How To Maintain PDUs For PMP Certification?

Clearing the PMP certification exam is just one part of the Certification. PMI® takes care of the learning aspect with respect to evolution in the project management roles and responsibilities. After a candidate has cleared the examination, they are required to maintain their certification to prove their credentials. The progress is measured in the form of PDUs, and a PMP Certified professional has to complete 60 PDUs in the time period of 3 years. So, the most important question is, “How to maintain PDUs for PMP Certification?”

What Are PMP PDUs?

PDUs are professional development units defined by the PMI, where a candidate is spending 60 minutes learning, teaching, or volunteering. A certified professional can earn PDUs in various ways. But, the PMI has broken a specific number of PDUs to be earned in each category. The aim is the all-around development of the candidate. The categories include educational PDUs and giving back PDUs. According to the PMI, a candidate can earn a minimum of 35 educational PDUs during this cycle. And a maximum of 25 giving back PDUs. Also, the educational PDUs are further classified according to the talent triangle. Each category must have at least 8 PDUs for technical, leadership, strategic, and management skills. And, the giving back PDUs, has a limit of 8 PDUs that you can earn working as a professional. And, the rest can be earned by volunteering, etc.

How To Maintain PMP PDUs?

So, how can a PMP-certified individual earn PDUs? What are the prerequisites(if any), and who will monitor the completion of PDUs? The answers are pretty simple, a candidate can earn the PDUs in either of the following ways, but they must make sure they are fulfilling the required PDUs in each category within a time period of 3 years after their PMP certification is completed. Once a candidate earns a PDU, they have to make a record of each PDU-related activity and report them to the CCR system. After the verification, the candidate will have to go through the complete process of CCR and a renewal fee to complete the renewal of the certification.

How To Earn PMP PDUs?

1. Blog Articles

Yeah, you can get PDUs for reading blog posts. You will need to keep a list and make an accurate estimation of the amount you read. I suggest that you start a CPD or PDU log: a spreadsheet is ideal. This article (at about 1,200 words) would take 5 to 6 minutes for an average reader to read. So, one post a week, and at the end of the year, is 4 PDUs in the bag.

2. By Taking a Quiz

You can receive up to one-third of your PDUs by doing quizzes for the PMI publication. The price for participants starts at $10 per question. Rate 80% or better, and you’ll receive between 0.5 and 2.5 PDUs based on the particular quiz and the CCR criteria you’re aiming to achieve.

3. Participating in Self-Directed Learning

If you choose an alternative that is more accessible than a formal training course, use different instructional content, podcasts, and webinars available online. To help you receive your PDUs, ILX Community provides several on-request webinars.

4. Workplace Learning

Many workplaces provide resources for instruction, including informal learning. Make the best use of it possible. Document it on your PDU tablet and delegate portions to the three sides of the PMI Talent Triangles. If it’s a six-hour presenting training course, ask yourself how much of it relates to your experience in project management.

5. Take a Training Course

You may attend an online course, which is formal, instructor-led. It would help if you also attend training seminars which are part of conferences in-person. You can demand PDUs on them, as long as the content is PMP-relevant.

6. Working As A Professional

For these certification clusters, you will say up to eight and four PDUs for doing your job as a project manager, however. As long as your job is essential to your qualification, you’ll receive PDUs by showing up to work.

7. Give a Presentation

Look for opportunities to talk at a PMI function or professional meeting, or give a discussion on your company’s efforts in your business.

8. Create New Project Management Knowledge

There are lots you can do to earn PDUs in this group. You may be writing or co-authoring blogs, books, or newsletters, hosting a webinar or podcast, or developing and delivering a project management course. With each of these tasks, you will receive PDUs. The maxim is that one PDU is equal to an hour spent in planning and executing those operations. The PDUs in this group count towards the limit of 45 for PDU categories D, E, and F.

9. Volunteering Starts Near Home

Perhaps the best place to start volunteering for the PMI is the own PMI branch. And it has the added benefit of hooking you into a specialized network within your region. You’ll benefit from them, and they will help you progress your career. Also, you can earn even more points when you attend classes.

10. Self Study

There are a lot of things that you can do on your own to earn PDUs such as, reading papers or books, viewing videos, or CD ROMs, or attending organized meetings with friends or clients. If you take part in any of these tasks and the subject at hand was essential to project management, had a particular objective, and used competent tools, then you can say 1 PDU per hour spent on this as “self-study.” This and all other Type C practices having a limit of 30 PDUs.

11. Help Out Junior Colleagues

Mentoring more junior peers at your office (or through your local PMI Chapter) is a great way to advance your professional dues. Plus, it will certainly reward you emotionally and mentally test you. And that last statement is one of the reasons why you receive PDUs.

12. Leverage PDU Activities

One of the most simple ways to prepare the PDUs proactively is to be creative and exploit one PDU advantage over the other. For instance, you can receive 1 PDU (Category A), if you attend a PMI Chapter Meeting. You can earn a PDU chance by taking an active position as a helper at the registration desk (Category E). Also, on your drive to and from the case, you can listen to the new PM Podcast episodes in your car (Category C) and receive another PDU right there. You’ll be using one case to produce PDUs in three separate categories this way. Don’t be scared to get new ideas and exploit PDU as much as possible.

Conclusion

In a fast-moving world, everything is evolving and so are a project manager’s job roles and responsibilities. So it is inevitable that a few practices that made sense a couple of decades ago wouldn’t be as effective today. The same is enforced by the PMI in the form of maintaining the PDUs for the continuation of their PMP certification. They enforce this for the betterment of the candidate and all-around development of their project management skills with respect to the evolving key practices.

PMP PDUs FAQs

How many PDUs are required for PMP?

In total, 60 PDUs are required for PMP certification that must be maintained in the period of 3 years. These PDUs are divided into educational PDUs and giving back PDUs.

How to renew PMP PDUs?

To renew the PDUs for PMP you have to go through the CCR process where you will record and get the PDUs verified for the renewal process.

How to get free PMP PDUs?

Attending the PMI webinars can be a good way to learn and earn PDUs at the same time. You can earn 1 PDU for each hour spent learning/attending the webinars.