During my time at PMI’s Global Congress in Orlando, one of the questions that came up repeatedly was “how can I get started on the PMI-RMP Certification? What materials should I be using to prepare myself for the exam component of the certification”

Here’s what I learned.

The four PMI standards you should be focusing on are:

1) The Guide to the PMBOK 4th Edition, particularly Chapter 11 (Project Risk Management). Because risk communication represents 27% of the topics on the exam component of the PMI-RMP credential, you should be comfortable with Chapter 10 (Project Communication Management) as well.

2) The Standard for Program Management, 2nd Edition, particularly Chapter 11 (Program Risk Management)

3) The Standard for Portfolio Management, 2nd Edition, particularly Chapter 5 (Portfolio Risk Management)

and especially:
4) The Practice Standard for Project Risk Management, 1st Edition, 2009.
PMI writes: “The Practice Standard can be used by project management practitioners to validate the risk management process being employed in a specific situtation, project or organization. The Practice Standard for Project Risk Management is consistent with the current release of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) — Fourth Edition.” 

You can supplement your study with books such as:

Risk Management: Concepts and Guidance, 3rd edition by Carl L. Pritchard. Pritchard was the Team Lead for Chapter 11 of the current PMBOK Guide.

Risk Management, Tricks of the Trade for Project Managers by Rita Mulcahy. This is a practitioner book with plenty of exercises to develop and reinforce your risk management skills.

Linkedin.com has a PMI-RMP group and a PMI-RMP study group, both hosted by Annette Suh, PMI-RMP

If any of you out there do go through the process of earning this credential, please keep me apprised of your progress and share your experience with the process with the rest of us.

Clearing Up Some Misconceptions About the PMBOK Guide

Listening to PMP candidates, project managers, and students of management and project management,  I’ve learned that there are some misconceptions about what the PMBOK Guide is. Some think that it’s intended as a textbook on project management. Others think that it describes some kind of project  management methodology. Yet others have the notion that it’s meant as a study guide for the examination component of the PMP credential. Some even think that the PMP exam is on something called “PMBOK” (whatever that is) and that the Guide to the PMBOK is a study guide or textbook covering the topic of “PMBOK.”

I’d like to clear up some of the misconceptions.

The PMBOK Guide is a standard for the project management profession. Its intention is to serve as a guide to the body of knowledge within the project management community and as practiced by members of the profession. There is no single document that contains the project management body of knowledge. Indeed, some of it is not published at all but, rather, is simply recognized as good practices and norms within the profession. This body of knowledge is growing every day.

The PMBOK Guide is not intended to be used to learn project management or project management concepts. It’s especially not intended to teach or suggest PM techniques or methodologies.

It’s not a “how to” book nor is it a description of a methodology. It’s a standard, not a methodology. PM professionals and the organizations they work for can use the PMBOK Guide as a guide for developing their own methodologies or for creating organization standards.

It’s particularly important to understand that it is not a standard or specification for the examination portion of the PMP certification. For one thing, at least 30% of the material on the examination is not covered by the PMBOK Guide. (There IS an exam on the PMBOK Guide. It’s the CAPM exam, which only covers knowledge of the PMBOK Guide.)

While the PMBOK Guide only changes once every 4 years, the exam component of the PMP credential is constantly changing. Much of the material that showed up in the 4th (2008) edition of the PMBOK Guide has ALREADY been showing up on the PMP exam for several years – e.g., PTA, TCPI, etc. PMBOK Guide 4th edition came out in December, 2008, but these topics have been showing up on the PMP exam as early as 2006. The group at PMI that develops the standards (such the PMBOK Guide, the Standard for Risk Management, etc.) and the group at PMI that develops the the certifications and their corresponding exams (such as PMP, CAPM, PMI-SP, etc.) are two separate groups that DO NOT interface with each other. They are two separate groups. If anything, the standards group looks at the work that the credential group (PMP, CAPM) does and uses it as one of the many inputs for what they put into the standards such as the PMBOK Guide.

