This post is intended to assist those who are planning on applying for the PMP or any other certification with the Project Management Institute.
Unfortunately thanks to strict ISO guidelines PMI is required to conduct audits on a certain percentage of applications for EVERY credential except the CAPM (CAPM's are NEVER audited, just an FYI in case you were worried.)
The number one reason why a good number of applicants fail their audit is due to the FORMATTING of the project descriptions. Unfortunately the instructions for this portion of the application are laughably vague and do not make it clear how important it is to include certain terms in your descriptions.
In order to increase the chances of passing your audit, you will want to make sure your descriptions include the following:
1.) One statement that makes it VERY clear that your primary ROLE in the project involved leading and directing. It can be something easy such as, ("I served as the primary leader of Project X for such and such company", or "I was responsible for directing Project X for Organization B." Keep it short and simple. Don't be daft and say "I was an admin/team member, etc" cause that's one quick way to get your forms tossed in the trash.
2.) A sentence of how you lead and directed the project through one of the five project process groups. Since the description box only allows 500 characters, please ABBREVIATE the process groups. (Example: "I INT (initiated) Project X by hosting a meeting and creating the project charter.)
3.) A closing statement that sums up the result/conclusion of the project. (Example: The project resulted in a $500 increase in revenue..) etc.
TO BE UPFRONT: following this format does NOT 100% guarantee that you will pass (to be honest they probably have to fail a certain amount to meet some BS quota they have), but this sums up what the audit team is looking for when reading your descriptions.
They could care less about what the project itself was about. The primary focus is on YOUR ROLE in the project, and how you used the five process groups to effectively lead and direct the temporary endeavor.
BONUS: There is an official version of this formatting guideline called the "Things to Consider" document. It's typically given if an applicant has already failed audit but if you ask nicely, they'll be able to e-mail it to you ahead of the audit procedure.
Hope this helps you potential credential holders. Good luck! Saving Changes...
Went through the audit process and was able to complete everything and have it submitted within a week. A week later, I was approved to schedule my test. Good information here....and what to expect when tagged for auditing. Saving Changes...
