I am planning to get certified in 1-2 years. Not sure which org. maybe PMI, or Australian equivalent.
Since these orgs require an applicant to have industry PM experience, I want to ask at this stage, what documents should I be collecting to prepare for my application?
I might need to actively fill the gaps in my current experience. Do I need employment certification that I did Risk Management, Scope Management, etc.?
PROJECTS ARE ALL ARROUND YOU, BABY...
Hi there, (I mean YO,YO,YO),
Here is some of my PM practical experience (last 3y.) from the forms to help my brothers and sistas:
Project Title: Mowing' my lawn...
My Role: Project Manager
Actual Project Hours: Full time year = 2080h./y.(40h/w), (Rambo's Grass Cutting project year: (ft/5/7) => 60 hrs.)
a. 5% Initiating 3h,
40% Planning 24h,
40% Executing 24h,
5% Controlling 3h,
5% Closing 3h,
5% Doin just plain' oll nothin' or
drinkin' beer 3h.
Deliverables:
Initiating: Project Charter (signed by my wife w. my blood), Business Justification (like - nice lawn etc.)
Planning: Project Plan: Meetings with my football buddies and Beer Drinkin' Planning Sessions , etc.
Executing: Status Reports (like: I cut down that neighbor’s oll' telephone post from my lawn today), etc.
Controlling: Issue management logs (my fist-fight w. my neighbor Jim - abut some oll' tel. post , etc.)
Closing: Lessons Learned (like F... Lawn, next year I'l just pay some kid to do it...),
Good luck my Brothers & Sistas and remember:
IF IT DOES NOT KILL YOU - IT WILL MAKE YOU STRONGER!
Saving Changes...
I am about to take PMP certification exam. I am a project manager in Israel where this cretification is not known very much. Any tips on whether this cretification is really considered as standard in US very much appreciated. Saving Changes...
I'm a volunteer at a non-profit organization in NY City called the NYPC user's group. We're offering a very low cost (since we're non-profit) intro to PMBOK and PM concepts for new IT managers who would like a brief introduction to the concepts. I planned it as a good introduction to PMBOK concepts for those who are contemplating pursuing the PMP or CAPM certs.
It's not a cert prep course, but it could satisfy 7 hours of the 35 hours of PM training required for the exam. The course is aligned with the PMBOK 3rd Edition.
I am preparing to the new PMP exam. I am planning to have the certificate on January 2006. Anybody got the new exam after Sep 30. I am not sure whether or not to wait for a while. Because the new exam has just been started. There are so many documents regarding prior exams. But I have difficulty in accessing some comments about the new one.Any comment? Saving Changes...
PMI has revised the passing score on the new PMP exam to 61 percent (106 correct questions out of 175), according to a letter sent today by Denny Smith, PhD, Manager of the PMI Certification Program.
Smith also indicated that PMI has applied the revised passing score to all examinations taken since September 30, 2005 by candidates who sat for the new exam. Moreover PMI will issue refunds for any unneccessary re-examination fees by the end of December.
PMI will brief Registered Education Providers on these developments in a series of conference calls tomorrow.
As you know the passing rate of PMP candidates taking the new version of the PMP exam has been astoundingly low since the debut of the new exam.
For now, we can only guess at the root causes of the exam's problems, but in my opinion the lower passing score will offset their effect (low passing rate) and give well-prepared PMP candidates a reasonable likelihood of passing the exam and earning their PMP credential.
Therefore I advise all those planning to take the new version of the PMP exam to go ahead and schedule their exam appointments as soon as they have prepared adequately.
I heard that PMI might lower passmark for new PMP exam retrospectively.
Highly disconcerting if true: what was the point of so many people jumping through hoops to take the old-style exam before the deadline? And what was the point of PMI announcing, well in advance, that the exam was going to change and become more difficult, only for them to then lower that pass-mark after the change, and apply the lower mark to exams already taken?
What a shambles!
Ironic that the 'project' of introducing a new exam should be handled in this way by the Project Management Institute.
PMI's credibility can only suffer because of this - no other serious professional institute would consider acting in such a manner. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
I have been a project manager on my job for 3 years. I now want to get PMI certified. Which school offer the best program to help you become PMI certified, Boston University or Villinova University?
