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Are CAPM certified professionals required to earn PDUs?

Are PDUs required for CAPM professionals? The answer is yes. PMI is all about continuous growth and learning. It requires certified professionals to renew all of their credentials on a regular basis. This enables candidates to improve their project management skills while growing in their career. In addition, PMI specifies renewal criteria that professionals must follow to renew their credentials. CAPM Certification also necessitates the acquisition of PDUs in order to maintain the certification.

Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Certification was previously valid for five years without the need for renewing it through PDUs. Certification holders could retake the exam or upgrade to PMP after five years. However, as per the new update, CAPM Certified professionals must now earn PDUs to renew their certificate. PDUs assists candidates in saving time and effort required to stay up to date with modern project management innovations and trends. Moreover, earning Professional Development Units(PUs) is a much simpler and cost-effective method for maintaining the certification. Furthermore, PMI offers various methods to earn the PDUs required for CAPM certification renewal process.

How many PDUs do candidates need for CAPM?

PDUs are defined by the PMI as "one-hour blocks of time spent studying, teaching others, or volunteering." One PDU is equivalent to one hour. Professionals require 15 PDUs every three years to renew their CAPM credentials. The three-year Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) cycle begins the day they pass the CAPM Exam. In addition, candidates must obtain a minimum of 9 PDUs from Education PDU and a maximum of 6 Giving Back PDU categories.

Education PDU: These PDUs are not limited as CAPM Certified professionals can earn all 15 PDUs in this category. However, education PDU activities must be relevant to the PMI Talent Triangle skill categories. Ways of working, power skills, and business acumen are all part of the PMI Talent Triangle.

  • Ways of working: It means learning new ways to do tasks. It includes knowledge, skills, and behaviors related to domain expertise. PMI encourages learning a variety of project management methodologies and practices to apply the appropriate technique at the right time and deliver successful outcomes.
  • Power skills: These include interpersonal skills required to influence a wide range of stakeholders - a vital component for effecting change. Interpersonal skills entail collaborative leadership, communication, an innovative mindset, a sense of purpose, and empathy.
  • Business acumen: Business acumen focuses on imparting business-oriented skills. PMI urges professionals to comprehend the impacts across an organization and industry to "cultivate good decision-making and grasp how their projects align with the larger picture of broader organizational strategy and global trends.

Ways to earn Education PDUs

Education PDUs are earned by participating in educational training courses, attending professional meetings, seminars, webinars, classes, reading, and self-directed learning.

Giving Back PDUs: Candidates may earn up to 6 PDUs in the Giving Back category. These PDUs are earned by sharing knowledge and actively using skills that benefit the industry while also advancing professional growth. Working as a professional, volunteering, and creating knowledge are some of the ways to earn PDUs. Let us have a detailed look at these methods.

  • Working as a professional: Give back to the industry by showcasing the abilities as a project manager
  • Volunteering, and creating knowledge: Participate in professional activities or create and share knowledge with groups or individuals

Other ways to earn Giving Back PDUs: CAPM PDUs can be further acquired by working as a practitioner, creating content, mentoring, giving presentations, and collaborating with professional groups.

How to submit the PDUs claim through CCRS?

CAPM practitioners must claim 15 PDUs after acquiring them in order to renew their credentials. Using the Continuing Certification Renewal System is the most efficient method to record PDUs (CCRS). Each CAPM PDU claim is documented in the CCRS. It makes it easier for CAPM certification holders to acquire a PDU report and track their progress toward CCR criteria. Aspirants need not register individually to access the CCRS; they can access it through their PMI account.

It is the same process to claim PDUs for education as well as for giving back categories. However, the information requested varies depending on the type of claim. The following are the steps involved in submitting a PDUs claim through CCRS.

