ADDITIONAL TRAINING INFO

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Certifications refers to a person being tested to see if they are competent to do a job or task, usually by the passing of an examination. Certification are designated credentials earned by an individual to verify their legitimacy and competence to perform a job. Certification programs ensure the competence of professionals through a measurement of skills and knowledge. Certification program contents are updated to keep up with the latest trends of the industry. 

Certifications are more technically focused, less generalised, more difficult to apply for and have tougher exams than do qualifications. The governing body usually sets a benchmark, these benchmarks are usually set quite high. The certification seekers strive to meet those benchmark. The benchmarks were set low then there will be too many people certified around the global and the whole purpose of the certification program will be defeated.

Global certification programs ensure that the certified individuals meet a global benchmark. Certified individuals not only meet a global benchmark but become part of elite group for their certified area. More and more employers are looking at certification to assess whether an individual possesses the skills and knowledge required for successful performance in a particular job role.

Employers benefit as well. When more than one-third of their project managers are PMP-certified, organisations complete more of their projects on time, on budget and meeting original goals. (Pulse of the Profession® study, PMI, 2015). 

Certification on is administered independent of any education or training program, assessment is based on a body of knowledge rather than on specific learning outcomes and trainers don’t assess their own trainees for final certification. An independent body carries out the final assessment to deem whether the participant is certified or not.

Sometimes qualification offered by a training institute like a college or university may not be recognised in other countries. Certification offered by renewed bodies like PMI is globally recognised.

Research indicates that employers will need to fill nearly 2.3 million new project-oriented roles each year through 2030. This means skilled project managers are in high demand. PMP certification is designed by project professionals, for project professionals and validates that you are among the best.

The PMP adds value. CIO magazine ranked the PMP as the top project management certification in North America because it demonstrates you have the specific skills employers seek, dedication to excellence and the capacity to perform at the highest levels.

The PMP delivers benefits. The median salary for project professionals is 16% higher globally (and 32% higher in the United States) than those without it.

The PMP proves you work smarter. It shows you have the skills to drive business results and increase your organization’s impact in the office and around the world.

Earn the PMP. Earn more.

90M

Project management-oriented employees currently in projectized industries across the world

25M

New project management oriented employees needed to meet global talent demands by 2030

12M

New employees driven by expansion and 13 million driven by retirements

Project Management Institute (PMI) is an American nonprofit professional organisation for project management founded in 1969.

The PMI serves more than 2.9 million professionals including over 600,000 members in 214 countries and territories around the world, with 300 chapters and 10,000 volunteers serving local members in over 80 countries.

Its services include the development of standards, research, education, publication, networking-opportunities in local chapters, hosting conferences and training seminars, and providing accreditation in project management.

PMI has recruited volunteers to create industry standards, such as "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge"(PMBOK), which has been recognised by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).  The content of the project management qualification training programmes that most local education institutions offer is based on PMI’s standards such as PMBOK.

Launched in 1984, PMI's first credential was the PMP. It has since become a de facto standard certification. The PMP is recognised worldwide as the gold standard in project management certification. In 2007 it earned the ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 accreditation from the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). As of May 2020 over 1 million people held the PMP credential.

PMI later introduced many other credentials and a certification.

• 1984: Project Management Professional (PMP)
• 2003: Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
• 2007: Program Management Professional (PgMP)
• 2008: PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)
• 2008: PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)
• 2011: PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
• 2014: PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)
• 2014: Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) 
• 2020: PMI Agile Certifications 
  • Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM) 
  • Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM)
  • Disciplined Agile Value Stream Consultant (DAVSC)
  • Disciplined Agile Coach (DAC)

Visit https://www.pmi.org/ for more information.

• Do the training
• Apply with PMI to sit for the exam
• Book the exam
• Schedule the exam
• Do the exam

The changes to CAPM came into effect from September 2019. But, don’t be alarmed – this is a minor change.

PMI is now introducing two new types of questions:

Matching questions

For this type of question, you simply match items from one list to another. For example, this may involve matching processes to the appropriate process group. 

Multiple choice questions with multiple correct answers

Up until now, CAPM test-takers have only had to select one correct answer to each question. However, this new question format will ask you to select multiple answers for the question. The good news is that the instructions give you clues to indicate how many answers to pick.

(In the past, multiple choice questions on the CAPM®/PMP® exam were always with a single correct answer)

Additionally, PMI has stated that there will only be a small percentage of these types of questions on the exam. 

Starting 25 July, the new CAPM certification exam will go beyond the PMBOK® Guide and integrate content across project management including business analysis & agile principles. 

Last day to take current CAPM certification exam: 24 July

Starting 25 July, the new CAPM certification exam will be available and will better support you in your career journey. By going beyond A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) the new exam will integrate content across project management including business analysis & agile principles. 

