Actually, there are EIGHT PMI certifications. The two that’s not mentioned in this article are Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) and Project Business Analyst (PMI-PBA).

PMI-PBA is arguably for a different career – business analyst. But my perspective is that business analyst can be a powerful set of skills for project managers. After all, the best project managers are those who constantly examine details of scope and requirements to ensure “fit for function”. Thus, while I agree that project management and business analyst are different careers, it is clearly a highly complementary set of skills and certifications.

Instead of expanding PMI’s certification horizontally, portfolio management deepens PMI’s investment and reach. While all the certifications are about “doing things the right way”, portfolio management focuses on “finding the right projects and programs to do in the first place”. Thus, portfolio management completes the value chain of organization project management by “doing the right projects, the right way!”

Te Wu’s comments on the below article:

Alexandra Levit for Business2Community writes:  Project management certification can give your career a big boost this year, but which direction should you pursue? This handy primer will inform your decision.

As we talked about in the last post, PM certifications increase your earning potential and differentiate you on the job market. The Project Management Institute offers six certifications, and here are some details about each so you can assess which one is most applicable.

Certified Associate In Project Management (CAPM)

The CAPM certification recognizes a demonstrated understanding of the fundamental knowledge, processes, and terminology that are needed for effective project management performance. It is designed for project team members who provide subject matter expertise (e.g., marketing, finance, customer care, processing, fulfillment) and serve as project sponsors, facilitators, liaisons or coordinators.

The CAPM requires a high school diploma, associate’s degree, or the global equivalent, as well as 23 hours of PM education (without work experience) or 1,500 hours of professional experience on a project team (without project management education). You will need to take a three-hour, 150-question, multiple-choice examination and the cost for non-PMI members is $300 (discounted for PMI members).

If you can answer “yes” to more than one of these questions, you might want to pursue the CAPM certification.

• Have you been in project management for less than two years or are you new to project management?
• Do you participate on a project team?

Project Management Professional (PMP)   SNIP, the article continues @ Business2Community, click here to continue reading….