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Archive for July, 2010

June PMP Certification Numbers Are In

– July 30, 2010Posted in: Project Management

Every month I get a copy of PMI Today and I annotate 3 data points: New PMP® for the month, new PMPs year-to-date (YTD), and total number of active PMPs.

For the second month in a row, PMI did not include New PMP monthly numbers and the YTD total, opting to report just the overall number of active credential holders. This is not a problem since I have been tracking the PMP data for over a year.

With an impressive 645 more certifications than last month, the trend continues with the new number of PMPs in June totaling *4,630. Year-To-Date total is *28,211. There are a total of 389,726 active PMPs.

* Numbers based on YTD totals reported by PMI and historical data.

The current trend predicts PMI will hit 400,000 active PMP credential holders this year.

	January	February	March	April	May	June
New PMPs (Monthly)	3,714	3,713	5,344	4,718	3,985	4,630
New PMPs (YTD)	3,714	7,429	12,779	19,596	23,581	28,211
Total Active PMPs	367,619	371,014	375,959	381,111	385,096	389,726

I want to congratulate those 4,630 out there who passed the exam in June. It’s no cakewalk and I recognize your efforts and achievement.

What do you think of the current certification velocity? Are there too many PMPs being certified on a monthly basis; too few; just right? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Popularity: 2%

Tags: Certification, PMI, PMP, YTD

The paradox of PMP quality versus value

Derek Huether

– July 27, 2010Posted in: Project Management

Ty Kiisel of @task wrote a commentary titled Is Certification Losing Value over at CIOZone. The ongoing (recent) discussion has been about there being too many unqualified but “certified” people in the workforce, while there are also seasoned professionals who will not get certifications because they believe they no longer hold value. Geoff Grane over at PapercutPM and I have been going back and forth on this for days now. Ty said he didn’t think we was ready to say the PMI’s certification was irrelevant quite yet. He added that he believed the burden of demonstrating the value of any certification rests within the certification body, in this case the PMI.

I agree with him.

Unfortunately, I believe PMI is becoming a victim of its own marketing success. Though there is an audit process in place, to verify if PMs really have the necessary education and experience to sit for the PMP exam, I don’t believe there are enough auditors to do the job. They are overwhelmed by sheer numbers of applicants. Let’s not forget the PMI is a for-profit organization. They want more members.

This paradox speaks to potential quality, not value. I think the PMI marketing department has won the war with hiring managers, convincing them the credential has value. What the PMI needs to do now is sell the (global) project management community on the quality of its credential. Until that happens, you’ll have some people racing to the nearest boot camp to get a certification, not to learn best practices.

Read the 47+ comments over at Geoff’s blog

Read Ty’s entire commentary over at CIOZone

Graphic source: Nature.com

Popularity: 1%

Tags: Audit, Certification, PMI, PMP

If the Old Spice Guy was a Project Manager

Derek Huether

– July 26, 2010Posted in: Project Management

Hello, stakeholders, look at your PM, now back to me, now back at your PM, now back to me. Sadly, he or she isn’t me, but if he or she stopped making things up as they went along and switched to proven methods, he or she could deliver results like me. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re in a meeting with the PM your PM could deliver results like. What’s in your hand, back at me. I have it, it’s a a signed SOW with two features you love. Look again, the features are now delivered. Anything is possible when your PM uses proven methods and not make them up. I’m on a horse.

Thank you to Old Spice and the Old Spicy Guy for this inspiration.

Hello, ladies, look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me, but if he stopped using ladies scented body wash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he’s me. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re on a boat with the man your man could smell like. What’s in your hand, back at me. I have it, it’s an oyster with two tickets to that thing you love. Look again, the tickets are now diamonds. Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady. I’m on a horse.

Popularity: 1%

Tags: Video

Domain specialty is good in project management

Derek Huether

– July 25, 2010Posted in: Project Management

If you’re a general project manager, and you’re looking for work, you’re probably not finding as much available work or noticing people are not willing to pay you as much as they used to. With an increased amount of people choosing project management as their profession, you need to find a way to stand apart from them. If you focus on a niche market or vertical or refine your skills in a particular knowledge area, you may find yourself in great demand and commanding a much higher rate.

Lindsay Scott asks some excellent questions.

Think about your own situation and circumstance; if you were to market your own specialism what would it be?

What areas of business and industry are looking for your particular specialism?

How can you work the current marketplace demands to your advantage?

To get more on this topic, read more from Arras People and Lindsay Scott.

The debate about the PMP losing it’s value

Derek Huether

– July 24, 2010Posted in: Project Management

People are getting their PMP® (Project Management Professional) certifications at a breakneck pace. This year alone, new PMPs are averaging just under 4,300 a month. You would think this would be great for the industry, having more qualified project managers engaged on projects. Instead, the question is being raised if people who should not be PMPs are in fact being certified. Are hiring managers creating an environment for those with no project management experience to game the system?