A reviewer on Amazon.com observed that there is a widely held notion that PMBOK = Project Management. I disagree with that observation. The false notion he observed is only held by those people who do not know what the PMBOK is. Also “PMBOK” is not the same as “PMBOK Guide.” PMBOK is an acronym for the Project Management Body of Knowledge. As I said, above, there is no single document that contains the project management body of knowledge. It’s simply the body of knowledge that is collectively known among practitioners,  academics and organizations who practice or research project management. The document known as the PMBOK Guide is simply a guide to that massive body of knowledge; an entry-point to further information and a standard for developing protocols, methodologies, techniques and practices within your own organizations and project management practices.

The PMBOK Guide is a reference work, not a text book or a study guide. It’s not meant as an introduction to project management any more than a volume of statutes is meant to be used as an introduction to the practice of law or the Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR) is meant to be used as an introduction to pharmacology for doctors and pharmacists. As with technical references for other professions (such as statute books for lawyers, clinical references for doctors, etc.), non professionals may find the PMBOK Guide difficult to follow and even dry. An experienced and trained project manager should find the PMBOK Guide perfectly understandable and not very difficult to follow. An experienced and professional project manager looking at the PMBOK Guide for the first time may find its format unfamiliar (at first), but he/she should find the material and the concepts in the document familiar (though organized in a way they may not be used to).

On the other hand, an entry-level project manager, or a non-project manager who is thrown into project management tasks may, indeed, find the PMBOK Guide difficult to follow and difficult to understand. This is not unlike a sophomore accounting student opening up a set of GAAP or IFRS guidelines and finding it hard to follow or finding the writing style very didactic and anything but light reading, while this would NOT be the experience of a certified CPA or an experienced accountant or financial professional.

Very important: The PMBOK Guide is not an I.T. text nor should it be considered part of the literature covering the topic of information technology. For some reason, the document is shelved in book stores along with I.T. books. It really should be shelved with books on management. In the same way, PMP examination study guides are also shelved next to I.T. books. The PMP credential is not an I.T. “cert.” In fact, it’s not even in the same class or category of “certifications” as technical and I.T. “certs.” The PMP is a professional credential, in the same category of certifications for other professions, such as accounting, law or medicine. Unlike I.T. “certs”, where the only requirement to earn the certification is the ability to make an appointment at the Prometric center and where the only criteria for earning the certification is the ability to pass a test, the PMP credential has experience, education, continuing education & professional contribution requirements. There is also a requirement to adhere to a professional code of conduct.

Because of the “cert” fever within the I.T. community and among I.T. workers, many non-PMs in the I.T. sector are pressured to add the “PMP” letters to their names. Recruiters are among those who create this pressure. Because they are not experienced project managers, these I.T. people are pressured into lying about their background and skills during the PMP qualification process — and getting friends to lie during the audit and vetting process. This may account for the number of (dishonestly earned) PMPs out there who may have the letters after their name (though they got those letters under false pretenses) but who are not really project managers at all. This is why people see a lot of “PMPs” who have no idea about what they are doing.

Project management is a profession. While there are many professional project managers out there practicing their profession, there are quite a lot of non-project managers who have been thrown into PM responsibilities and roles. While they do, indeed, hold a “job” as a “project manager” and are being asked to perform the tasks of a project manager (and may even have a title called “project manager”), they are not project managers. They’re just people who have been asked to do the work of project managers.

The PMP credential is not for people want to move into project management. It’s for people who ALREADY ARE project managers and have been for several years. The PMP credential verifies that the individual has the education, years of experience, professional training, adherence to a professional code of ethics, commitment to ongoing continuing education and commitment to ongoing contributions to the project management profession. The exam portion of the credential verifies that, in addition to all of the above, the individual has an understanding of the profession he/she has been practicing; that the individual knows that project management is NOT common sense and that he/she is not managing project by seat of his/her pants or via intuition; that the individual understands that sound project management is based on the past experiences of other members of the profession, based on research and sound empirical (scientific) study; that the “art” and practice of project management is based on science, not intuition.

