Blog entry of Sandra Schumacher | 27.09.2021

Earn PDUs: Recertifications for Project Management Professionals PMI®.

How Project Managers strengthen their competencies!
If you want to be successful in project management today and in the future, there is hardly any way around the offerings of the Project Management Institute (PMI®).

Certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP®) or one of the variants PgMP®, PfMP®, CAPM® or PMI-PBA® is an internationally recognized proof of quality that opens new doors for you.
CONTUR two woman smile
CONTUR ist ein offiziell vom PMI® autorisierter Trainings-Partner (Authorized Training Partner, ATP)

But certification is not awarded by PMI® for a lifetime. Every three years you have to register for a recertification. The basis for a successful recertification is the collection of so-called PDUs, whose long title “Professional Development Units” already carries the actual reason for this process: Project management is continuously evolving. It therefore makes sense to keep up to date with the latest developments through regular “updates” and to develop further if you want to continue to be successful in project management in the future.

Education is therefore one of the two basic ways to collect PDUs. The second way is the so-called “Giving Back” (to the profession). Here, it is a matter of becoming active oneself and passing on one’s existing knowledge to others.

However, a closer look at the figures shows that continuing education is of particular importance: At least 35 of the 60 PDUs required for recertification must be earned in the area of education (15 PDUs are sufficient for CAPM®). Those who place particular emphasis on their continuing education may even collect the full number of PDUs required in this area, as there is no minimum number for “giving back.”

But what are the detailed options for collecting PDUs? Let’s take a closer look at this below.

“Giving back”

To do this, let’s first look at the “Giving back” section. This is where you collect PDUs by passing on knowledge. Or, in other words, the opportunity to collect PDUs is in your daily work, so to speak.

The 5 possibilities of “Giving back

  • Work as a Project Manager
    This should sound familiar to you: Give back some of your knowledge by showcasing your skills as a project manager and demonstrating the benefits of PMP certification.
  • Create content for learning resources
    Do you like to write? Great! Write technical articles or participate in the creation of a book. You’ll get PDUs … and recognition!
  • Give a presentation
    Good speakers are always in demand. Speaking at PMI® events or a professional conference gets you noticed and earns you PDUs! Also available: presentations about your team’s work in your organization.
  • Coach your colleagues
    Everyone benefits from this: pass on your knowledge to your team colleagues in a coaching session. You will also receive PDUs for this. As a side benefit, this is also a great opportunity for you to “brush up” on your communication and leadership skills.
  • Volunteer
    Share knowledge without earning money: This is another way to earn PDUs. Conceivable knowledge recipients are non-profit organizations, but PMI® itself also offers volunteer opportunities.

So much for the possibilities. There is one restriction, however: a maximum of 8 PDUs can be “earned” with item 1. The remaining 17 PDUs in the “Giving back” area can then be freely divided among the other four paths.

“Giving back” – a good path?   

For whom are these five ways of “Giving back” particularly well suited? Simply put, for anyone who prefers to spread out the collection in a relaxed manner over the 3-year period until the next recertification. For project managers who already specialize in passing on knowledge, “Giving back” even has a special appeal: Those who are used to passing on experience in writing or verbally will quickly accumulate the 25 hours required for the 25 PDUs – and will be completely in their element!

Education – Collect PDUs with learning effect!

Not only the transfer of knowledge, but also successful work as a project manager requires an up-to-date level of knowledge. The PMI® therefore makes the requirement to collect at least 35 PDUs in the area of continuing education for good reason. Many project managers even deliberately collect more than these 35 PDUs in this area. “Education” also basically offers you five ways to get the required PDUs.

The 5 ways of “Education”   

  • Study books, articles or white papers
    It is actually possible to earn PDUs “on your own”: by studying specialized information in a wide variety of forms. Of course, the materials must come from “official” vendors.
  • Attend a meeting
    Meetings, activities, and local events also provide opportunities to earn PDUs. Recognized vendors include regional PMI® chapters and other project management associations.
  • Take advantage of online offerings
    You can also earn PDUs by using videos, podcasts, or webinars.
  • Informal learning
    Earn PDUs through professional interaction with other project management professionals. Examples: Discussion meetings or joint lunches.

However, all of the above options have a drawback: there is rarely more than 1 – 2 PDUs for one participation or use. It is therefore a bit of a hassle to get the required 35 PDUs in Education together in this way. However, many professionals prefer to collect their PDUs as concentrated as possible and with few appointments.

The clear recommendation is therefore:

  • Attend seminars

Attending seminars is the most effective way to collect PDUs. Depending on the topic and scope, there are up to 15 PDUs for a seminar! But this effectiveness is not the only reason for many professionals to collect a large part of their required PDUs with seminar offers: Seminars basically offer the best opportunity to acquire new knowledge in a targeted manner, to gain new insights and – also not to be underestimated – to make new contacts. Since many seminars are also offered online, there is often even no need to spend time traveling to and from the event.

PMI®-Talent Triangle: The ideal skill set for your success!

A look at the PMI® Talent Triangle, introduced in 2016, shows how important PMI® considers the continuing education of its certified professionals. It describes all the important skills for project managers and divides them into three groups:

  • Technical Project Management. 

