PDU Tip102: The maximum PDUs you can earn in a category

As a holder of many Project Management Institute (PMI) credential you are required to earn a specified number of Professional Development Units (PDUs) to maintain that credential. The number of PDUs to be completed for each three year cycle is dependent upon the type of certification held. Each PDU is equivalent to one hour of effort. Sixty PDUs per cycle are required for those who hold the PMP or PgMP certification and 30 PDUs for those who hold the PMI-SP or PMI-RMP certification. At first it may seem to be a lot of time but for the PMP and PgMP certification it averages out to just over an hour and a half of self-improvement effort a month and for the PMI-SP and PMI-RMP certifications less than an hour a month. That is little time when considering those who hold these certifications are more than likely spending at least that much time reviewing existing and keeping up with new practices without even thinking about it.

There are six categories of PDUs that are divided into two division “Educational” and “Giving Back to the Profession.” In some categories you can even earn free PDUs. The categories provide a wide range of opportunities to obtain PDUs. Under the “Educational” division there are such activities as completing courses either offered by PMIs Registered Education Providers (R.E.P.s) or other colleges or universities; attending PMI sponsored events such as seminars, conferences, chapter or communities of practice meetings, or attending other credential related training events; taking and passing a PMI Publication Quiz; and completing self-directed type of learning activities such as reading books or instructional materials, using interactive CDs, or being mentored.

Activities considered as part of the “Giving Back to the Profession” division are authoring, co-authoring, or serving as a presenter, speaker, or instructor of material related to the credential; volunteering within a PMI organization or even a non-PMI charity or community organization, or working on a PMI project;

and even working as a Project Manager. With all of the options available to obtain PDUs each professional is sure to find a method that interests them.

Over the coming weeks I will be publishing a series of PDU Tips in which we look at each of the six categories (Category A-F) in which you can earn PDUs. I will explain each category in detail and talk about ways to maximize earning PDUs for your recertification

Chekout this video - Road to becoming PMP certified.

You can get the PM-Prepcast by clicking on the link to right.

PDU Tips 101 - 6 Categories, 2 Divisions

As a PMP certified project manager you have to earn 60 PDUs every three years to recertify your credential. Each PDU will “cost” you 1 hour of your time.

It may sound daunting to think of spending 60 hours on earning PDUs over the next three years but it’s actually very easy. It’s just 20 hours per year, less than 2 hours a month. Plan on spending those hours learning something that will improve your job performance or by doing something that helps others in your profession. Either way, it’s a rewarding experience that takes very little time if you do it regularly.

The six PDU Categories come in two PDU Divisions: Education and Giving Back to the Profession.

The Education Division allows you to earn PDUs while learning new and valuable PM concepts through a variety of media. You can take a classroom course, attend a lecture or seminar or participate in and event or a conference. You can choose self-study rather than a more formal activity, too.

The Giving Back to the Profession Division contains three categories with a big variety of activities. You can be a speaker or instructor, moderate a discussion, volunteer on a project for a charitable group or other non-profit. You can coach or mentor someone on project management topics. As you can see, this category allows you many fulfilling opportunities to serve the PMP community as well as the community you live in.

For you as a PMP certified project manager it’s important to understand the rules that PMI has laid out in regards to earning your PDUs. So in our next several PDU tips we are going to go through each of the 6 PDU Categories in detail. In that way you will know the rules before you start playing the game.