It’s an asset that will distinguish you in the job market and enhance your credibility and effectiveness working on — or with — project teams.

The new certification exam will encompass 4 domain areas based on the new CAPM Exam Content Outline:

• Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts
• Predictive Plan-Based Methodologies
• Agile Frameworks/Methodologies 
• Business Analysis Frameworks 

To prepare for the new CAPM exam, one will have to study:

• PMBOK® Guide 7th Edition
• Process Groups: A Practice Guide
• Agile Practice Guide 
• Business Analysis for Practitioners: A Practice Guide

PMI provides a collection of terminologies, best practices, guidelines, and processes in its Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). This guide also outlines generally recognised practices in the CAPM certification tests. Also, it signifies that individuals have a strong knowledge of project management principles and practices as prescribed in PMBOK. 

The new exam will include150 questions with a 10-minute break to be completed in 3 hours. It can be taken at a test center or as an online proctored exam.

All current and future Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® certification holders will no longer have to retake the three-hour exam every five years to retain the certification. 

Moving forward, CAPM® certification holders will have to earn 15 PDUs(Professional Development Units) over three years and pay a renewal fee US$60 member/US$150 non-member.

Earning PDUs allows CAPM certification holders to remain relevant and current on new developments and trends in project management and proves the individual knows the fundamentals of project management.

The 15 PDUs can be further broken down as follows:

• Minimum of 9 Education PDUs
• Maximum of 6 Giving Back PDUs

Education PDUs for all 15 required PDUs can meet the requirement, however a minimum of 2 PDUs for each Education-related skill: Technical, Leadership, and Business is needed then you can complete electives to earn the remainder of their Education PDUs. For CAPM holders who want to pursue Giving Back PDUs, can earn a maximum of 2 PDUs for working as a professional (not required), and up to 6 PDUs for volunteering or creating content.Starting 25 July, the new CAPM certification exam will go beyond the PMBOK® Guide and integrate content across project management including business analysis & agile principles. 

In a nutshell: the pre-2021 PMP exam was based on 5 performance domains, while the post- 2 January 2021 exam is be based on 3 domains.

The pre-2021 PMP exam was consists of 5 domains which are basically different project lifecycle stages. Domains and exam questions percentage of each domain that were covered in the PMP exam:

Initiating - 13%

Planning - 4%

Executing - 31%

Monitoring and Controlling - 25%

Closing - 7%

The new PMP exam (post- 2 January 2021 exam) is based on 3 domains and its exam questions percentage share is: 

People - 42%

Process - 50%

Business Environment - 8%

PEOPLE – emphasizing the skills and activities associated with effectively leading a project team

PROCESS – reinforcing the technical aspects of managing a project

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT – highlighting the connection between projects and organization strategy

Both the domains of the current and the previous PMP exam will have some predefined tasks, whereas a new term ‘enablers’ is added to the new PMP exam. 

• Domain - High-level knowledge area that is essential for project management practice
• Tasks - Project manager responsibilities in all the domain areas
• Enablers - Clear examples of the work that is relevant to the task (the actions that need to be taken to complete the tasks).

The exam changed from:

• 5 domains to 3 domains, 
• 42 tasks to 35 tasks 

And the biggest change is that the new PMP exam will have 50% of the questions based on the predictive project management approaches and the other 50% on agile or hybrid approaches.

The PMP exam is comprised of:

• 180 questions (the previous exam was 200) but the same number of questions will be scored
• 230 minutes to complete the exam
• One additional break for a total of two 10-minute breaks for computer-based tests. No scheduled breaks for paper-based exams. The first break will appear after you complete questions 1- 60 and review all of your answers. The second break will appear after you have completed question 120 and confirmed that you have reviewed all of your answers. Please note, once you review your responses and start your break you will not be able to return to the questions from the previous section of the exam. When you are signed back in after each break, you will have the remaining allotted time to complete the remaining section(s). In total, you will have 230 minutes to respond to 180 questions.
• Questions will be a combination of multiple-choice, multiple responses, matching, hotspot and limited fill-in-the-blank.

A new PMP Examination Content Outline was published on June 2019. This document defines the syllabus/content of the PMP exam. This means that PMI is currently updating the PMP exam to match the new syllabus and the new exam went into effect on 2 January 2021.

https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/pmp-examination-content-outline.pdf?rev=ef41743a91564137a9a6fd31e19a9668&sc_lang_temp=en

So just to be absolutely clear: Contrary to what many students and trainers may think, the PMP exam is NOT based on A Guide to The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). The PMBOK® Guide is only one of several references PMI uses to design their PMP exam questions. 

Instead, the exam is based on The PMP Examination Content Outline. 

The exam is changing because project managers role changes/evolves with time.

