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Professional Development Units (PDUs) are at the core of PMI's CCR system and are required to maintain PMI's professional credentials including PMI-SP and PMP (the CAPM credential has a 5-year life and then expires). PDUs can be earned from a wide range of activities (including self-study), but you can only start earning PDUs after you have passed your exam.
You will typically earn one PDU for each hour spent in a planned, structured learning experience or activity. Fractions of PDUs may be reported in 0.25 increments.
Most PDUs are required to be earned through education and training (including self-directed study), where one PDU equates to one hour of training. In addition, a limited number of PDUs may be earned through service to the profession; 'giving back'.
Education
Giving Back
The requirements for PMI-SP are shown in the infographic; click on the graphic to download the full-size PDF for 30-PDUs (PMI-SP):
Note: All of your PDUs can be earned through training (there is no minimum for 'giving back'). For the 30 PDUs needed to maintain your PMI-SP credential, you could earn 22 under 'technical project management' and 4 each under 'strategic' and 'leadership' elements of the Talent Triangle™ (total 30), and be eligible to renew your credential.
For more information download the CCR Handbook.
PDUs are based on what is relevant to you career development; there is no requirement to restrict their source to PMI approved events or organisations such as R.E.P.s any quality training counts.
Education
Some of the options for earning PDUs include:
Giving Back
When planning your PDU 'gathering', having a ‘mission’ helps. For example if you decided to improve the project stakeholder management within you organisation, time spent learning the Stakeholder Circle tool counts (see www.stakeholder-management.com); if you developed an in-house course, there are a lot of PDUs for the preparation and delivery of the course; if you then delivered a paper at a PM congress or conference on your experience, the paper generates PDUs as does attending other sessions at the conference.
For more information download the CCR Handbook.
There are two key ‘tricks’ to maintaining your PMI-SP status:
First, keep your records and claims up to date, we do ours every couple of months and have Outlook set to ‘remind us’.
Second, remember PDUs are based on what is relevant to you career development; there is no requirement to restrict their source to PMI approved events or organisations like R.E.P.s any quality training counts as long as it is relevant to your project management career.
To record PDUs you log into the PMI CCR system (either using your PMI ID or your examination credential ID). Then:
You need to keep appropriate records, the CCR system is subject to PMI's adding ing provisions. For more information download the CCR Handbook.
When you first earn a certification, you have an active status for the next three years, Provided you fulfill all CCR requirements for your certification, including earning and reporting PDUs and submitting the renewal payment before the cycle end date, you maintain your active status for the next three years, this cycle continues until you either stop renewing your status, or apply for retired status. Certification holders with an active status will be automatically listed in the online Certification Registry. Individuals can choose to be removed from the registry, so the absence of a name in the registry does not necessarily mean that the person is not certified.
If you do not satisfy the CCR program requirements within your current cycle, you will be placed in suspended status for up to one year (12 months). You can use this period to complete your CCR requirements, but the date of your next CCR cycle will not change after you are reinstated to active status.
If you do not complete the renewal process within the suspension period, you will lose your certification and go into an expired status. If you let your certification expire, you may not refer to yourself as a certification holder or use the certification designation. To attain the certification again, you will be required to retake the examination.
If you have been a certification holder in good standing for the last 10 years and wish to voluntarily relinquish your active status due to retirement, you are eligible to apply for retired status. if accepted, you do not need to earn or report PDUs.
For more information download the CCR Handbook.
Note: if there is any conflict between the summary information contained on this page and the detailed information contained on the PMI website or in the CCR handbook, the PMI information takes precedence. This information is provided to assist PMI examination candidates and credential holders to understand their obligations, it is not necessarily up to date or accurate. All CCR forms are copyright of PMI.