Project Management Institute (PMI) Certifications

The Project Management Institute (PMI) is an international project management professional association with excellent respect and recognition from individuals and organizations. As noted by the PMI website, the organization is “focused on the needs of project management professionals worldwide”. The PMI manages professional certification programs, offers training, provides conferences, and issues publications. 

 

PMI publications include the industry recognized professional reference Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). The PMI also publishes a monthly magazine with topics of interest to members and related organizations. Various other publications are available for project managers through the PMI bookstore.

 

PMI has a strong membership with many chapters around the world. The organization boasts over 170,000 members in over 150 countries. Members come from various industries and the PMI provides 30 special interest groups (SIGs) to meet the needs of certain collections of members, for instance there are SIGs for Information Systems and also Aerospace & Defense. Individuals interested in membership complete an application form, printed or online. Monetary dues are submitted to the PMI and also for a local chapter, if chosen, as well as any desired membership in SIGs.

 

Professional Development is a central theme of the PMI. This includes numerous organization offerings including seminars, conferences, publications, self-study materials, and affiliations with academic degree programs. The PMI is a certification source for professional project managers. The well-respected Project Management Professional (PMP) certification requires a significant amount of proven education and experience and candidates must adhere to the PMI code of ethics. The certification requires a multiple-choice examination to assess and measure project management knowledge of the candidate. PMP certified individuals must also maintain their status through Continued Certification Requirements (CCR), completing a certain number of educational units every three years. The second of PMI’s certifications, the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), is oriented on individuals that are new to the project management field.