Project Management Professional

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Project Management Professional (PMP) is a credential offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). As of 30 June 2009 (2009 -06-30)^[update], there were 359,973 PMP certified individuals distributed globally.^[1]

The credential is obtained by documenting 3 or 5 years work experience in project management, completing 35 hours of project management related training, and scoring a certain percentage of questions on a written, multiple choice examination.

Contents 1 Passing score 2 Exam syllabus 3 Item references 4 Purpose 5 Examination process 6 Item writing 7 Pre-requisites to become eligible 8 Language aids 9 Continuous Credential Requirements (CCR) 10 Other PMI credentials 11 References 12 External links

[edit] Passing score

The passing score for the exam is currently 61% as of 2009. Previously it has been higher because the amount of knowledge areas was fewer. ^[2]

[edit] Exam syllabus

The PMP exam is based on the PMP Examination Specification.^[3], which describes tasks out of six Performance Domains:

1. Initiating the Project (11%)
2. Planning the Project (23%)
3. Executing the Project (27%)
4. Monitoring and Controlling the Project (21%)
5. Closing the Project (9%)
6. Professional and Social Responsibility (9%)

The exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions written against this specification. The numbers in parentheses describe the percentage of questions for each domain.^[4]

[edit] Item references

Each exam item (a question with its possible answers) has one or more references to standard books or other sources of project management. Most of the questions reference the PMI A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (aka the PMBOK Guide).^[4]

The Project Management Framework embodies a project life cycle and five major project management Process Groups:^[5]

1. Initiating
2. Planning
3. Executing
4. Monitoring and Controlling
5. Closing

encompassing a total of 42 processes.

Mapped to these five process groups are nine project management Knowledge Areas:

1. Project Integration Management
2. Project Scope Management
3. Project Time Management
4. Project Cost Management
5. Project Quality Management
6. Project Human Resource Management
7. Project Communications Management
8. Project Risk Management
9. Project Procurement Management

The processes of these knowledge areas are described by their inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs. They help PMP professionals in developing and practicing specialization in one or more of the areas. For example, a PMP may specialize in Plan Quality, Perform Quality Assurance, and Perform Quality Control - the three processes that make up the Knowledge Area of Project Quality Management.

[edit] Purpose

Government, commercial and other organizations employ PMP certified project managers in an attempt to improve the success rate of software development projects by applying a standardized and evolving set of project management principles as contained in PMI's PMBOK Guide.

Professionals obtain the credential to verify their proficiency in project management with an internationally accepted certificate. It has proven especially helpful for project managers trying to find jobs or self-employed project managers selling their services to customers.^{[citation needed]}

Many contractors hire certified PMPs to make their bids and proposals more attractive to prospects.^{[citation needed]} Sometimes, IFBs or RFPs require that project managers must be certified PMPs.^{[citation needed]}

In December 2005, the PMP credential was tied for fourth place in CertCities.com’s 10 Hottest Certifications for 2006,^[6] and in December 2008, it was number 7 of ZDNet’s 10 best IT certifications.^[7]

[edit] Examination process

The PMP exam is offered as a computer-based test through the global network of Prometric testing centers. There is also a paper-based option for locations with no Prometric testing centers nearby. The exam consists of 200 questions ("items"). 25 are pre-release items, which are not included in exam scoring. The score is calculated based on the other 175 items. Each item has a key (the correct answer) and three distractors (incorrect answer choices).

Candidates who take the computer-based test receive their results (passed or not passed) immediately upon completion. PMI also evaluates proficiency levels in each project management process group from high proficiency to low proficiency in a score report which the candidates receive after the examination. Candidates who take paper-based tests receive their test results and score reports typically within 4 weeks.

[edit] Item writing

Item writing is an ongoing process at PMI and new items (questions with 4 answering options each) are added to PMI's collection of exam items while others may be removed from it from time to time. Item writers use the PMP Examination Specification to identify item contents and a reference (PMBOK Guide or another standard source of project management) to verify the correctness of the item. Individuals who are active in the field of PMP exam preparation (trainers, courseware developers, book authors, etc.) are not allowed to participate in item writing sessions.

[edit] Pre-requisites to become eligible

Candidate must verify either a high school diploma with 60 months (7,500 hours) of PM Experience or a Bachelor's degree with 36 months (4,500 hours) of PM Experience. In both cases candidates must also have 35 contact hours of project management education. The application for the exam and verification of education and experience are done online at the PMI website.

[edit] Language aids

PMI offers official language aids^{[clarification needed]} for the exam in 10 languages:

• Chinese (simplified)
• French
• German
• Hebrew
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Portuguese (Brazilian)
• Russian
• Spanish

[edit] Continuous Credential Requirements (CCR)

To maintain the PMP qualification, 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) must be earned over a three-year cycle, from activities such as researching, authoring articles, or speaking on Project Management-related topics, or being engaged full time in project management.^[8]

[edit] Other PMI credentials

PMP (Project Management Professional) is one of five credentials offered by PMI:^[9]

• CAPM Certified Associate in Project Management
• PMP Project Management Professional
• PgMP Program Management Professional
• PMI RMP PMI Risk Management Professional
• PMI SP PMI Scheduling Professional

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Project Management Institute

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