Click above to play either the audio-only episode or video episode in a new window.
📍 In this 15-minute session, we dive deep into the significant changes coming to the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam. From the implementation of enhanced data forensics to the implications of a delayed feedback system, we've got you covered. Are you curious about how this might affect your PMP journey? Or how the instructors and PMI will navigate this transition?
Click above to play either the audio-only episode or video episode in a new window.
Join Cornelius Fichtner for the launch of The PM PrepCast Leadership Academy Interviews, our advanced video series on project leadership. If you want to go above and beyond your project management competencies then this masterclass with conversational interviews from 15 distinguished global leaders is for you. Project leadership is not one-size-fits-all, so we built this class with the senior project manager who is on a leadership track in mind.
We'll talk about how the course helps you become a change maker in your organization, win and maintain your team's trust, how to get assigned to more critical projects, but most importantly, create meaningful and lasting change.
The premise is, that there are some topics everyone gets wrong on the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam. Being able to answer tricky questions can mean the difference between a pass and a fail. Using data from thousands of mock PMP exams and insights from experienced classroom trainers, he identified, analyzed and explains the project management concepts that most students struggle to grasp.
Click above to play either the audio-only episode or video episode in a new window.
On Jan 1st 2021, the Project Management Institute (PMI)® rolled out an updated Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam. For example: The PMP® exam went from 200 questions down to 180 questions, 50% of the exam is now on agile and hybrid methodologies, and there are two ten-minute breaks. And these are just three of the many changes
Click above to play either the audio-only episode or video episode in a new window.
Are you thinking about taking the Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam?
Perhaps you are well into your PMP® studies already. Join Cornelius Fichtner, PMP as he shares a wealth of great information to help you prepare for your exam, as well as his up-to-date recommendations on how to best study for the 2021 PMP Exam.
Click above to play either the audio-only episode or video episode in a new window.
We are recording more and more of our episodes as videos and then make them available to you in both video and audio-only format. In this episode, we show you how to watch the video version of The PM Podcast.
Spoiler alert: Click the "Play video episode" link that you see above.
Click above to play either the audio-only episode or video episode in a new window.
In this episode, we explore Cornelius Fichtner's recommended Ten Steps to Pass Your Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam.
When Cornelius Fichtner prepared for his PMP exam he was frustrated with the outdated, incorrect and often contradictory recommendations people give to help candidates prepare for and pass their PMP exam. And so, to help you avoid this frustration, he created this easy to follow, ten-step approach to preparing for and passing your PMP exam.
Click above to play either the audio-only episode or video episode in a new window.
Our topic today is the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam. And if you are a regular listener of The PM Podcast, then you know that I am a PMP® trainer and that my company offers PMP training. Therefore, spoiler alert, in this episode, my guest and I will not only help you get ready for the exam, but we will also be mentioning the PMP products and services that we offer to our students. So expect some promotions.
And my guest is Jeff Furman. He's been on the show previously, and today, we are going to talk about his new book "Boost Your PMP Score: Learn The Keywords In Sets: 2nd Edition: For PMP 2021".
The book's idea is that when you study for the PMP exam, you will come across many concepts, topics, and key ideas that seem to come in pairs. For example, the "project baseline" and the "performance baseline". They are related, but not quite the same. And in his book, Jeff gives you the list of these and an approach of how to make learning these more fun.
Click above to play either the audio-only episode or video episode in a new window.
If you are a certified project manager, and - in particular - if you hold a certification from The Project Management Institute (PMI)® then you know that your certification has to be renewed every three years. The process is quite simple:
After you are certified you have to earn a specified number of professional development units (PDUs)
If you are a Project Management Professional (PMP)® the number is 60, and for a PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® it's 30
You'll have to report your PDUs with PMI® and at the end of the three years you pay the renewal fee, which starts the next 3-year cycle for you to earn the next set of PDUs
But... where do you find those PDUs? And how do you find free PDUs?
Well... you have come to the right place because over the last decade, I have published 458 episodes here on The PM Podcast, and most of them qualify for free PMI PDUs.
So here is the recording of a recent live stream where I presented how to earn PDUs from this very podcast. As always, with lots of questions from the audience.
Click above to play either the audio-only episode or video episode in a new window.
The Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam is not an easy exam. It is an advanced, experience-based exam that you can only take if you can successfully show that you meet all the requirements.
And the requirement that most candidates have a hard time with is the need to show at least 4,500 (in some cases even 7,500) hours of leading and directing projects. Even though candidates know all of their projects and how many hours they have worked on, they find it difficult to quickly identify if their experience hours actually count.
In this episode, Cornelius Fichtner helps you answer the question Do I Qualify for the PMP® Exam? by walking you through this simple, five-step process:
Click above to play either the audio-only episode or video episode in a new window.
If you are preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam then you have come to the right place. In this episode, Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, CSM answers about 40 questions during a live stream. (Our apologies that the audio and video are slightly out of sync during the first and last minute of the recording.)
The PMP® Exam is changing. A new Exam Content Outline (ECO) was published in 2019 and it will go into effect on January 02, 2021.
And if you are thinking about taking and passing your exam in 2021 then you may have lots of questions about this changeover. Watch this video to get your answer. And if your question wasn't answered, then please ask in the comments below. We'll answer you here.
Click above to play either the audio-only episode or video episode in a new window.
If you have a Project Management Institute (PMI)® certification like the Project Management Professional (PMP)®, PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®, or even the Certified Associate in Project management (CAPM)® then your certification is only good for three years. During these three years you have to earn 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) through training or other approved activities. And once you have those 60 PDUs, then you can renew the certification for another three years. And this cycle of earning PDUs and renewing continues for as long as you want to keep your PMP status.