Finally, as to the question “what would be the best alternative book”: there is no alternative. The PMBOK Guide is the accepted global standard and the recognized guide to the project management body of knowledge. That’s all it’s intended to be and it serves that purpose well. It’s not the end to all ends. The members of the project management profession who contributed to the document did not aspire to cover all there is to know about project management. It’s not perfect and it’s constantly changing (every 4 years) as the profession continues to grow and mature.

You can (and should) supplement the PMBOK Guide with other PMI standards and frameworks — e.g., The Standard for Program Management, The Project Manager Comptency Development Framework, The Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures, etc. There are supplemental standards and frameworks developed by other professional and academic organizations as well. However, as the GUIDE to the “body of knowledge” within the profession, the PMBOK Guide is the standard. There are other books and sources on other topics of project management, including sources on methodologies, leadership, PM tools, general management, the management of people, budgeting, scheduling, quality management practices, organizational behavior, etc. as well as industry specific literature on project management, such as marketing project management, I.T. project management, construction project management, research & development project management, etc. However, such topics are outside the scope and purpose of the PMBOK Guide. Of course, since anywhere from 60% – 70% of the material in the examination portion of the PMP certification either comes directly from the PMBOK Guide or requires understanding of the concepts in the PMP Guide, a knowledge of the material in the document is important to anyone who is planning to sit for the exam. So, while the PMBOK Guide is NOT a study guide for the exam and is not intended to serve as such, familiarity with it is an important part of both practicing the PM profession as well as earning the profession’s certification.

For more information on the relationship between the PMBOK Guide and the PMP Credential, see:
Is studying the PMBOK Guide enough to pass the PMP certification?

I get this question a lot and find myself answering it over and over again, on message boards, blogs and in person. In doing so I’ve come to realize that a large number of PMP aspirants do not understand what the PMP credential is nor do they have have a sufficient knowledge of what is covered on the exam component of the certification process.

First of all, unlike I.T. vendor “certs” and other commercial “certifications”, where the only requirement to earn the “cert” is the ability to pass an exam, the PMP credential is a professional credential. The credential is competence based and, as such, is best described as a credential as opposed to simply a certification. The credential infers a candidate’s ability to actually perform professional tasks (e.g., Project Management) at a given level. Unlike vendor “cert” exams, the exam component of the PMP credential is more than simply knowledge based. It encompasses both knowledge of the subject and the necessary skills to apply that knowledge.

In addition to passing a rigorous exam, the PMP credential requires a certain minimum amount of documented (and verified) experience in the profession, a certain level of education (both formal, academic education as well as professional training), adherence to a professional code of conduct, and a commitment to on-going continuing education and contribution to the project management community.

Having said that, what does the examination portion of the PMP certification process cover? Is studying the PMBOK sufficient to succeed on the exam?

The short answer is that, if you are pursing the CAPM credential, then the PMBOK can be enough. This is because the CAPM exam is only based on the material on the PMBOK. Nevertheless, I would strongly recommend supplementing any CAPM exam study with at least one study guide and with a good exam question test bank.

As far as the the exam portion of the PMP certification process is concerned, the exam covers a lot more than just the material in the PMBOK Guide.

If you are pursing the PMP credential, then you need to prepare for questions from other areas (i.e., non-PMBOK Guide) as well.

For one thing, while the PMBOK Guide only changes once every 4 years, the exam component of the PMP credential is constantly changing. Much of the material that showed up in the 4th (2008) edition of the PMBOK Guide has ALREADY been showing up on the PMP exam for several years – e.g., PTA, TCPI, etc. PMBOK Guide 4th edition came out in December, 2008, but these topics have been showing up on the PMP exam as early as 2006. The group at PMI that develops the standards (such the PMBOK Guide, the Standard for Risk Management, etc.) and the group at PMI that develops the the certifications and their corresponding exams (such as PMP, CAPM, PMI-SP, etc.) are two separate (and independent) groups that occasionally communicate with each other but DO NOT work each other. They are two separate groups. If anything, the standards group (who, by the way, I have met personally and have been to standards development meetings with) looks at the work that the credential group (PMP, CAPM) does and uses it as one of the many inputs for what they put into the standards such as the PMBOK Guide.

