Project Management Professional

[1] As of 31 July 2020, there are 1,036,368 active PMP-certified individuals and 314 chartered chapters across 214 countries and territories worldwide.

[2] The exam is one of eight credentials offered by PMI[3] and is based on the ECO PMP Examination Content Outline.

Announced in June 2019, the PMP Examination Content Outline[9] will undergo significant re-categorization, effective January 2021, which prescribe three all-new performance domains: Government, commercial and other organizations employ PMP-certified project managers in an attempt to improve the success rate of projects in all areas of knowledge, by applying a standardized and evolving set of project management principles as contained in PMI's PMBOK Guide.

Individuals who are active in the field of PMP exam preparation (such as trainers, courseware developers, and book authors) may not participate in item writing.

Candidates must meet the prerequisites in one of the following groups to be eligible for PMP Certification:[13] [14] Continuous credential requirements are also called CCRs.

To maintain the PMP qualification, 60 professional development units (PDUs) must be earned over a three-year cycle, from activities such as researching, authoring articles, speaking on project management-related topics, or being engaged full-time in project management.

[16] Effective 1 December 2015, CCRs were updated to align with the employer-identified skills depicted in the PMI Talent Triangle, a combination of technical, leadership, and strategic and business management expertise, to ensure credential holders are equipped with skills relevant in a continually changing business environment.

[17] The US Department of Education and the National Science Foundation have deemed all United States professional certifications to be at level 50 in the Mapping The World of Education, Comparable Database System (Volume Two: Codes for Program Completion Awards by Country).

In practice, companies and practitioners choose one system or both due to the project environment, their geographical location and costs involved.