Becoming PMP certified can help you land a better job. No matter what you might think about how PMI handled the release of the exam, the certification is a means by which employers filter prospective employees. For the last 4 years, I have been the President of Cheetah Exam Prep and we've seen over 15,000 people come through our doors to prepare for the exam. Many of them wanted it so they could at least get a job interview. We're up to speed on the new exam and yes, the passing score is 61% - but the test is much harder - make no mistake about that! For the question whether Boston University or Villinova is better, first make sure you have enough project management hours - you need 4500 over the last 6 years just to qualify to sit for the exam. Then decide on how much time you want to spend preparing. There are lots of options out there. Saving Changes...
Hi - For the anon poster asking about going to Boston or Villanova - I think you have to ask yourself two questions - Is it your intention to get the pmp certification or to really learn pm theory and best practices (or both)? Earning the PMP certification does not necessarily mean you are a good PM. I know many PMs that are really good at what they do but are not certified. I also know PMPs that suck at project management. The reality of the situation is that employers (right or wrong) are using the PMP designation to sort through their resumes received pile and you have a better chance of getting that initial interview with the PMP designation. At the same time, BS may get you to the top of the heap but it won't keep you there... know what I mean?
If you just want to pass the PMP but not really digest the process behind it (simply because there isn't enough time to do so in a week not because it's a bad course), check out Cheetah Learning at http://www.cheetahlearning.com/ - I think it meets the requirements in that it is only one week and the success rate that I've heard seems pretty high when it comes to getting people to pass the exam... I'm not sure how well they are doing with the new exam but I've known a handful of people that have gone the Cheetah route with successful results in passing the PMP last year and this year.
If you want to pass the PMP and really learn theory and processes behind it, check out ESI International at http://esi-intl.com/public/projectmanagement/index.asp I absolutely LOVE their program. It takes longer but I think it's really worth it if you want to learn the theory and processes of project management. It's not PMBOK specific; it's more about the theory and practice of project management as a whole.
Another way to go if you have read the PMBOK already and believe you have a good understanding of the core processes is to self study using Rita Maulchay's book - PMP Exam Prep, Fifth Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/193273500...2/sr=8-1/ref=pd _bbs_1/002-2552134-5587210?n=507846&s=books&v=glance I actually used Rita's book and found it to be most helpful.
Another point that I wanted to mention is - what is your objective when you wrote about Boston or Villanova - only to pass PMI exam or earn Master's Certificate or earn Master's Degree? Once you have determined that, you will be able to figure out the best course of action for you as an individual.
As to the other anon poster that remarked about the possibility of a lower passmark - this wasn't necessarily a badly managed project - they basically had two possible courses of action in setting the pass\fail rate. If they would have waited to see what the actual results were (which my undestanding is they needed about 800-1000 tests) and then set the pass\fail rate, it would have taken at least three months. In the meantime, the people that had sat, wouldn't know if they passed or not. Instead, (and I'm not arguing that it was right or wrong, just stating fact) they choose what they saw as the less riskier option and went the route they did - setting a pass\fail rate, executing the exam, getting the 800-1000 actual test results, reran the analysis and determined that the pass\fail rate was to high. According to the latest news, the exam is still tough, the questions haven't changed (since Sept) and the old exam had a 80% probabilty of passing on the first try versus this new one a 70% probabilty so it's still not 'easy' to pass...
I've said this in other posts - if you disagree with how PMI does things - quit whining\complainin and volunteer to work on the standards and change things - complaining does nothing but release hot air.
Someone else asked about the perceived importance of a PMP designation - it's big in the US, no doubt about it. Additionally, PMI is known internationally as well. However, they aren't the only ones out there - the oldest pm organization is actually the International Project Management Association (http://www.ipma.ch/asp/) - They have a four level certification program. In the positions I've seen posted in the UK, having a certification from them is a job requirement... I'm not sure about other countries. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
(my 2 cents)
I took CalTech's Project Management Certification courses. They were pretty good although a bit pricey. That helped me understand PMI's process and the PMBOK.