In a nutshell, you should expect the exam component of the PMP certification process to cover the following:

• Your PM Experience
• Knowledge of globally recognized standards (the PMBOK Guide is the “guide” to this) including the 5 project management process groups and the 42 project management processes described in the PMBOK Guide.
• Trends and research in the PM profession.
• Professional responsibility and contributing to the PM profession.
• Understanding (though not memorizing) the inputs / tools & techniques / outputs of the various project management processes.
• Organizational theories and Quality methodologies
• PM situational scenarios: A combination of knowing concepts & definitions and applying those concepts to given scenarios; being able to answer questions about those scenarios based on what you’ve learned as an experienced PM — for example, knowing that the best next step to take in a situation is whichever step will move the project along and reduce/avoid impact (unless that step is unethical or violates the code of professional behavior).

About 60% – 70% of the above is either directly from the PMBOK Guide or requires (among other things) knowledge of one or more concepts from the PMBOK Guide. So you do need a solid understanding of the topics in the PMBOK Guide. But you also need a good study guide (Andy Crowe, Rita Mulcahy, Tony Johnson, etc.) along with a good (not cheap and definitely not free) exam question test bank. The test bank one I recommend (and I’ve seen them all) is the one from Crosswind PM. Not only does it have over 3,000 questions, it has over 2 dozen complete four-hour (200 question) sample exams. I’ve spoken to Tony Johnson and he tells me that he updates his test bank CD one or more times over the 4 years between PMBOK Guides because, I as said above, changes in the PMP exam is not synchronized with the quadrennial (once in 4 years) changes to the PMBOK Guide but,  rather, the exam is constantly changing, independent of (not in anticipation of) the changes to the PMBOK Guide.

Remember, the PMP credential is not some I.T. vendor “cert” where all you have to do is read a study book and pass a test. It’s a professional credential that certifies that you are an experienced project manager (and have been for several years) and that, IN ADDITION to have been working in a PM role or performing PM tasks, you ALSO UNDERSTAND the job of a PM and the globally recognized standards, knowledge and trends of the profession. You won’t find all this information in any one book. However, the PMBOK Guide (along with PMI’s other standards and frameworks) serves as a guide to this information. You can use it as map for the continuing development of your PM knowledge and as a guide to the continuing development of standards, procedures, protocols and new knowledge in the PM profession.

So, yes, the PMBOK Guide can be enough for the exam component of the CAPM credential, though I would strongly recommend that you supplement it with some study materials; but, NO, you can’t just study the PMBOK Guide and be assured of passing the exam component of the PMP credential without using some other study material — especially if you’ve only been a PM for a few (i.e., 3 or 4) years and are still new to the profession and especially if your PM training over the years has been limited.

Good luck. It’s a journey, but PMP certification is a worthwhile credential to earn.

Jerry Bucknoff, PMP

As promised, I’m following up on my post from Sept. 14, 2009: Lack of training among project managers.

There continues to be  widespread lack of formal project management training among PMP candidates. In my original post, I wrote:

From my visits to message boards and blogs, I’m seeing a common misunderstanding among many PMP candidates; a misunderstanding is related to the trend of PMP candidates using their exam preparation classes to satisfy their 35 contact hour requirement. Many candidates seem to believe that taking a 35 hour prep class is actually a requirement to sit for the exam.

Here is one of my responses on one of the popular PM related blogs, http://www.askaboutprojects.com.

As before, this is a question I’d like to think about and discuss more on this board. What is your take on this? Your comments are welcomed.

Several PMP candidates on one of the PMP preparation message boards asked for an explanation of a PMP exam practice question that they had encountered. The members on the message board found it to be a very difficult question.

Difficult question? Not if you can see the BIG CLUE that PMI has provided.

