Most projections of highly sought after certifications for the last several years have mentioned PMP certification in their top 10 lists. What is this certification? It is a reasonable question that arises in the mind of many who are unfamiliar with the term. Some may have heard from a co-worker that they are either PMP-certified or taking the PMP exam.
The following information introduces this certification, explores its history, looks at its broad application, and projects what the future holds for it.
Introduction of PMP
PMP stands for Project Management Professional. One can acquire this certification by passing the PMP exam. Once certified, the successful candidate can put the term beside the name as John Doe, PMP. Project Management Institute, commonly known as PMI, provides this certification.
PMI, established in 1969, is the world’s largest non-profit organization in the field of project management. Currently, it has a membership of around half a million. It is an active organization that serves the project management domain in many capacities. Besides certifying professionals for various project management skills, it has contributed extensively in developing the project management knowledge base that includes standards and practice guides. PMI conducts or sponsors several seminars and conferences every year, allowing its members and non-members to benefits from them and increase their knowledge, and build skills.
A brief history of PMP certification
In 1976 a discussion started about creating a project management standard. After taking several steps in this regard, PMI launched the PMP certification in 1984. When the exam was held the first time, 43 people passed.
Now there are more than 1 million certified PMPs in the world. The exam content for this certification covers many books, but the majority of the exam is from a book called ‘A guide to the project management body of knowledge.’ As this is a long title, a shortened name is in frequent use – PMBOK.
PMBOK was created in 1987, while the first edition was published in 1996. Since then, a new edition comes out every 4-5 years. Currently, we have the sixth edition, with the 7th edition coming out in a few months.
Here is an article published in PM Network about the history of PMP certification.
Who can benefit from this certification?
The PMP certification is for people who are involved in some aspect of project management. Someone who is working on a project as the project manager will benefit a lot from this certification. However, everyone who is in touch with any aspect of a project can benefit from this certification.
Let’s say you are planning to build a gazebo. It requires answers to many questions before taking up the work. Some of those questions are:
- What type of gazebo? Size? Material?
- How much will it cost?
- How long will it take to build?
- What resources are needed to construct the gazebo?
- Which quality standards to follow? How to check quality?
Similarly, planning will happen for other aspects. That is project management.
Another example is that of arranging an event. The same questions come up here; how to define the scope and plan for the time, cost, quality, resources, and other facets.
In other words, whenever and wherever there is a project, project management is involved. The project management training provides fundamental knowledge while passing the exam confirms that the candidate has learned the basic knowledge of project management. It includes not just a good understanding of the terms but also the best practices around various elements of project management.
Project Management Professional is neither an information technology designation, nor is it construction-specific. It applies to all the industries and all the functions. If one needs to write, a word processor is helpful. If one needs to do a project, PMP will assist.
Future of PMP
Business and technology are going through a rapid but unceasing change that is necessitating a continuous change in an organization. It is not just organizations but also the industries that are shifting. The global landscape in the physical and digital world is transforming. That means projects are here to stay. A barrage of initiatives projects for the foreseeable future is probably why most job postings and job descriptions are asking for training or experience in the field of project management. Such roles are part of the project ecosystem demand certification in project management.
So the question is, are you interested? Is this something that falls on your radar? Check out the video ‘is PMP worth it?’ to understand if this is something you should go after.
Having a PMP certification does not confirm one as a good project manager. There are PMP certified lousy project managers and non-certified competent project managers. However, both of these cases are somewhat rare. Therefore, no one should assume that a PMP certification will guarantee success as a project manager. In this perspective, an aspirant should take three steps to become an effective project manager.
- Training: Project management training helps acquire the knowledge
- Certification: The PMP certification confirms that the aspirant gained the knowledge
- Practice: Put the acquired knowledge into use and develop and improve skills
Anyone who wants to be a successful professional in a field that touches projects must consider taking this three-step approach. One should develop knowledge of the standards and best practices of project management. A PMP certification is one way to show professionalism.