It describes the technical competency area with knowledge and skills in project, program and portfolio management.

  • Leadership

All knowledge, skills and behaviors related to leading, motivating and guiding others are classified in this group.

  • Strategic and Business Management 

The basis for success lies in the right strategy. Accordingly, as a project manager, you also need knowledge and expertise in your industry/organization. They are bundled in the third group.

But what does this “competence triangle” mean for you? Quite simply, if you want to be successful as a project manager, you need to master strategic skills, leadership competence and the technical basics of project management in equal measure. And ideally also promote them in equal measure!

For this reason, the PMI® has defined one more rule:

In each of the three competence fields of the PMI® Talent Triangle, at least 8 PDUs must be collected!

PMI® Talent Triangle

triangle pmi transparent
CONTUR three-persons-discussion

Conclusion

We would like to make a final recommendation at this point. However, as we hope our blog post has shown, it always depends on the individual ideas and preferences, but also on the daily work routine of each individual, how one can best get their PDUs.

Those who enjoy passing on knowledge and have a particular talent for writing will probably be only too happy to collect the maximum possible 25 PDUs in the “Giving back” area. However, PMI® rightly requires that the greater part of the PDUs be collected in the Education area for recertification. This is because continuing education is essential if you want to continue working successfully and competently as a project manager in the future.

What we can do for you

We offer a variety of seminars that allow you to earn up to 15 PDUs in a single seminar. We make sure that the three competence fields of the PMI® Talent Triangle are evenly covered by the entire seminar offering. You can also choose the form of seminar, as we offer both face-to-face and online seminars.

For those of you who not only want to save time online, but also want to learn particularly effectively, we have developed the DHIT® learning format, Digital High Intensity Training. Intensive small group sessions with a maximum of four participants make these seminars particularly effective.

You can find our current range of seminars in the area of project management and the PDUs that can be achieved in each case on this page.

Of course, we are available to answer any questions you may have as well as for individual consulting.

And if you have already decided to “get” your PDUs exclusively with seminars: We will already get the 60 PDUs together …

Thank you for reading and good luck with your recertification!

CONTUR three women in discussion

PDUs: Questions and Answers

?
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In the Education/Further Education section, corresponding seminars are marked with the number of PDUs from the 3 categories of the PMI Talent Triangle™ and you can choose how to compile the required number of PDUs for recertification for yourself.

One PDU (Professional Development Units) is equivalent to one unit of continuing education. By accumulating these over your certification cycle, you can maintain your certification status with PMI.

Depending on the certification, you need 60 or 35 PDUs in the certification cycle of 3 years, which can be collected in the areas of Education or Giving back. At CONTUR you will find seminars to cover the required PDUs in the field of Education. It is also possible to collect all PDUs in the Education field.

PDUs can be earned in the 3 competency areas of the PMI Talent Triangle™ such as Technical Project Management, Leadership and Strategic and Business Management. Each seminar is marked with how much you can receive.

CONTUR is an official PMI® Authorized Training Partner (ATP). This quality seal of the Project Management Institute ensures the high standards of the training provider for you. You can find more official PMI® information here: www.pmi.org/certifications/maintain

In the Education/Further Education section, corresponding seminars are marked with the number of PDUs from the 3 categories of the PMI Talent Triangle™ and you can choose how to compile the required number of PDUs for recertification for yourself.

One PDU (Professional Development Units) is equivalent to one unit of continuing education. By accumulating these over your certification cycle, you can maintain your certification status with PMI.

Depending on the certification, you need 60 or 35 PDUs in the certification cycle of 3 years, which can be collected in the areas of Education or Giving back. At CONTUR you will find seminars to cover the required PDUs in the field of Education. It is also possible to collect all PDUs in the Education field.

PDUs can be earned in the 3 competency areas of the PMI Talent Triangle™ such as Technical Project Management, Leadership and Strategic and Business Management. Each seminar is marked with how much you can receive.

CONTUR is an official PMI® Authorized Training Partner (ATP). This quality seal of the Project Management Institute ensures the high standards of the training provider for you. You can find more official PMI® information here: www.pmi.org/certifications/maintain

Author

With over 20 years of professional experience in classic, hybrid and agile project management in various corporate sectors (telecommunications, transport & logistics, and the chemical industry), Sandra Schumacher has experienced diverse situations and mastered challenges as a project and portfolio manager in a national and international context. From crisis management and reorganization projects to organizational and strategic projects, there were numerous situations in which negotiation skills and empathy were more important than pure theory. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Schumacher_Sandra_Conturie

Sandra Schumacher

Beratung Personal- und Organisationsentwicklung

+49 511 96 96 8 0

s.schumacher@contur-online.de

Author

With over 20 years of professional experience in classic, hybrid and agile project management in various corporate sectors (telecommunications, transport & logistics, and the chemical industry), Sandra Schumacher has experienced diverse situations and mastered challenges as a project and portfolio manager in a national and international context. From crisis management and reorganization projects to organizational and strategic projects, there were numerous situations in which negotiation skills and empathy were more important than pure theory. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)