an IU (Intel) PM class - Attend Intel PM CoP, PM Forum, etc. | None |
| C | Self-Directed Learning | - Reading a PM book - Being mentored/coached on PM | 30 |
| D | Creating new PM knowledge | - Author/co-author a book - Get your PM article published - Create and teach a PM course - Be a speaker, moderator, SME participant for PM panel discussion | 45 |
Giving Back To The Profession | E | Volunteer Service | - Volunteer with your local PMI chapter at least 3 months - Volunteer for a specific PMI chapter event (Symposium) | 45 |
| F | Work as a Practitioner | - Work full time as a PM equals 5 PDU’s per year | 15 |
The third task is to make a plan and get started in earnest o meet your deadline. I’m going to list suggestions and tips/tricks from my experience in assisting others in priority of what might be the easiest to obtain.
Potential Benefit | What it is | What to do | Suggested Practice | Reference |
Up to 15 PDU’s/ 3 years | Most PM’s do not realize they get PDU’s for working full time as a PM. | You can go and document the prior years and current year. | Make an Outlook calendar in mind January reminder add the 5 PDU’s on the PMI website for the prior year | Cat: F |
Undetermined but good possibility of something | Review your Outlook calendar and Intel U records for past classes | Make a spreadsheet with class, hours, date column | Update your PDU’s on the PMI Website immediately upon successful class completion | Cat: B |
Possibly 10-20 per year? | The monthly Intel IT PM Forum, PM CoP, etc. | Budget time to register /attend these meetings | Update your PDU’s on the PMI Website immediately upon successful class completion | Cat: B |
Up to 12 PDU’s /yr. @ 1 PDU per monthly meeting | The local PMI Chapter monthly PDM (Professional Development Meeting). They are relatively inexpensive and feature a PM subject speaker | Check out the local PMI chapter webpage, contact a chapter officer, join the chapter, and attend their monthly meetings. | Attendees usually receive a paper confirming their attendance with the event #. When updating PDU’s, inputting this # will auto populate the information for you. | Cat: A |
Undetermined | PM classes sponsored by the local PMI chapter – professional development dept. | Check the local PMI Chapter’s monthly calendar for class offerings. | These non PMP prep classes are usually 4 to 8 hours on a Saturday and discount priced for Chapter members | Cat: A |
Up to 30 PDU’’s / 3 yrs | Self-directed learning | If you maintain your PMI membership, you will receive PM Network, the PMIs monthly magazine – read the articles | Claim your self-directed PDUs in in 0.25 hour increments. | Cat: C |
UP to 20 PDU’s/yr. | Volunteer with the local PMI Chapter | Check the local PMI Chapter volunteer link for open positions | Try something different on an area are you’d like to learn about. Ensure you are clear on the time requirements and expectations. | Cat D, E |
Before continuing let me offer additional practical advice that you also may find helpful.
- Documenting PDU’s: If a PMI event or REP (PMI Registered Education Provider) you receive an XXXX-XXXXXX code that when typed into the PMI website auto populate the information. If not then certain then be specific with the information placed in the PMI website. Also I can’t emphasize enough to document the class in the PMI website immediately after obtaining the class or receiving the certificate. Don’t wait!
- Partial Credit: A class does no have to be titled or directly be a PM class. Training for Six Sigma, ITIL, or a Process may qualify for some number of PDU’s. You need to estimate the direct PM content hours and then document it accordingly. A 2 day, 16 hour class may have only 4 hours of PM related training but you can count it. Keep in mind you did agree to an ethics agreement with PMI and they can ask for additional documentation before approval so be fair and accurate. If in doubt ask the class instructor for their assessment of project management content and go with that.
- Volunteering: Helping in some manner with your PMI chapter is a wonderful thing and great experience however let me offer some caution before engaging with a PMI chapter representative. A volunteer in a ‘Team Member’ role can earn 5 PDU’s up to a Chapter President that can get 20 PDU’s per year. However a team member may require a few hours per month while a Chapter VP or President requires 5 to 10 hours per week or more. If interested and regardless of your capabilities start with a team position and learn the chapter first. Chapter Officers sever a two year term with a 50% changeover each year so positions do open up and you can be elected. It’s a great experience but you will work a lot of hours for those PDU’s.
- Volunteering Caveats:
- PMI Chapters hold annual Symposiums or PDD’s (Professional Development Day) events and volunteering to support that event only often earns you 5 PDU’s for a day’s time plus you most likely get to attend the event for free and even attend class or two if you get free time or a speaker sponsor / aid.
- If you are an SME (Subject Matter Expert) you might be a PDM or PDD speaker for the Chapter which you typically get 10 PDU’s for developing and presenting a class (Cat D). The chapter provides you a confirming PDU letter to use.
- PMI Chapters also have monthly or quarterly newsletters distributed to their members through their communications volunteer group. Usually they are in need of good PM subject article content and if published it’s typically worth 10 PDU’s. The chapter provides you a confirming PDU letter to use.
- Annual PMI Symposiums also put out request for forum speakers which are typically a 75 minute class. You have to apply, be approved, attend the event, and speak. Requesting 10 PDU’s for the prep and speaking time should be approved by PMI.
- If Your 3 Years Run Out and You Don’t Have The Minimum 60 PDU’s: Life goes on and things do happen. If you do not renew your credential in the 3 year cycle requirements, it goes into probation for up to one year. During that time if you get your 60 PDU’s then you can review your PMP credential and your next 3 year cycle period starts. If you past the year then you lose your PMP standing and have to start over with the application, possible audit, exam, etc.
- If You Obtain Greater Than 60 PDU’s In Your 3 Year Cycle: PM will allow you to carry over up to 20 PDU’s toward your next 3 year cycle. The flexibility here is that if you want/need to take a class now you can apply up to 20 PDU’s later so don’t limit yourself. This is especially useful if you are considering another PMI credential as the exam prep training for a new credential can be applied towards your PMP renewal (PM subject training in any capacity is accruable). Keep in mind that 60 PDU’s every 3 year cycle is the ‘minimum’ and although 60 are counted some PM’s obtain hundreds through their work, training, and volunteer activities in keeping their progressive career.
- Rules of Thumb:
- A PDU obtained by training through a PMI REP training entity will most likely cost between $25 to $100 per hour USD and not including travel if not local. This includes the fee to attend a PMI Chapter PDM for the one hour speaker series that yields one PDU.
- A PDU obtained by volunteering your time through having a chapter position, speaking, supporting an event, and/or writing an article will most likely require five to twenty (5 to 20) hours of your time per PDU.
In summary:
- There are many options to obtain the minimal 60 PDU’s over a three year renewal cycle keep you PMP credential current. Any PDU’s obtained through various activities should be documented as soon as possible in the PMI website for accurate tracking. If the activity is in question then the PMP should check with the class instructor or enquire with PMI directly to ensure the activity is recordable. PMP’s should not necessarily limit their training and experience activities as up to 20 PDU’s can be carried over and accrued towards the next three year renewal cycle.
- With today’s surplus of information and the availability of low cost events by PMI chapters and REP organizations across the globe, it is not difficult to accumulate the required number of PDUs for renewal of your credentials. Read the journals, attend chapter meetings, get out and enjoy and embrace our profession. Make a resolution to create a process for yourself of logging your self-directed PDUs immediately following reading the works. Not only will you earn PDUs, but networking and learning, common success factors we employ in our day to day roles as PM professionals, can return benefits tenfold.
