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Why PMP? Know its eligibility criteria.
A PMP Certification is an individual’s highest credential in project management. This credential is one of the esteemed certifications the Project Management Institute (PMI) offers. As a result, PMI has set a high entry barrier for individuals pursuing the certification. There is no shortcut to attaining the project management experience required to meet the eligibility criteria. An individual must have completed the hours necessary to complete project-related tasks to attempt the PMP exam and earn the certification.
What are the eligibility requirements?
Individuals pursuing PMP Certification must have the following:
- Secondary or high school degree, more than five years of project management experience, and 35 contact hours of formal PMP Training.
Or
- Four-year degree( or equivalent), over three years of project management experience, and 35 PMP Certification Training contact hours.
What is the Project Management Experience?
The time spent planning, managing, and leading projects is called project management experience. While filling out the application form for the PMP exam, individuals need to specify their experience in carrying out tasks in the following phases of a project.
- Initiation phase: In this stage, an individual is required to perform the tasks of defining the goals of the project.
- The planning phase entitles project managers to prepare the project plan, including all the relevant plan documents.
- Execution phase: Individuals must effectively execute the project and complete the deliverables per clients’ requirements.
- Monitoring phase: Under this phase, individuals need to measure the project’s performance and take necessary action in case of any deviations from the original plan.
- The closing phase requires individuals to draft reports on the project’s results.
Individuals need not work under the title of the project manager to fulfill the eligibility requirements. It is often observed that aspirants get confused while filling out their application forms for the PMP exam. Some aspirants are of the opinion that they have not served the role of a project manager for the organization. The others believe that their work experience is not considered project management experience. Here are a few tips for identifying whether your experience counts as project management experience.
- Among the years of experience you have acquired, check whether your performance reflects the contribution towards special projects or project-related events you have planned.
- Identify whether work activities match the experience hour requirement in the current performance year.
- Make a note of the volunteering activities.
- Analyze the extra work responsibilities and check whether you have contributed to managing projects.
The abovementioned tips clarify the confusion of experience in the project management field. An individual doesn’t need to have carried out the role of project manager while applying for PMP Certification. Individuals can fill the following positions in their resumes to meet the eligibility requirements.
a. Team leader
b. Supervisor
c. Assistant project manager
d. Project coordinator
These roles qualify for meeting the eligibility requirement. However, an individual must maintain the records and references of such positions. This log is useful when the individual’s application is selected for the audit process by PMI.
How to acquire experience in project management?
There is no alternative to project management experience. To earn the PMP Certification, individuals can look for organizational openings and gain technical expertise by performing tasks in any project phase. It is important to note that these tasks can be performed without the job title of project manager also.
Besides working in the organization, individuals can also contribute their free time by taking up side projects through freelancing. This is possible only when individuals attend networking events related to project management. The other suitable activity for gaining experience is volunteering. Individuals can get free hours of experience while helping others outside the organization carry out project-related tasks.
Why is it essential to have experience in project management?
Apart from experiencing part of the eligibility requirements set by PMI, individuals who have acquired the PMP Certification need to showcase their expertise and comprehensive understanding of project management. PMP Certification proves that individuals have acquired the necessary skill set for the organization, making them stand out from the crowd of traditional project managers.
According to a recent survey, it was unveiled that the majority of aspirants do not pursue the certification due to the minimum experience requirements. However, getting the experience and chasing the dream of owning the PMP certification is not too late. Individuals can right away start recording their time for performing project management activities.
On completing the experience requirements, individuals can look forward to attending the PMP Training sessions by Unichrone. Our highly qualified experts assist individuals in gaining insights into the latest practices in the project management field while fulfilling 35 contact hour requirements.