QUESTION:

You are the project manager for an academic textbook publisher managing the development and deployment of the publisher’s new printing and binding equipment. Your quality control team leader has advised you that the latest control chart data reflects that the last 7 books produced were outside the lower control limit. What action should you take as the project manager?

A. Stop the printing of the books.
B. Work with the production team to bring the future
printing within the control limits.
C. Look for the non-random causes for the variations.
D. Plan to fix the 7 books.

This question offers an excellent example of how PMI designs PMP exam questions and how to be more successful answering them. PMI has provided a BIG CLUE to the correct answer, if you can see it.

The purpose of this question is to determine whether or not you know what the “rule of seven” is. If don’t know what it is, then you will probably spend time analyzing and thinking about the answer, which is EXACTLY what PMI wants you to do if:

* you don’t know what the the question is really asking or . . .
* you don’t know what the “rule of seven” is

“Ratna” said that A. [Stop the printing of the books.] is the correct answer.

She is correct.

Her explanation:
“Since the process is out of control, you stop production and then investigate the cause.”

What she says is true. If a process is out of control, you should stop the process and investigate the cause.

However this does not completely explain why “A” is the correct answer.

So, why is “A” the correct answer? Some people wondered why the answer is not “C.”

From: Saif Al-Riyami:

“I think C is the one, C. Look for the non-random causes for the variations. Because it could be that the readings are wrong.”

“Niranjan, PMP” responds:

“Saif,

Since it is assumed that you have done a good planning and QA (quality assurance) it becomes evident that the readings cannot be wrong. That is why DOE (design of experiments) and similar tools are there. But as far as control charts in QC (quality control) are concerned, you are sure that there is some fault in production. So till you find the root cause and fix the problem you should stop the production.

Therefore, the correct answer is A.”

This line of thinking brought him to the correct answer, HOWEVER, he has over analyzed the question. He has missed the BIG CLUE that the PMP test authors have authors have given him:
“the latest control chart data reflects that the last 7 books produced were outside the lower control limit.”

They are referring to “the rule of seven” (see page 196 in the PMBOK Guide, 4th Ed.):
“A process is considered out of control when a data point exceeds a control limit or if seven consecutive points are above or below the mean.”

Why is “B” (Work with the production team to bring the future printing within the control limits.) incorrect?  The production team should definitely try to bring the future printing within the control limits. However, it probably would not be necessary for you, as the PM, to work with them to accomplish this; or if you do, your role would be minimal if at all.

In any case, don’t miss the forest for the trees. What this question is trying to determine is:
“Do you understand what the rule of seven is?”

= = = =

This example shows us:

1. How the PMP exam authors design PMP exam questions
2. How to be more successful answering the questions

Basically, PMI wants to filter out those who understand the concepts from those who do not understand them.

Let’s take the example of three PMP candidates, each of whom encounters this question on their exam.

Candidate 1 is familiar with the Project Quality Management processes and concepts, including the “rule of seven.”

Candidate 2 is also familiar with the Project Quality Management processes and concepts, but somehow did not learn or grasp the “rule of seven” or simply missed this concept during his exam preparation.

Candidate 3 has done some preparation for his exam, however, he crammed through his studies. Maybe he took one of those “boot camp” prep classes where you are clueless on Monday morning, you cram through the week and, hopefully, pass the exam on Friday – - then promptly forget everything you learned during the week by the time the following Monday comes along. He might have also wasted a lot of time trying to MEMORIZE the over 500 ITTOs, instead of using his time productively, understanding the concept of ITTOs and the basics of the 42 PM processes.

So how do each of them approach this question when they encounter it on the exam?

Candidate 1 reads the questions and the answer choices. He quickly picks up on the big clue (”rule of seven”). He then verifies, from the language of the question, that the scenario described is, indeed, an example of the “rule of seven” concept.

It takes him about 25 seconds to successfully answer the question.

Candidate 2 reads the questions and the answer choices. Having some familiarity with Project Quality Management as described in the PMI standards and, perhaps, some work experience with quality management — but not knowing about the “rule of seven” — he spends time analyzing and thinking and analyzing some more. Even though the “rule of seven” concept has eluded him he still figures out (correctly) that the process described in the scenario is out of control and he marks the correct answer.

