As of December 1, 2015 PMI has implemented some extensive changes to their Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program. The distribution of required PDUs between Education and Giving Back has been changed to place more emphasis on education and reduce the number of credits that may come from working as a professional.
PMI has introduced the Talent Triangle, which outlines a balance of skill areas ideal for long-term project and business success. These areas are as follows:
Technical Project Management: Knowledge, skills and behaviors related to specific domains of Project, Program and Portfolio Management.
Leadership: Knowledge, skills and behaviors specific to leadership-oriented skills that help an organization achieve its business goals.
Strategic & Business Management: Knowledge of and expertise in the industry or organization that enhances performance and better delivers business outcomes.
The requirements for the Education category is now aligned with the Talent Triangle meaning PDUs will fall into either the technical, strategic or leadership area. Depending on your certification either 4 or 8 PDUs are required in each of these areas.
Once the requirements for each individual area have been met, the remaining credits to complete the education category — either 6 or 12 depending on your certification — may come from any of the three talent triangle areas.
To see a visual example of how these credits break out, check out this PMI Talent Triangle infographic.
Group 1: PMP, PgMP, PfMP, PBA Credential Holders
- In a 3-year cycle you must acquire a total of 60 PDUs
- At least 8 PDUs must be Technical PDUs specific to your credential
- At least 8 PDUs must be Leadership PDUs
- At least 8 PDUs must be Strategic/Business Management PDUs
- At least 35 PDUs must be from Education
Group 2: ACP, RMP, SP Credential Holders
- In a 3-year cycle you must acquire a total of 30 PDUs
- At least 4 PDUs must be Technical PDUs specific to your credential
- At least 4 PDUs must be Leadership PDUs
- At least 4 PDUs must be Strategic/Business Management PDUs
- At least 18 PDUs must be from Education
Other PDU Notes or Changes:
- Technical PDUs are specific to one certification. For example, some of these PDUs are only valid for maintaining PMI-PBA, some are only valid for PMI-ACP, etc.
- If a PDU is approved as a Leadership or Strategic/Business Management PDU, it will qualify regardless of the credential you hold (PMP, PBA, PgMP, etc.).
- In addition to the changes outlined above regarding PDUs from REPs, such as ASPE, PMI is also reducing the number of PDUs you can earn for ‘Giving Back’, enforcing a maximum of 25 PDUs in this category for Group 1 credential holders (above) and 12 for Group 2. Now, only 8 can be claimed for ‘Working as a Professional’ for Group 1 and 4 can be claimed for Group 2.
Want to learn more? Check out this infographic that discusses how your PMI certification is affected by PMI’s recent changes.
Please remember that as you plan for the PDUs in your next cycle, we are here to help at ASPE. For clarification on how these changes could impact you specifically, or if you need assistance in building a plan to meet your Education requirement, please call us any time at 877-800-5221.
