Cornelius Fitchner, PMP
President, OSP International LLC
Here is another round of PDU Tips that will help your members optimize their time and earn their PDUs to maintain their Certification.
PDU Tip: Earning PDUs with Podcasts
In our current series of PDU Tips we are exploring the many ways you can earn PDUs. Today we look at how you can gain PDUs through listening to project management podcasts.
If you haven't come across it before, The Project Management Podcast is like an online radio show that you listen to on demand. It delivers interviews with project management experts from around the world as free podcast episodes that you listen to on your computer or mobile device. It's a great way to get to listen to world-class experts talk about their specialist areas and whatever project management topics you are most interested in, there will be something relevant to you. The guests include authors, speakers, practitioners and academics, but they are all engaging and interesting.
You can access The Project Management Podcast from the website or through iTunes, so you can download episodes to your media player and listen to them while you are running or at the gym. Or, for those of you who are less energetic, from the sofa!
Free PDUs gained from listening to The Project Management Podcast fall into Category C, Self-Directed Learning. In this category, 1 PDU is awarded for every hour of activity logged. Because the programs are shorter than the 1 hour needed to claim a PMI PDU you will have to listen to several free episodes on the same topic to earn 1 PDU.
There are over 200 free episodes available, so you shouldn't find it difficult to listen to enough to claim your PDUs. The easiest way is to subscribe to the podcast, so that you are automatically directed to the latest episodes.
You can only claim a maximum of 30 PDUs in this category per three-year recertification cycle. It's important to keep your personal records up to date so that you can justify any of your PDUs if your recertification application is chosen for audit. The easiest way to do this with The Project Management Podcast is to keep a log of how many hours you have listened to and what Knowledge Area and Process Group is covered in that episode. Then when you come to report your PDUs on the PMI website you will have a complete record.
Sound good? Subscribe to The Project Management Podcast at http://www.project-management-podcast.com/pdu and start listening and earning PDUs today!
PDU Tip: Earning PDUs by Creating New Knowledge
In our current series of PDU Tips we are exploring the many ways you can earn PDUs. Today we look at how you can gain PDUs by creating new project management knowledge "New knowledge"? That sounds complicated, doesn't it? Actually, there is a lot you can do to earn PDUs in this area, and it is not as hard as it sounds. Best of all, creating new knowledge is a way to earn free PDUs.
Qualifying activities in this category include authoring or co-authoring articles and books, but you don't have to be Shakespeare or J. K. Rowling to be able to claim credit towards your PDU total.
Writing articles for PMI's Knowledge Shelf, based on your area of expertise, also counts. You could contribute an article to a professional or company blog, or to an electronic newsletter. Writing for your Chapter newsletter is a great way to get started. Think about the types of things you enjoy and are good at, and write about that. For example, if you are particularly interested in risk management, put together an article about your five top tips for managing risk.
If you are really stuck for ideas, how about writing a case study about the project you are working on or how your company manages projects?
If writing isn't your strong point, you can also create knowledge by serving as a speaker at events. You could present a webinar or podcast, or create and present a project management course. Even developing the content for your presentation counts towards your PDU total. If the thought of standing up in front of a group worries you, how about starting by moderating a panel discussion for your Chapter or professional project management group?
The rule is that every hour spent preparing and delivering these activities is equal to one PDU. The PDUs you get by working on items like this count towards Category D, which is part of the 'Giving Back to the Profession' categories. As a PMP credential holder, you will need 60 PDUs every three years for your recertification cycle. The PDUs claimed in Category D for creating new knowledge count toward the 45 PDU maximum for categories D, E and F.
PDU Tip: Earning PDUs through Self-Study
In our current series of PDU Tips we are exploring the many ways you can earn PDUs. Today we look at how you can gain PDUs through self-study.
Do you consume a lot of materials like reading articles or books, watching videos or CD ROMs? This is one type of self-study that contributes towards your PDU total during a recertification cycle.
Self-directed learning is a Category C activity that covers a wide range of topics. Professional Development Units gained this way are an easy and cheap way to top up your total. Self-study is something that can fit in around your other activities – and you may even find yourself doing it as part of your day job!
Self-directed learning is defined as 'individualized learning events involving personally conducted research or study'. As well as reading articles, books and manuals, this also includes being coached or mentored by a colleague or consultant. It also includes formal discussions with colleagues, coworkers, clients and consultants, so if you attend vendor presentations or lunch and learn sessions you could also claim these hours towards your PDUs.
The requirements from Project Management Institute (PMI) are that the activities you record must be relevant to project management and must meet a specified purpose. In addition, qualifying activities in this category must also use knowledgeable resources, so articles in your local newspaper that happen to mention a community project won't count!
You can claim 1 PDU for each hour spent on this as "self-study". There is a maximum of 30 PDUs for this and any other Category C activities.
If you are audited as part of the recertification cycle you will have to provide evidence supporting your PDU claim. This could be in the form of notes from discussions or coaching sessions, copies of articles annotated with your comments or other dated notes about the self-study you have undertaken.
Remember, you can also record PDUs in fractions, so if you only spend half an hour on self-study, you can still record that and it will still contribute towards your PDUs for PMP recertification.
PDU Tip: Earning PDUs with ideas via email
In our current series of PDU Tips we are exploring the many ways you can earn PDUs. Today we look at how you can use email to give you a constant stream of ideas for free PDUs.
This series has covered a number of ways for you to earn PDUs, which are essential if you want to keep your Project Management Institute (PMI) credential up to date. CAPM is the only credential that does not have a PDU requirement, so the rest of you will embark on the 3 year recertification process that requires you to log your continuous professional development with PMI. PMP credential holders need to show evidence of 60 PDUs. That works out as 20 per year.
Are you stuck for ideas of how to get all these PDUs? Or worried that it will be expensive or time consuming to get them? The PDU Insider newsletter at http://www.pdu-insider.com will help you identify great, cost-effective ideas about how to achieve your PDUs.
The newsletter gives you links to free events where you can earn PDUs and you can also have your PMP PDU questions answered. You will learn more about the rules and policies of earning PDUs with each issue. After all... knowledge is power, so it's always best to know the rules of any program you participate in.
The newsletter highlights any trends and updates to the Continuing Certification Requirements System, and includes articles on Project Management, written by PMP certified Project Managers, to help you practice project management more effectively. It will guide you to resources for getting free PDUs, point you to the latest recommended project management books (useful for self-directed study PDUs in Category C) and tell you about current tools, techniques and best practices.
It even includes access to special offers and discounts, making earning PDUs and assessing your skills even cheaper!
It's a free newsletter, delivered to your inbox regularly, so those PDU tips will be right at hand when you need them. Sign up now at http://www.pdu-insider.com. Don't miss this opportunity to get free information about PDUs and how to earn them.
In next week's tip we'll be looking at how you can earn the maximum PDUs possible by leveraging your PDU activities.
You can also send us any questions about PDUs to