It takes him about 75 seconds to successfully answer the question. Three times as long as Candidate 1.

Candidate 3 reads the questions and the answer choices. He has some kind of blurry recollection from his whirlwind week at “boot camp” that there was something to do with “7″ when dealing with control charts. He also wasted a lot of time memorizing ITTO charts — time that could have been better spent understanding the concepts. When he sees answer D. “Plan to fix the 7 books” he jumps on that answer.

It takes him about 60 seconds to INCORRECTLY answer the question.

So, how does this fit in with PMI’s design of PMP questions?

You can see how Candidate 3 was “tricked.” PMI has done this on purpose to catch those candidates who tried to cram for the exam or to catch those candidates who may have grasped the concepts, but who have not developed a good test taking STRATEGY. This is why it’s so important to use and practice a good set of test practice questions in order to make yourself familiar with how the test is set up, how PMI designs and frame the questions, and the types of tricks and traps that PMI deliberately throws in your path in order to separate the PMPs from the PMP wannabes.

Both Candidate 1 and Candidate 2 have selected the correct answer. However, Candidate 1 will do better on the exam than Candidate 2. Candidate 2 is taking up precious time over-analyzing the question, while Candidate 1 was able to answer the question quickly and use the time he saved to deal with questions that may require more time.

In addition, Candidate 2 didn’t know the correct answer right away. He may not have been 100% confident of his answer and may have marked it for review. He will then spend even more precious time going back to verify his answer. He may even go back and CHANGE his answer, even though he originally had the correct answer.

This is what PMI wants Candidate 2 to do. This is their way of separating someone who actually understands the answer from someone who is not 100% sure.

____________________________________________

At a PMI focus group I attended (and that PMI paid me to participate in) back in December, 2006, we agreed that the level of knowledge expected of a PMP is NOT that of someone with 10 or 20 years experience or with the breadth of knowledge of someone who has been practicing project management for that long. Nor do we expect our PMPs to have the deep knowledge of, say, an academic researcher with many years of academic and research experience in the project management domain.

The level of knowledge and experience that is expected is that of someone with 3 or 4 years experience in the profession (even though, in fact, many PMPs do, indeed, have much more).

THEREFORE the questions on the PMP exam should be reasonably straight-forward and not require anyone to read too much into them or bring any advanced project management concepts into their analysis and answering of the questions. Candidates should not have to apply the depth of analysis that, say, a legal scholar or a judge would apply to his analysis of a point of law. If you recognize which concept the question is testing you on and you understand the concept, you should not have to waste time with deep analysis but, rather, should be able to get right down to answering the question.

In general, PMI will not give you a question where the question is unclear or the correct answer has a lot of ambiguity to it. They’re not asking for your “opinion.” If they were, then there would be essay questions on the exam. Instead, they are asking you pretty straight forward questions that have one and only one correct response.

In the end:
The sample question we’re discussing here is very straight forward. All the question is trying to determine is whether or not you understand what the “rule of seven” is. That’s all. Very simple. It doesn’t need 15 years of PM experience or a certificate in Total Quality Management or Six Sigma to answer it.

Jerry Bucknoff, PMP

From my participation on various PMP discussion boards, particularly those used by folks who wish to earn the PMP credential, I’ve noticed an interesting (and somewhat disturbing) trend.

A significant number of PMP aspirants have no previous project management training prior to starting the PMP qualification and application process.  As a result, many of them use their 35-hour PMP “prep” class to satisfy PMI’s requirement that all applicants have completed a minimum of 35 hours of project management training prior to applying for their exam qualification letter.

I have no problem with professional certification preparation courses. Candidates for certification in many professions, such as accounting (CPA) and law (BAR Exam), often make use of exam preparation courses and services. PMP candidates are no different. I, myself, took advantage of a PMP preparation course and found it very useful.  However,  as an experienced project manager, the “prep” class was not my first class or training experience in my profession. I took the “prep” course to help me prepare for the examination component of the PMP certification — not because I needed to meet PMI’s prerequisites for 35 hours of prior PM training.

