Jeffrey ManhardtDirector, Project Management| Compass GroupWest Seneca, Ny, United States
Why PMI?
Earlier this week I was asked if PMI – the Project Management Institute – is still important in an agile world? Specifically, is there value in a PMI membership as organizations shift toward team-based, agile methods of working.
My knee-jerk reaction was – of course – and then I decided to do my research to prove if that first reaction was true or false. Here is what I learned:
Based on my review, PMI & projectmanagement.com owned by PMI together host the largest and most diverse agile body of knowledge (At least 6,500 articles from 2003-2019) and yet it doesn’t show up in a Google search unless you search for agile PMI because the knowledge base is only available to members.
The agile section of PMI’s website provides access to papers, books, and seminars about agile project management. PMI supports an agile community of practice and a certification, the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP).
The PMI-ACP is considered the top agile certification by CIO in July 2018 & Wizlabs in 2019. The PMI-ACP provides assurance that the certification holder has real-world experience managing agile projects and is familiar with many subsets of the agile methodology, including Scrum, Kanban, Lean and others.
PMI maintains a comprehensive list of tools, training and other materials on its Learning page. Topics include subjects such as agile practices, portfolio and requirements management, sustainability, estimating, governance, and risk management. Those seeking funding, grants, information on research events, case studies or instructor curricula should explore PMI's Academic Programs & Research page.
Finally, in addition to education-related resources, PMI offers resources for various leadership topics, such as portfolio, talent and benefits realization management, and access to its publications – PM Network, PMI Today and the Project Management Journal. PMI members also have access to more than 1,000 different project management tools and templates for presentations, project planning and more.
After researching, my first reaction was the right one - Of course there is value in a PMI membership as organizations shift toward team0based, agile methods of working. Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Being a member of PMI does add value in many ways - They stay on top of things and do blend into the changing world and thats why you always see changes and updates. There are other good organiations for Agile Project Management but the good thing about PMI, is that it is diverse and goes from Project Management to Business Analysis up to Program & portfolio management. Saving Changes...
Like all associations one has to balance the good being done with the bad. Does the certification program feel like a revenue-making machine? Sure. Are there policies which PMI enforces which we'd like to see relaxed? Of course! But if you look at the good they have done and continue to do in terms of advocacy, supporting research in the field, and making project management tangible for the masses, then yes, they are still a relevant, worthwhile organization to support.
I agree to a certain extent,the PMI has unfortunately positioned itself as an elitist resource body.You feel like you're entering a lions den,from the rigid walls of its website to the theoretical unfriendly literature and out of nowhere you are thrown into an abyss of experimental requirements.
Although they hold the largest body of Agile research they are the least welcoming body to that holds the very same knowledge.
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1 reply by Jeffrey Manhardt
Feb 14, 2019 8:25 PM
Jeffrey Manhardt
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Thanks for the feedback. Not sure I agree with eliteness though I will say the content is behind a paywall similar to the way other content is - Gartner for example.
Saving Changes...
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
Lots of options out there for sure. I certainly read the content available through PMI, but also find significant resources elsewhere. Also, looking at the valuable contributions here in this community absolutely helps to support that value. Saving Changes...
Jeffrey ManhardtDirector, Project Management| Compass GroupWest Seneca, Ny, United States
Feb 14, 2019 2:45 PM
Replying to Nhlakanipho Mngomezulu-Ngidi
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I agree to a certain extent,the PMI has unfortunately positioned itself as an elitist resource body.You feel like you're entering a lions den,from the rigid walls of its website to the theoretical unfriendly literature and out of nowhere you are thrown into an abyss of experimental requirements.
Although they hold the largest body of Agile research they are the least welcoming body to that holds the very same knowledge.
Thanks for the feedback. Not sure I agree with eliteness though I will say the content is behind a paywall similar to the way other content is - Gartner for example. Saving Changes...
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