11. PDUs (Professional Development Units) to Maintain your PMP Credential

Now that you are certified, it’s all over, complete, you never have to go back to this again. Right? Wrong! You will need to earn at least 60 PDUs (Professional Development Units) over 3 years. It’s a 3 year cycle, not every year. So most people likely wait until halfway through the third year and realize “Oh DRAT” I have to start getting PDUs.

A PDU (Professional Development Unit) essentially is one hour of professional development. You have to earn a minimum of 35 PDUs with education.

There are three categories: Strategic and Business Management, Technical Project Management, and Leadership. You have to earn at least 8 PDUs in each of these categories. There are at least 11 PDUs that can then be spread across any of these categories.

You can also earn up to 25 PDUs by giving back to the professional. Things like volunteering at a PMI chapter, creating learning products, giving speeches count toward the giving back category.

You can also earn 8 PDUs by working as a practitioner or as we call it, going to work every day as a project manager, or doing project management.

You can carry up to 20 PDUs forward to the next 3 year cycle. This is the case if you earned them in the last year of the three year cycle and have already met the 60 PDUs for that current cycle.

Also, to clarify classes taken, or anything worth PDUs before you pass the exam, does not count toward PDUs. If you are taking the test soon, and I have passed it. We take the same class at that time, I earn PDUs, you earn contact hours toward sitting for the exam.

Like anything, there is a fee with renewing your Project Management Professional (PMP)® credential as well. The fee is $60 if you are a PMI member and $150 if you are not.

Now let’s ask….what happens if you don’t get 60 PDUs in a three year period? Your PMP credential gets suspended. I don’t have a great deal of experience in this, but my understanding is that if this happens you go into suspended status and they give you one year to earn the missing PDUs.

If you don’t earn the missing PDUs in a year, then your PMP credential is expired and you lose it.

For more information email info@crosswindpm.com or call 214-764-1338 X1 or go to www.crosswindpm.com, to learn more about Crosswind options to take your career and earnings to the next level, the “Crosswind Way!”