In order to earn the PMP credential, a candidate must have a minimum of three years experience either in a PM role or performing PM tasks. That is to say, the credential is not meant to help an individual move into project management  but, rather, certifies that the individual is already in project management and has been for at least 3 years. In fact, many candidates have been in the profession for much more than 3 years.

Therefore, anyone who is going through the process of earning the PMP credential must have been practicing project management for at least 3 years, if not more.

So my big question is this: How can a person have been practicing a highly skilled and complex profession such as project management (for at least 3 years, if not more) without ever receiving any training in his/her chosen profession?

This is a question I’d like to think about and discuss more on this board. What is your take on this? Your comments are welcomed.

Click here to see the follow-up to this post.

I received a query from Brian Mascarenhas of Mubai, India. Brian is a manager in the construction industry.

I am a mechanical engineer by profession. I have been working for 3 years in a manufacturing company handling projects and maintenance. This year i have joined a city gas distribution firm in the project division.

I have been reading a bit on PMP certification. I am presently doing my post graduation in construction management.I was thinking of doing my PMP certification after my pg course.I wanted to know is whether this certification is relevant to my field and if yes what benefits does it hold for future growth as i want to pursue my career in the project management field.

Thank-you.
Brian

Joining PMI, learning and taking advantage our standards and pursuing the PMP credential is definitely relevant to your field. In fact, the construction industry was one of the first to embrace our standards, particularly the PMBOK Guide. You might get the impression from the posts and articles on some of the I.T. related project management blogs and websites that the PMP credential has something to do with I.T. or that it’s an I.T. credential. The reason that it may seem that way is because these sites are websites for people in the I.T. domain. So they discuss the subset of project management that applies to that domain. Although the major adopters of the PMBOK Guide traditionally have been the government and the construction sectors, in recent years the I.T. community has jumped on the PMBOK/PMP “band wagon.” According to the latest statistics I have (which are already more than a year old) PM professionals from the I.T. world make up almost 50% of PMPs — but that’s still less than half.

Construction Projects Use PMI Standards

Because of the construction industry’s long association with PMI and the PMBOK Guide, PMI has published an extension to the PMBOK Guide specifically targeted to the construction industry. (There is also an extension for the government sector, the other early adopter of PMI standards and the PMP credential.) In fact , the construction extension is already in its THIRD edition. In addition to the 9 PM Knowledge Areas described in the PMBOK Guide, the construction extension adds 4 additional Knowledge Areas: Project Safety Management, Project Environment Management, Project Financial Management and Project Claim Management.

So, yes, all of this is relevant to your field and, as a Project Manager in your field, pursuing the PMP credential would be relevant as well as beneficial to your career.

You say that you have “been working for 3 years in a manufacturing company handling projects and maintenace.” It sounds like your experience is a mix of both functional management and project management. While there is a big difference between operations (functional) management and project management, the subset of your time devoted to project management can definitely be applied to the requisite 3,500 hours and 36 (not neccessarily consecutive) calendar months required to apply for the credential. Also, I’m sure that some of the time you work in a gray area, performing tasks that could be categorized as both functional and project management. For one thing, Both projects and operations share common characteristics:
• Performed by people
• Constrained by limited resources
• Planned, executed, and controlled

So you should be well along in accumulating the PM experience that PMI requires before sitting for the exam component of the credential. Chances are that, by the time you’ve completed your exam preparation studies, you will have the 3 years you need under your belt.

Bottom line: the PMP is quite relevant for someone in your situation. In fact, since your new job touches on the government sector (municipal), you are now working in the two industries that were the earliest adopters of PMI standards and the sound, proven, project management best practices identified by PMI. As far as “future growth” is concerned, more and more employers are looking for PMI certified candidates when they hire employees or contact out for consultants. So you are on the right track!!

Good luck,
Jerry Bucknoff, PMP

Value of CAPM