There are many ways in which you can earn PDUs. Taking a training, reading a book or giving a presentation are just three options you have. So you could simply jump head in first and sign up for whatever training comes across your path. But having a plan and a process for doing this is a much better idea.
And that's what this episode is all about. I'm going to give you a 10-step process that you can follow in order to earn your PDUs with purpose and make your life easier. It's a recording of a live streaming event that I gave a few days ago. It was a very lively event with quite a few questions coming in.
For Project Management Professional (PMP)® renewal from Project Management Institute (PMI)®:
This episode is part of our PDU Spotlight series in which we help you learn more about PDU credits for your certification renewal. The discussion is based on the article "How to Earn PMP® PDUs for The PMI Talent Triangle™" that was published on The PDU Podcast.
Today, we are shining a spotlight on Professional Development Units (PDUs).
More precisely, we are going to review the PMI Talent Triangle™ and how this triangle affects the way that you need to earn your PDUs. And if you are a project manager who holds a certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI)® then you know about PDUs, because you need them for your certification renewal every three years.
And just to be absolutely clear: you need PDUs only after you have passed your exam. If you are still studying for your certification, then you need what PMI® calls Contact Hours.
So our focus right now is on the PDUs that you need after you pass your exam. Also, I know that most of you are certified Project Management Professionals (PMP)® so I’ve chosen my examples to be primarily about PMP PDUs. You need 60 PDUs for PMP renewal for each recertification cycle once you have passed your exam. Most project managers earn a mixture of free PMP PDUs and PDUs they pay for to ensure they meet the requirements and use quality sources for their professional development.
As a project management trainer, I have always focused not only on teaching my students how to pass their exams but also on how to become better at what they are doing. Yes, of course, I want you to pass your exam and become certified but I always strived to ensure that what I teach helps you to better lead your projects and deliver them successfully for your stakeholders.
And that is why I think the changes that the Project Management Institute (PMI)® is making to the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam on July 1st, 2020 is a good change, even though they could have managed the roll-out a bit better.
With this update, PMI® is moving away from the five current and somewhat ‘technical’ domains and shifts the focus of the exam to test a candidate’s knowledge of, and experience in the skills necessary to actually lead and manage a project. Specifically, the three new domains are People, Process, and Business Environment.
But why am I telling you all of this when we have a guest for you who is much more qualified than I am: Sierra Hampton-Simmons (LinkedIn Profile). Sierra has nearly two decades of experience as an expert in Certification Management and joined PMI in late 2013. Currently, she serves as the Portfolio Leader/Head of Certification Products. This means that she is responsible for the entire portfolio of Certification Products including the PMP® exam. So she’s the perfect person to discuss both the background and nature of the changes. You’ll even get to hear that PMI is making changes to the type and style of questions a candidate will see during the exam itself.
Are you by any chance thinking about becoming a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®? Well then, you are in for a treat today because the Project Management Institute (PMI)® is currently in the process of making a number of exciting changes to this exam and we review all of them.
There are some technical change - for example you will encounter two new question types on the exam - and PMI® is also making it easier for everyone who is and will be CAPM® certified if you decide to apply to take the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam.
And here to talk us through these changes is no other than Sierra Hampton-Simmons (LinkedIn Profile). Sierra has nearly two decades of experience as an expert in Certification Management and joined PMI in late 2013. Currently, she serves as the Portfolio Leader/Head of Certification Products. This means that she is responsible for the entire portfolio of Certification Products including the CAPM certification. So she’s the perfect person to talk to about this.
For Project Management Professional (PMP)® renewal from Project Management Institute (PMI)®:
This episode is part of our PDU Spotlight series in which we help you learn more about PDU credits for your certification renewal. The discussion is based on the article "Need 60 PDUs for PMP® Renewal? Read the CCR Handbook First!" that was published on The PDU Podcast.
Today, we are shining a spotlight on Professional Development Units (PDUs).
More precisely, I’m going to give you a relatively short overview of the CCR Handbook, which defines all the policies around PDUs. And if you are a project manager who holds a certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI)® then you know about PDUs, because you need them for your certification renewal every three years.
And just to be absolutely clear: you need PDUs only after you have passed your exam. If you are still studying for your certification, then you need what PMI® calls Contact Hours.
So our focus right now is on the PDUs that you need after you pass your exam, and, because so many of you are Project Management Professional (PMP)® certificate holders, our examples will be primarily about PMP PDUs.
If you already have your PMP certification, then your goal is to earn 60 PDUs during each three-year period. Different certifications have different requirements, and the CCR Handbook explains exactly what you need for every credential.
I often hear from project managers that they are looking for free PMP PDU opportunities. Most project managers use a mix of free and paid PDUs to meet the CCR program requirements, and you'll find plenty of ways to earn both in the CCR Handbook.
Do you want to take your career as a project manager to the next level?
Yes?
We have a suggestion for you: project management education.
This interview with Marie Spark (LinkedIn Profile) was recorded at the energizing Project Management Institute (PMI)® Global Conference 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Well... Actually... it was recorded a couple days before at the PMI® LIM).
In the interview, we see how adult education has changed in the past decade, what changes we can expect in the future, and how we project managers can (and should!) take advantage of various training opportunities in order to advance our careers.
PM PrepCast, Agile PrepCast, PM Exam Simulator, PDU Podcast, PM Podcast are marks of OSP International LLC.
PMI, PMBOK, PMP, PgMP, PfMP, CAPM, PMI-SP, PMI-RMP, PMI-ACP, and PMI-PBA are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