Every 3-5 years, PMI® conducts research called Role Delineation Study (RDS) of current project managers to understand how the profession has progressed, the impact of emerging trends, and how the responsibilities of project managers have changed.  

Other industries follow a similar approach – the organization that produces a standard (a body of knowledge) uses a RDS or Practice Analysis to ensure that the standard is aligned with day-to-day practice. In this case, PMI used a global practice analysis to focus on the roles of novice project manager, more experienced project manager, agile practitioner, and business analyst. Based on this research, PMI made changes to the PMP Examination Content Outline (ECO). 

Subject matter experts from leading organizations around the world have worked with PMI to define the PMP of the future. The result of this research was the publication of a new PMP Examination Content Outline.

Exam Content Crossover Map

• Value servant leadership (e.g., relate the tenets of servant leadership to the team)
• Measure training outcomes
• Maintain team and knowledge transfer
• Assess behavior through the use of personality indicators
• Analyze personality indicators and adjust to the emotional needs of key project stakeholders
• Assess opportunities to deliver value incrementally
• Support the team to subdivide project tasks as necessary to find the Minimum Viable Product
• Coordinate with other projects and other operations
• Recommend a project methodology/approach (i.e, predictive, agile, hybrid)
• Use iterative, incremental practices throughout the project lifecycle (e.g., lessons learned, stakeholder engagement, risk)
• Confirm approach for knowledge transfers
• Classify compliance categories
• Determine potential threats to compliance
• Use methods to support compliance
• Analyze the consequences of noncompliance
• Determine the necessary approach and action to address compliance needs (e.g., risk, legal)
• Measure the extent to which the project is in compliance
• Verify measurement system is in place to track benefits
• Evaluate delivery options to demonstrate the value
• Assess and prioritize impact on project scope/backlog based on changes in an external business environment
• Recommend options for scope/backlog changes (e.g. schedule, cost changes)
• Continually review the external business environment for impacts on project scope/backlog
• Support organizational change
• Assess organizational culture
• Evaluate the impact of organizational change to project and determine required actions
• Evaluate the impact of the project on the organization and determine required actions

What are the Consequences of the PMP exam change?

Consequence 1: The New PMP Exam is BIGGER

About 70% of the previous exam is now contained within Domain II: Process, and that the other two domains - People and Business Environment - contain largely new content.

Consequence 2: Agile is a MUST

Half of the questions on the new exam will be about agile and hybrid approaches. Therefore you must have both knowledge and experience of what it's like to work in these environments.

Consequence 3: The new PMP Exam will be HARDER

With so many new topics and methods that have been added to the exam and that you have to know about, it's no surprise that passing the exam will be harder.

Consequence 4: 35 Contact Hours are the MINIMUM

PMI requires that you "Verify at least 35 contact hours of specific instruction that addressed learning objectives in project management". However, now that the exam contains about twice as much content you should expect that an in-depth exam prep course will be significantly longer.

Our success rate is much higher than other similar training providers.

Although we started providing this training  recently, currently about half the number of PMI project management certified professionals in Fiji has been trained by us.

Our training packages are usually very reasonably priced compared to other vendors. While most training providers deliver fast PMI Project Management Global Certification boot camp training over 5 full days and charge as much as FJ$4999, we, on other hand, provide similar training plus coaching for FJ$2500.  Our focus is to get more people certified.

No other training provider delivers after training coaching to assist participants with the exam preparation. 

We also noticed that 5 full days of boot camp training is not suitable for everyone.  In particular, those that are new to project management need more time. Rather than  quickly delivering the content, we spread it out for easier understanding and absorption. We are always reviewing and updating our content to ensure our students get the best knowledge and perform well with the newly gained skills.

As mentioned previously, our focus is to get more people certified and we always aim to provide flexible training packages to best suit our participants.

Our training and coaching is designed to allow participants to understand the key concepts of project management and to prepare the students for the globally recognised PMP® (Project Management Professional) or CAPM® (Certified Associate of Project Management) project management certifications from Project Management Institute®.

The training package includes:

• Face-to-Face/Virtual Training
• Access to our online learning platform
• Coaching/Assistance with exam preparation
• Course materials
• Project Templates
• Certificate  for attending the training

*   Participants will receive a certificate on completion of training

**   Participants will get another certificate from Project Management   Institute(PMI) of USA after they pass the PMI exam.

• Holds the following project management global certifications:
  • PMP (Project Management Professional) 
  • CAPM (Certified Associate of Project Management) 
  • CSM – Certified Scrum Master 
  • PRINCE2 Practitioner 
• Has been delivering PMI project management training since 2017
• 50% of PMI certified individuals in Fiji have been trained and coached by him
• Has been teaching project management at University of the South Pacific since 2016 as a consultant trainer