Recording your PDUs

One of the benefits of a PMI credential is that the credential itself is managed to retain its value and to be up to date. This means that the holder can to refer to its relevance, for example when applying for a new job.

Individual members are also required to be active in this process, to ensure that all contribute to the credibility of PMP (Project Management), PgMP (Program Mangement), PMI-SP (Scheduling Management) and PMI-RMP (Risk Management) credentials. The method selected for ensuring that the credential holders are proactive in developing their skills and knowledge is the use of PDUs, Professional Development Units. A PDU is earned for each hour of relevant professiopnal development activity.

For example, holders of the PMP must be earn 60 PDUs for each three year period from the date of the award.

CAPM is an exception, as the examination must be repeated every 5 years.

There are many Ways to Earn PDUs and they can be earned under several different headings, all relating to the PMI strategy both keeping you up to date and contributing to the Project Management community:

1. Attending courses from PMI Chapters or REPs (Registered Education Provider).

2. Continuing Education

3. Self-directed Learning

4. Creating New Project Management Knowledge

5. Volunteer Services.

For example, participation at an evening event organized by your local committed can be worth 1.5 PDUs. These small increments make it possible to reach the target in small steps, however this increases the administration.

Clearly the only realistic solution is the complete automation of the process, after data entry by the credential holder. He / she must confirm the correctness of the information entered and this gives some flexibility, even where some interpretation is needed. A fully automated system could not cover all possible situations, for example participation in an event, where the individual sessions do not last exactly one (or more) hours or the participant did not stay for the full duration. By allowing users themselves to make professional decisions also reduces the administration.

The generation of certificates of attendance for Chapter events is totally automatic. The organizer enters the event in an event database and the certificates are automatically generated in pdf format and distributed electronically for everybody who attended.

For other events, such as the Congrès du Mangement de Projet (Lausanne), the PM Training Forum (Zürich) or a PMI Global Congress, the event is given a number and the maximum number of PDUs is entered in a database, which can be accessed when recording your PDUs. The reason that the maximum is defined is that it may happen that someone does not attend a full event and is therefore not entitled to the maximum PDUs.

The PMI works on the basis of random audits to ensure that the PDU data recorded is correct. If you are asked to participate, you will need documentary evidence of the PDU activity:

• If you have a certificate, for example from a PMI Component (e.g. Chapter) Event or attending a training course at an REP, this meets the requirement.

• For self study or smaller events (e.g. up to 2 hours) you may not have a certificate, so must keep auditable records, e.g. notes of a formal discussion on a Project Management topic or self-directed learning.

This is fully described in a series of PMI videos. PDUs are recorded as follows:

• Log on to the PMI global website.

• Download and read the document New PDU Category Structure and Policies, then identify the category of PDU which you wish to claim.

• Navigate to the page Report PDUs

  1) Select the PDU Category from the drop down list

  2) Select the Activity Type (if it appears; depends on the category)

  3) Click NEXT.

• If you selected "Find an Activity" under the Activity Type, some search fields will appear. For events organized by the PMI Switzerland Chapter, the Provider Number is C261. Alternatively you may have the activity number or name. Then click SEARCH.

• From now on, follow the on-screen instructions to select an activity, enter number of PDUs you are claiming and to lodge your claim.

• If all is in order you will get two e-mails, one to acknowledge your application for recording PDUs and the second to confirm that they have been added to the record.

Remember, if you need more information or guidance, everything is described unter the heading Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) System on the PMI global website.