  • Go to pmi.org and select "my PMI."
  • Click "Report PDUs on CCRS" on the "my PMI" page under certification status.
  • Select the PDU type.
  • If applicants have a PDU Claim code, choose "I have a claim code" and input the code to have the course/event details instantly uploaded to their account. If they do not have a PDU claim code, select the type of claim they have and provide the needed information manually.
  • Candidates should have the contact information of someone who can verify the job was accomplished as indicated for any "Work as a Practitioner" PDU claims. The claim form requests the name of the employer, employment title, duties, and dates.
  • Each PDU claim should be subject to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Project Management. Any violation of the PMI ethics code may result in the revocation of CAPM accreditation or other professional penalties.
  • Check the "I agree this claim is accurate" box, then click the "Submit" button.

When applicants submit a PDU claim, PMI will send them an email confirming receipt of their claim. They will thereafter get an email indicating whether their claim was rejected or accepted. If they are accepted, PDUs will be applied to their account and they can track their CCRS PDU report at any time.

PDUs are an essential element of the CAPM Certification process and are used to track continuous professional development. Holders of CAPM Certification must claim these PDUs to keep their certification valid. The PMI Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program helps candidates with their continuous educational and professional development. There are numerous CCR options available for applicants to acquire the necessary PDUs to keep their CAPM Certificate.

Professional development units earned for attaining the certification enriches candidates’ knowledge in project management. They can align multiple teams within a business or organization.Candidates take time out for attending seminars and also become adept at making presentations at conferences. Organizations always look up to such all-rounders to fill in their program manager vacancies.Earning PDUs leads to self-directed education which is necessary for uninterrupted professional growth.

Individuals can leverage the practice of mentoring in the process of collecting PDUs. This can branch into the profession of a trainer in this domain. Besides, no time gets wasted even outside the working hours. There are several traits that reflect the efficiency of program managers. Consensus building is the most prominent among them. Such individuals perform various activities like mentoring or publishing content to reach the targeted PDU score. This makes them adept at communicating freely with others.

Talk to Learning Advisor

CAPM Certification holders earn PDUs by listening to podcasts, reading, attending seminars, and webinars, giving a presentation, mentoring, volunteering, and taking a quiz.

Earning PDUs is an excellent opportunity for professionals to learn and improve their skills. It keeps them updated with project management trends and technology. Furthermore, it prepares professionals to tackle the challenges of today's complex business environment.

Reading books is a quick and easy method for CAPM applicants to learn about the newest project management trends, concepts, and technologies. Each hour spent reading books earns them one PDU.

Candidates can visit the PMI website to get information about PDUs. For CAPM, they have to earn 15 PDUs every three years to maintain their certificate.

PMI has the right to audit any CAPM certification holder's PDU activity at any time. These PDUs are audited to ensure that they are valid and accurate. So candidates must provide proof of each PDU obtained.

PDUs will expire after three years of certification. Professionals should submit 15 PDUs every three years to renew the certificate.

Professionals who obtain more PDUs than are necessary for their CCR cycle can apply those PDUs to the next cycle. Only PDUs obtained during the last year of the certification cycle are transferred to the next cycle.

CAPM certificate holders will be suspended if they do not earn PDUs within three years. The suspension period lasts one year. They must complete PDUs during the following 12 months or their accreditation will expire.

The validity of CAPM Certification begins once they pass the exam. Candidates can begin collecting PDUs immediately after passing the exam. This allows them to obtain the necessary professional development units before the time period.

Candidates have to log in to PMI CCRS with their account. On the dashboard panel, they can see the number of PDUs they have earned and the number of PDUs they still need to acquire in each category. In order to claim PDUs, candidates have to navigate to the "PDUs" section and select "Report PDUs." There are links for both Education and Giving Back PDU categories.

Graphic artists are responsible for establishing communication through visual solutions. They need to plan and evaluate those solutions before implementing them. Thus, many of the project management skills come in handy.

Professionals obtaining the certification are known for their time management expertise apart from other skills. Timely completion of a project is of paramount significance in determining its success.